The eating of me, the flesh, and drinking me, the blood in me, abides in me and I in him.

Standing Firm Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost 9:00 a.m. Sunday, August 23, 2015 The Reverend Martha S. Boyd St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church Hummelstown, Pennsylvania Joshua 24: 1-2a, 14-18; Psalm 34: 15-22; Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69 There were many that abandoned him. When it became crunch time, and things began getting difficult, those that said they were followers, professed their belief, thought he was wonderful, praised his mighty deeds, marveled at his works of healing, witnessed his miracles, they turned away from following him. If not for the miracles, we might say this sounds like a modern day famous person who ends up being someone different than what they professed to be. You know like Jarrod from the Subway commercials--- he was quite the nutrition hero in society. He lost a lot of weight by eating subs from Subway and then he was hired as their spokesperson. Many followed his example, and he became quite famous, probably making millions of dollars for this food chain. But this week, we found out that he admitted to having child pornography and crossing state lines to be with underage girls. His wife promptly filed for divorce. Subway had already announced he was no longer a spokesman for them when the investigation started. His choices resulted in criminal activity, and those who associated with him, promoted him, are now putting a lot of distance in the relationship. We could probably name dozens of similar scandals where the people we thought we knew, famous or not, turned out to be hiding something quite pernicious, and how that resulted in damaging relationships. But in the case of the followers of Jesus, the person they have been following is exactly who he says he is. And in this case, it is the truth of what it means to have true and eternal life which puts a wedge in the relationship. It seems these believers have reached that ubiquitous fork in the road. Jesus says, Eat my flesh--body and blood--- that you may live. These men find it difficult and respond as they so often do, by murmuring and grumbling. We don't understand---this is hard/demanding. We don't get it. Who can accept it? This is the last straw, so to speak, in believing what Jesus has been saying about himself and who he is. And in such typical rabbinical style, Jesus asks: Is this offensive to you? You think that s difficult, what if you see the Son of Man ascending into heaven? Will you "get it" when something worse happens to me, he asks? Does this assault your sensibilities? What you think you know? Does this push you beyond your own thoughts and ideas? Make you uncomfortable? Are you just now figuring out that I m asking you to do something you don't want to, asking you to leave life as you know it, and perhaps be ostracized for your beliefs? Am I not what you expected? And the answer is yes, to all of those questions. In the end, it is just too much and these once believing disciples walk away--leaving the one in front of them; the way of life, love and forgiveness. The price is too high, too demanding; it is all just too much to believe and hear. Page 1

And Jesus knew it. He knew it friends! Imagine how hard it is to keep teaching, keep giving, when you know the very people you are reaching out to, will betray you, will leave you, won t stand behind you? Jesus knew this moment was coming. For me, this is one of those moments when I am acutely aware of what separates us from Jesus. For most of us when we know a friend, a teacher a boss, is going to betray us, or throw us under the bus as is the popular saying, we start to distance ourselves from the offensive behavior and person(s). Rarely would we keep in relationship with the one who will abandon or betray us, trying to help them see and hear what is right. But this is what separates us from God God does not turn God s back on those who betray, those who hurt God, who continually disappoint. God stays true to God s promises, offering forgiveness to all who hear the voice of love and mercy. God desires our hearts, and does not give up on us. The word is life-giving. Now, the twelve are left--the ones Jesus hand-picked. Reading like a good suspense novel, we hear his words--well, what will you do? Do you all not wish to leave? Dun, dun, dun. But just as he knows what the other disciples will do, he also knows what their answer will be, wording the question so that the expected response is a yes. What will they say to Jesus? They have been witnesses to the mass exodus of the other disciples; have seen it with their own eyes, heard the discourse. As we wait for the answer, one person speaks - Peter. Standing firm in faith, in belief, he professes: You are the holy one--where else would we be? It sounds a lot like the words in Joshua who were told to choose who they will follow. The Israelites, used to being part of a society that worships many gods, is now faced with a choice. Who will you serve? Clearly the people recognize all that God has done for them, and in thanksgiving for the mercy and protection of an all powerful God, they turn to the one true Lord. At least for now. They like the twelve, know where to look, what to listen to, and see. While we believe that it is not by our power that we have this relationship with God, I think we are being reminded in these passages that we can and do turn away from that which is provided. We don t understand why God hasn t answered our prayers, or shown us the way; we reject what God has done for us. We say it is not enough, it s not what we wanted or expected in the relationship. These teachings are difficult, God! Rely solely on you? That s what you want? I hadn t counted on that. I don t know if I can do this faith thing; it s not working the way I thought it would. It s too demanding. The hard words are the ones we have the most difficulty with. We like to hear the pleasant words of Christ, the healings, etc. but when we are asked to do something we don t agree with, or that challenges our common sensibilities, we balk and cry, yes, I want to follow but I don t have time, I m too old, I m too young, I m too tired, I m not experienced, I don t agree with what s going on in the church. And we stumble, finding the words too hard or too different from what we ve known. Yes, friends, we do have the ability to not follow and when that happens we lose out on the astounding promise of God s merciful love and compassion. We can never truly leave as God is in control even coming to Jesus requires God s action. But our ears must be open, we must see and seek, we must look and hear. For it is action in mind, body and spirit, that we are called to, as we stand firm in faith. Following continuously Page 2

behind Jesus, we are protected with the armor that God has provided: The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit and shoes for whatever will help make us ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. This armor protects like no other; even the Roman soldiers with their armor were still subject to death. But the armor of God, granted through a single death and resurrection provides life everlasting and the strength to profess our beliefs openly and boldly. God has indeed provided all that is needed to proclaim the Gospel, but does not say it is easy. In fact, we are like Paul, ambassadors to the Gospel--shackled to the word--chained to it, so that we have no choice but to stand firm in its life-giving power which goes against all authorities, and evil forces of the heavens. Chained then to God, totally reliant on all that has been given, we hear the life-giving message of love and mercy, walking and believing in the Son who was sent for the world. Amen. Page 3

56 ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἐν ἐμοὶ μένει κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ. The eating of me, the flesh, and drinking me, the blood in me, abides in me and I in him. 57 καθὼς ἀπέστειλέν με ὁ ζῶν πατὴρ κἀγὼ ζῶ διὰ τὸν πατέρα, καὶ ὁ τρώγων με κἀκεῖνος ζήσει δι ἐμέ. Just as he sent me, the father, I live through the father and the gnawing, crunching of me, so also will he live through me. 58 οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, οὐ καθὼς ἔφαγον οἱ πατέρες καὶ ἀπέθανον ὁ τρώγων τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like your forefathers/ancestors ate and they died. The ones gnawing of this bread will live into the age/eon. 59 Ταῦτα εἶπεν ἐν συναγωγῇ διδάσκων ἐν Καφαρναούμ. This was said by him in the synagogue, teaching in Capernaum 60 Πολλοὶ οὖν ἀκούσαντες ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ εἶπαν σκληρός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος οὗτος τίς δύναται αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν; Then many of his disciples who were hearing him, they said: The word, teaching, what you say is hard/rough. Who is able to hear it? 61 εἰδὼς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὅτι γογγύζουσιν περὶ τούτου οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς τοῦτο ὑμᾶς σκανδαλίζει; But Jesus, knowing himself that they were murmuring about this, the disciples, he said to them: The word causes you all to stumble, fall away, take offense? Page 4

62 ἐὰν οὖν θεωρῆτε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀναβαίνοντα ὅπου ἦν τὸ πρότερον; What then if you all looked at, beheld, saw the son of man going up where he was before? 63 τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν τὸ ζῳοποιοῦν, ἡ σὰρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν τὰ ῥήματα ἃ ἐγὼ λελάληκα ὑμῖν πνεῦμά ἐστιν καὶ ζωή ἐστιν. The spirit is the one who makes one alive. The flesh is of no use. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 ἀλλ εἰσὶν ἐξ ὑμῶν τινες οἳ οὐ πιστεύουσιν. ᾔδει γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ Ἰησοῦς τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ μὴ πιστεύοντες καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ παραδώσων αὐτόν. BUT they are among you all, some who are not believing. For he knew from the beginning, Jesus, who they were, the ones not believing/having faith and who was going to betray/hand over him. 65 καὶ ἔλεγεν διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκα ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρός με ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ δεδομένον αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ πατρός. And he said about this, I am telling you because no one is able to come to me, if it has not been given to him/her by the father 66 Ἐκ τούτου πολλοὶ [ἐκ] τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ οὐκέτι μετ αὐτοῦ περιεπάτουν. Out of this many of his disciples went away from behind him (following) and no longer were they walking with him. 67 εἶπεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοῖς δώδεκα μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε ὑπάγειν; Page 5

Then he said, Jesus to the twelve: And do you all not wish to leave? 68 ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ Σίμων Πέτρος κύριε, πρὸς τίνα ἀπελευσόμεθα; ῥήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἔχεις, Answering him was Simon Peter: Lord, to whom/where will we leave/go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 καὶ ἡμεῖς πεπιστεύκαμεν καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ. And we have faith/believe and have come to know/realize that you are the holy one of God. Page 6