John 6:68, “Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’”
Could you leave Jesus and no longer follow Him? What if hundreds of people left Jesus because of bitterness and offense, would you still stay? Jesus’ twelve main disciples watched a great exodus of their fellow disciples leave; some were probably their close friends and family. What would you do if Jesus gave you a chance to leave with them and asked, “Do you want to leave too?”
Peter’s response in today’s passage shows the heart of a true disciple. He basically said, “I can’t leave you because no one else has the words of eternal life.” Later on in Peter’s life after he denied Christ three times He tried to go back to fishing, but even then Jesus found Him, restored Him and brought Him back (John 21:15-19). Peter knew there was never any place he could go and find the same things Jesus offered.
There are multitudes of religions, philosophies and groups to choose from, however, Jesus is the only One that can offer you the words of eternal life. His words are powerful because He was and is the only Good Shepherd that laid down His life for His sheep and raised it up again (John 10:11-18).
Likewise, Jesus is unique because He was not just a good man with good teachings or a prophet that God raised from the dead; He was (and is) God the Son in the flesh. Jesus didn’t start existing at His virgin birth; He had always existed as the eternal Logos (Word), dwelling face-to-face with the Father (John 1:1). Therefore, Jesus didn’t only teach God’s Word, but He is the Word. He created all things by His words and every Word in the Scriptures were sent by Him. John declared that, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3).
With these things in mind, how do you treat Jesus in times of doubt and fear? Do you walk away from Jesus whenever things don’t go your way? Do you quit when times get hard? Do you follow people in their offense when they leave church, which is the Body of Christ? How do you respond to persecution and hardships? I pray that we all have the response of Peter and decide nothing is worth trading Jesus for because only He has the words of eternal life.
Reflection
Action
- Make a personal decision to never leave Jesus. The ole’ timers used to say, “Quit your quits.”
- Ask the Holy Spirit to comfort and strengthen you during times of doubt and testing.
- If you should ever walk away from Jesus like Peter eventually did, always remember He will come after you and try to bring you back!
