Does this Offend You?
“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? --John 6:58-61
When was the last time you were faced with something you knew you should do, but in the end, decided that it was just too difficult? Maybe it was listening to your neighbor, whose political opinions are the opposite of yours. Perhaps it was forgiving someone who hurt you greatly. Maybe it was calling that elderly relative who talks nonstop and has nothing but complaints about everything.
When is the last time you were offended by something? It seems like everyone is offended about something these days. People make wrong assumptions, judge people without knowing the whole story, or put others down to make themselves feel better. These are just a few examples of ways we offend others and are offended by others.
This week we hear the fifth and final gospel text about bread, sometimes called the Bread Discourse. At the beginning of chapter six, Jesus fed five thousand people and they followed him, even chased after him, because in him they sensed something they longed for, hungered for, that they could not quite describe or understand. By the end of chapter six, they are falling away, unable to accept the difficult teaching of Jesus. Those first followers were right there in the flesh with Jesus, they saw the miracles and heard his teaching and still they fell away.
There is a profound truth in this challenge from Jesus to his followers, one that reaches across the centuries and into the world today. The disenchanted will depart when the teaching becomes difficult. When the choice becomes following Jesus into the crises of this world or walking away, we will hesitate. When Jesus calls us in a new direction, we may decide it’s too risky, too uncertain, too difficult.
This profound truth from Jesus reaches into the Church as well. Those of us who have been in the church, who have been in this parish with its rich history, who have been here for a long time, have seen the miracles here, have memories we treasure of the way things used to be. When Jesus calls us to a new thing, will we too fall away? We can be certain that Jesus will call us to a new thing, and we will have decisions to make. We are being invited to follow, and to be drawn into the heart of God.
This is the essence of discipleship, to follow Jesus even if it means leaving behind our personal preferences or our comfortable ways of doing things. We are faced with this decision every day in the church and in the world. Like the five thousand and even the twelve disciples, we waffle back and forth in our faith. Will we make the effort to get up and go to church? Will we make a financial commitment to support the work of the parish? Will we attend a Bible study or be intentional about ten minutes of contemplative prayer each morning? Will we care for the community around us?
As beloved community walking in the way of Jesus, we will be challenged and sometimes offended by the reactions of people who do not yet know the love and generosity of God. May we answer in faith as did Simon Peter, “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.” (John 6:68-69)
