Jno. 6:68 ... "Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.'"
After Jesus had miraculously fed the 5,000 with a young boy's lunch, He returned to Capernaum to resume preaching to the multitudes there. But many of those who had eaten of that unusual meal followed Jesus and searched until they found Him engaged in the synagogue. When He saw them, Jesus said, "You seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled," (v.25). They had not diligently sought out Jesus for the "bread of life" He could give them to nourish their souls (v.35), but rather for the literal bread that would fill their bellies. Jesus refused to comply with their wish. To the contrary! In a exposition that makes John 6 one of the longest chapters in the New Testament, Jesus dealt out to them a generous measure of the "bread of life" in the event any of them cared to feed their souls upon it. Almost none of them, however, had that inclination. Instead, we read in v.60, "Many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, 'This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it.'" Then v.66 reports: "As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him any more."
As they departed to contend with life without God, Jesus turned from them to His apostles with a question that was also a challenge: "You do not want to go away also, do you?" It is noteworthy that Jesus refused to soften His doctrine or make any compromise with the departing multitude in order to retain their membership in His movement. How different with many of those who profess to preach for Him today! It is no secret that Christian participation is presently decreasing because it is more popular, more entertaining, and more sensually gratifying to indulge one's life in the activities that occupy human attention. Many preachers and church leaders are saying that we must reinterpret the Scriptures so that we can incorporate some of what is so appealing from the worldly scene into Christian activity. They insist this is necessary lest the exodus from the church continue. Jesus faced the same crisis in John 6, but He responded quite differently from these people today. Jesus explained to them the truth without compromise or appeasement, and when they rejected it, He allowed them to go away to their fate. In fact, He even turned to His most devoted followers, the apostles, and gave them the opportunity also to depart. "You do not want to go away also, do you?," was His sober question to them.
Peter answered for all of them by saying, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life." This Galilean fisherman, uneducated and unsophisticated as he was, gave a brilliant answer that no one can improve. As we make our way through life and are confronted by its difficult issues, we all seek help and advice from those whom we trust to be wise. Thus people read the philosophers, seek out the experts, and follow after those who seem to know where they are going and why. Yet, when you turn from the essyas of the philosophers to the stories of their lives, you find they suffered the same vicissitudes of life as the rest of us. In fact, the more imminent philosophers experienced wretchedness and torment to the extent that death was the best part of their lives. Likewise, we are often amazed when some "expert" suffers shipwreck with his life and is discredited after years of dispensing his profound "wisdom." The fact is that no one has been through the world before, and no one from within himself knows the best path. On the other hand, Jesus is God who descended from heaven into human life to reveal reality to us and invite us to follow His sure leadership to eternal security and joy. Anyone who is wise will recognize Christ as "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," (Jno. 14:6), and will then answer with Peter of long ago, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life."
