John 6:56-69 / Pentecost 13

A sermon on John 6:56-69 | Pentecost 13B  August 22, 2021 | by The Rev. Dr. Judson F Merrell, STS |

Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.

⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.

⁵⁸ 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.“

⁵⁹ He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

⁶⁰ When many of his disciples heard it, they said, „This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?“

⁶¹ But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, „Does this offend you?

⁶² Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?

⁶³ It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

⁶⁴ But among you there are some who do not believe.“ For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.

⁶⁵ And he said, „For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.“

⁶⁶ 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.“

(Joh 6:56-69 NRS)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, „Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.”  Peter’s answer to Jesus is one we all know well.  It has been a part of our liturgy for years, although we sang it more when we used the green Lutheran Book of Worship.  Those words, which in our liturgy are a part of the Gospel Acclamation, seem to be a simple declaration of truth in the midst of an interesting back and forth between Jesus and his disciples.  But the reality is that statement, while truthful, has a lot of issues.

As we wrap up our incursion into John’s account of the Gospel during this time after Pentecost, let us remind ourselves of where we have been and where we are now.  We began several weeks ago with Jesus feeding the 5000.  Then the crowds found Jesus on the other side of the sea and wondered how he had arrived there.  They demanded a sign.  And then John named this group as Jews.  Jesus over and over used the “I am the bread of life” motif with them, describing how his flesh and blood provide life.  Our Gospel, like several of the past few weeks lessons, begins today with the very verses we heard at the end of last weeks.  And then we get to the difficult part of this text.  John records the disciples saying “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?”  Yes….who can accept it?  Who among us is worthy enough to accept it?  Are we?  Were the disciples?  How about the 12 apostles?  Well looking at this text we see that because of Jesus’ words, many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.  Could this be the seventy-two disciples that Jesus sent out in Luke 10?  He sent them out to heal the sick, to preach, and to receive what is offered to them, rather than taking their own supplies.  If so, these disciples that turn back in John’s account are already witnesses to the power of Christ at work in the world.  Luke says when they returned even demons submitted to them.  So they are not new to the ministry of Christ.  And yet his words offend them to the point that they leave.

So what about the apostles?  Are they able to accept the teachings of Christ?   Well, they are not pure either.  Peter famously rebuked Christ.  Judas betrayed him.  Thomas doubted.  But yet these are the ones that Jesus chose.  These are the ones that he called from their jobs, their families, and their lives, all to follow him.  And from them and their issues comes this truthful statement:  ⁶⁸ „Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.”  Like the apostles, we too have been called by Christ.  We have been washed in the waters of the font and marked as a child of God forever by the Spirit.  There are times we act like Peter.  There are times we act like Judas.  There are times we act like Thomas.  But in all those times we can come back to Peter’s statement: “You have the words of eternal life.”  No one else but Christ.  Like Peter, we can attach ourselves to the Word of God, which Christ describes as forever according to Luke:  ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (Luk 21:33 NRS)  For the past few weeks as we have journeyed through John we have come to know how to attain eternal life.  And all those words have come from Christ.  They are God’s Word, sent from the Father through the Son by the power of the Spirit, here with us forever.  God’s Word is unchanged and will remain unchanged because it is for all creation.  It is for the 72 disciples, the 12 apostles, the church triumphant, and for us as a part of the church militant.  It is a gift of God’s grace, passed on to us all, so that one day we may join with all the saints in light in God’s Kingdom, where we will live forever.  In the name of the Father, the +Son, and the Holy Spirit.   Amen.