After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”
– John 6:66-67
Through my growing up years I was never one of the cool kids. I always wanted to be, but such status was perpetually elusive. The cool kids were the ones who drew the crowds. They were the ones who got the girls (or the boys). They were the ones whose pictures were on every other page of the yearbook. Such things do not describe my life growing up. For myself and others like me, it was like being continuously on the outside of the preferred social group, peering in and hoping that some day your fortunes may change. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it may be that you were one of the cool kids and didn’t realize it. If you do know what I’m talking about, well, there you go.
When I read the sixth chapter of John’s gospel account, I wonder if a similar dynamic had taken hold of Jesus’ apostles. Of course, these guys were not awkward junior high boys. They were men, even if young men, already at work trying to be a productive part of society. Now they found themselves called to be students of a particularly charismatic rabbi. It didn’t take long before the crowds around them started to grow, and quickly they became part of the cool kids club. In fact, they were not just part of the cool kids club; they were the inner circle of the club. And yes, there are hints in the gospel accounts that they rather enjoyed it.
A day came when all of this changed, and changed very suddenly. It is not that Jesus would not enjoy crowd support at other times in his ministry. He would. However, on the day recorded in John 6, the crowds left, and did so in a hurry. Why? Simply put, they discovered that Jesus’ teachings were tough. Following him was not a safe, comfy ride. Jesus challenged them, challenged their thinking about God. The previous day he had amazed the multitudes by feeding them bread. Now they discovered that his teachings were (if you will allow the pun) hard to swallow. So what did they do? They left. And when they left, all of the prestige the apostles enjoyed of being Jesus’ right hand men vanished. Peter and the others could only stand and watch.
I picture the apostles standing there, jaws agape, wondering what happened. I can appreciate the gut-punch feeling they probably experienced. Further, I can appreciate how difficult it must have been to respond to what Jesus did next. To those he had called, Jesus posed a simple question: do you also want to leave? Think about it in our modern context. Jesus is asking his friends if they would prefer to stay with the crowd, or if they are willing to walk the path of unpopularity. How powerfully will that sense of belonging and inclusion pull them? Will it be enough to walk away, or will they be willing to stick it out with Jesus when it is only them and Jesus? Peter’s response is, in my opinion, nothing short of remarkable. “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Do you hear what he is saying? Peter is declaring that the value of knowing Jesus surpasses anything that can be gained from the world, including popularity and influence.
On the day of this writing, we concluded worship by singing the chorus of I Have Decided to Follow Jesus. You are probably familiar with the song. (If not, you can hear it here.) There is a verse of the song that says, “Though none go with me, still I will follow.” It is hard to say how many times I have sung these words through the years. Admittedly, most of the time I have not really considered if I seriously mean what I am singing. I know how good it feels when the crowd is with you. I also know how it hurts when people walk away. In the end, my only hope of being faithful is to remember the truth spoken from the lips of Peter: the only source of truth and life is Jesus. If I sacrifice him to gain anything else, I have truly lost everything.
I hope to see you along the Winding Path—even when it is a lonely path.
The Winding Path 