Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read John 6:60–69

My fourteen-year-old son is in a really fun phase of adolescence. Please note my sarcasm.

He loves to ask, “Why?” when either my husband or I ask him to do something like finish a chore he already knows he has to do, stop playing video games, or go to bed. Yes, he is fourteen, not four. And he doesn’t just ask once. He will ask it repeatedly, even when he already knows the answer. It’s a game to him, a frustrating and tiring game that he is intent on playing.

I know adolescents are fraught with willful opposition and defiance when asserting independent decision making. However, the relentless questioning and explanations I feel forced to give—why the dog really does need to go for a walk every day (because, in case you forgot, you wanted the dog), why you are not allowed to have unlimited screen time, why social media is a hard no in our house, why pizza for dinner every night is just not going to happen—become so exasperating that the words, “Because I’m your mom and I say so!” frequently escape out of my mouth. 

I wonder if Jesus ever wanted to assert the same, “Because I’m God and I say so!” to quiet all the murmurings amongst followers listening to His Bread of Life discourse. 

I give Jesus credit. He never backed down from His position. He never lessened or weakened His choice of words to appease the crowd. Even when they walked away from Him, He did not acquiesce His position to win them back. He said what He said, and He meant it. If His teachings were too difficult to accept, too radical or shocking, or if it meant losing followers, Jesus was prepared to take that hit. 

Our salvation has never depended on His popularity. Our rescuer did not come to win followers, woo sycophants, be a political disrupter, or overthrow a government. 

Jesus was sent to be the Paschal Lamb sacrificed to atone for our sins. He was sent to be the Bread of Life for us, blessed, broken, and shared; to be consumed so as never to leave us, to be spiritual nourishment, to sustain and fortify us. 

We can accept this now because we have heard and read wise words from theologians and scholars who have connected the dots for us. But had we heard it then, would we have been among those who found it too difficult to comprehend, who walked away from our Lord?

Jesus told the people that to live eternally, they must consume His flesh and drink His blood (John 6:54–58). On the surface, this can sound a bit, well, disgusting. For the Jewish people, who had strict commandments regarding blood, it may have sounded downright offensive.

The words, “Because I said so!” at times function effectively because my son, Liam, ultimately knows me. Deep down, he knows who I am as his mother; he knows that his father and I set the rules not because we want to torture him and his brother and sister but because we love them too much not to establish these rules, limits, and restrictions. Liam might not fully understand why I am asking Him to do something, but He understands who I am; at his core, he knows I love him. 

When Jesus turned to His twelve closest followers and asked them, “Do you also want to leave?” Peter answered, “Master, to whom shall we go?” (John 6:66–67). Peter might not have understood the exact words that Jesus was saying and the reasoning behind this teaching. However, Peter did understand, at his core, that Jesus is the holy one of God, that Jesus has the words of eternal life, and that Jesus—the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God—loved him. And that was enough.  

Where human nature failed, supernatural faith stepped in, and at that moment, Peter took a leap of faith toward Jesus, the one he knew and who loved him.

“It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail” (John 6:63). Human reasoning has limits. The struggle to understand the mysteries of the divine is real. There is only so much any of us will ever really comprehend about our Lord on this side of heaven. However, “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). The gift of the Holy Spirit enlightens our intellect to spiritual truths, helps us to grasp and reason beyond the limits of our human understanding, and urges us to wrestle with and accept teachings that others find appalling, extreme, or beyond belief. 

Where humanity limits our comprehension, the Spirit expands our senses and breaks down barriers holding us in the dark, keeping us murmuring, doubting, and cynical. Where humanity boasts truths grounded in scientific facts meant to drive us away from Jesus and the Church, the Spirit “will destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:5) and illumine divine truths, uniting both science and faith under God’s authority. 

Let’s be honest: believing that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist is just one of many teachings we may struggle with on our faith journey with Christ. However, with the gift of the Holy Spirit, a mustard seed-sized dollop of faith can be enriched and fortified so that mountains can be picked up and moved at will (Matthew 17:20–21). Despair can be transformed into hope, disbelief into conviction, suffering into glory, and bread and wine transformed into His Body and Blood. 

This surge of grace from the Holy Spirit unleashes a flood of faith into our hearts like that of a child who surrenders his will and takes a leap of faith off the monkey bars, trusting that his momma will catch him in her sure and steady arms. 

So, when others scoff and question why it is that you believe that a small piece of unleavened bread is more than just a symbol, but rather when consecrated is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ—Body, Blood, soul, and divinity—you can take a leap of faith, sure of the Holy Spirit’s enlivened presence within you, and certain of God’s steady arms beneath you. With bold confidence in the God you know and who loves you, you can respond: “Because He’s God, and He says so.”

With you as we leap,
Jeannine

Food for thought or journaling…
What leap of faith is the Lord asking you to make for Him or our Church? Is there something you are clinging to (that keeps you murmuring, questioning, doubting) instead of letting go and leaping toward Jesus?

Lord, like Peter, I believe that You are the holy one of God and that only You have the words of eternal life. I desire to step out in faith and bold confidence in the way that You are asking me to do. Help me to let go of what I am holding onto that is keeping me from You. Please, Lord, send your Spirit to open my eyes, increase my understanding, strengthen my will, and, most importantly, deepen my faith in You. Amen.

P.S. Is the Lord calling you to take a leap of faith and step out in service of His kingdom by leading others to Him? Then learn more about Walking with Purpose and how to bring Bible study to your community. Your yes just might be the answer to another woman’s prayer to grow closer to Christ.