August 26, 2018
The gospel is not always seen as good news to all because, as it
was once said, the faith of Jesus comforts the afflicted and afflicts the
comfortable. Hmmmm. That’s a little hard to hear.
Today we wrap up with Jesus’ discourse on The Bread of
Heaven. There are two themes that
particularly struck me which I’d like to share with you. First,
what struck me the hardest was the theme of a crisis of faith…but we
need to see that this crisis of faith was brought about by a religious
teaching.
Secondly, I think this passage is calling us to be more willing to argue GOOD
theology…and challenge bad or lazy theological thinking.
That is the real stumbling block for some people…the fact that
Jesus doesn’t actually have anything to say about a number of things the things
that we have chosen to take up our mantle and wrestle with. And when people find out that Jesus doesn’t
actually have anything to say about these hot button issues that we take great
offense to, that tends to come as a surprise.
People believe some very strange thing about God and about Christ,
and what they believe is often a stumbling block to their faith, and when they
express it, it becomes a stumbling block to the faith of others. It’s a shame, then, that much of these
beliefs are so ill formed.
In the same way that ignorance , misunderstanding and false
expectations caused some of Jesus’ would-be followers to turn their backs on
him in today’s Gospel, the same goes for today.
Very often the stumbling block for Jesus’ would be disciples are not the
words of Jesus but the words of other Christians, Christians with…selfish,
ulterior motives, who don’t speak with the like mindedness or authority of
Jesus.
John 6:56-69
Jesus
said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.
Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever
eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven,
not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats
this bread will live forever.” He said these things while he was teaching in
the synagogue at Capernaum.
When
many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can
accept it?” But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about
it, said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son
of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the
flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But
among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who
were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.
And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless
it is granted by the Father.”
Because
of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So
Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered
him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come
to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
