“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

John 6:67-69

Many who claimed to be Jesus’ disciples balked at his teachings: ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ (v. 60). Despite their ‘grumbling’ (v. 61), Jesus decided not to retract or dilute his words to make them more palatable. His words, are unalterable truth—words ‘full of the Spirit and life’ (v. 63). While Jesus is unchanging, he challenges us to keep changing—constantly adjusting our course and fine-tuning our conduct by aligning ourselves with his truths and values. Just as a lighthouse enables ships to navigate through treacherous waters and reach safe harbor, Jesus seeks to direct and redirect us to himself. Nevertheless, he respects our free will. Many of those disgruntled disciples ‘turned back and no longer followed him’ (v. 66), rejecting the life-giving bread from heaven and spurning his salvation.

Even the Twelve had to make a choice: ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ (v. 67). Judas ultimately ignored the ‘lighthouse’ and chose a collision course. But Peter wanted to be led by the lighthouse: ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life’ (v. 68).

Closing Prayer

Lord, shine your light into my life and show me areas in which I must ‘adjust’ my course. Help me to follow you with steadfast devotion, always in the center of your will (edited from Encounter with God).