No Other Way

Scripture Passage that Caught my attention today: John 6:66-69 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Observation: Some discerning individuals simply found Jesus’ teaching too hard to accept. Peter and the twelve were won over, however, and stayed with him. Still even one of them was only their half-heartedly.

Application: In some ways John is my least favorite of the four gospels. Most scholars date it as the last of the gospels written and part of what bothers me about John is that Jesus is almost always portrayed as knowing everything. So the first of the gospels written (Mark, we think) presents a Jesus who gets tired and angry and sometimes even has limits to his power. But the last of the gospels written (again, we think) presents a Jesus who almost always seems to know everything. Had I been there at the time, I might well have been one of those people who followed Jesus for a while and then turned way.

Then again, maybe I would have somehow been won over by the story. We’ll never know for sure.

What I do know is that somehow or another I am currently won over by the story and have been since early in my life. Yes, there are some elements here and there that give me pause. But at the end of the day the heart of the story of God’s engagement in the world through Jesus is too compelling to either ignore or dismiss. Peter’s rhetorical question “Lord, to whom can we go?” is one to which I can most surely relate. Shall I go the way of trusting in myself? Hardly. Shall I go the way of trusting the high and mighty in this world? No way. Shall I go the way of just thinking positive and relying on self-sufficiency? In my view, there’s not nearly as much depth to that plan as meets the eye.

At the end of the day there is the saving work of Christ. In life and in death Jesus demonstrated a love that is greater than any other. I see no other viable option than to trust in him.

Prayer: Lord, I’d like to simply give thanks for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included 2 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 34, John 6)