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August 27, 2006

John 6: 56-69

Do You Also Wish to Go Away?

“Do you wish to go away?” He watches as his trusted friends murmur and pass glances among each other. “Answer me. Do you wish to go away?”

Well, you see, we have been hearing things about what you have been saying and we are just not sure. He looks at their faces. There is doubt. There is uncertainty.

“Have you not been with me all this time? Have you not seen the things that I have done? How can you say, “You don’t believe?” How can you walk away now?

He watches his trusted friends once again pass secretive glances at each other. There is an unspoken message passed along with that glance. A message of doubt. A message of disbelief. A message of uncertainty.

Their leader steps up. “Look, when we sign up for this, nothing was mentioned about what you were talking about back there. What were you even talking about? Flesh and spirit. We just think you need to stick to what you know best. Perform your miracles. Teach the crowd a little something. Keep it simple. Don’t complicate the issue. The crowd loves you just the way you are! Keep it simple.”

The last months flash in his mind. The wedding at Cana. Walking on water. Feeding the five thousand. How can they really stand there and tell him to keep it simple? They don’t get it. They have missed the point.

“I can’t do that. I was sent here by God to bring peace, to show the way, to bring God’s love and mercy to the people who are hurting and who are searching. Can’t you see who I am? Can’t you see who sent me? Why are you walking away?”

He listens as some of followers speak under their breath. “He is going to get himself killed. He is crazy. He is not who we thought he was. I’m outta here.”
They turn and walk away. He feels the loss in his heart. He grieves the betrayal these so called believers. He feels the pain of doubt and uncertainty chipping away at his foundation of trust.
He turns to the twelve. He searched out these twelve. He called them by name. He trusts them. They have been with him since the very beginning of his ministry.

“Do you also wish to go away?” There is a moment filled with tension and fear. He holds his breath. There is a moment of uncertainty. “Do you also wish to go away?”

Simon Peter steps forward, clasps him on the shoulder, and looks him straight in the eye. “We have been with you from the beginning. We have seen all that you have done. We have heard you teaching and we know that you are the One, the Son of God sent to bring new life to all.”

And in that moment, he is filled with trust and understanding. And in that moment, he is filled with the strength for the journey. And in that moment, he knows what he has to do on the next part of this journey that God is leading him on, sharing the Good News, showing the way, and bringing hope to the world.

Faith and doubt have always been a constant on our journeys of faith. We all have our mountaintop moments and have walks through the valleys of darkness. We are no different than millions of other people who have struggled in their faith.

And the author of John, let’s us know that it is okay to have our doubts as we walk in the Light of God. It is okay to question Jesus’ meanings in his teachings because we know deep down that this man is different. We know that his man touched our lives, changed our lives and made us whole.

We did not walk away. We did not abandoned him when it got difficult. We stayed with him and now have the promise of eternal life.

In this Scripture, we are shown the different reactions to what Jesus is teaching. There is complaining. There is disbelief. There is rejection. And best of all there is a confession of faith. We are shown the varying responses to the very gift of Jesus so that we may understand what is expected of us as people of faith.

We do not have all the answers on this journey. We do not know what will happen as we go through life. But deep down, we have experienced the miracle of Jesus and believe in his life-changing love.

We are to be like Simon Peter and step forward to proclaim to the world who Jesus really is and what he has done for us. We are to embrace the promise of eternal life and share it with others. We are to make our confessions of faith in spite of the doubts, in spite of the fears, and in spite of the uncertainty.

I remember as a small girl walking forward one Sunday morning to make my confession of faith. I had been through Pastor’s class and had a small understanding of who Jesus really was. My mother and I had talked about what would happen that morning. I had seen other people making the walk down the aisle, and wondered could I really do this? Would I remember what I was suppose to say? I had heard stories about Jesus in Sunday School and Vacation Bible schools. I knew about some of the things that he taught but could I really make my confession of faith when asked?

The last hymn began to play and I eased out of my seat. People who had known me all of my life watched me begin my journey to the front of the church. The aisle seemed never ending. I finally reached the minister. I looked out to my family and thought, What I am doing! Turn around. Run! Go back to the safety of your seat.

The music ended and the minister announced to the congregation that I was there to make my confession of faith. He then turned to me and asked: “Heather, as is the tradition of the church, it is my pleasure to accept your confession of faith. Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ is the Son of God, sent to forgive our sins and bring eternal life to all?”

There was a moment filled with tension and fear. There was a moment of uncertainty.

I looked out across the faces of the people in the congregation. And knew in that moment what to say. I turned back to the minister and said “I do.”
It was tempting to turn back. It was tempting to go back to the safety of my seat but I felt compelled to share my faith with all those who had nurtured me and watched over me on my journey of faith. I embraced the gift of Jesus and accepted the call to share his love with the world with those two simple words that change lives.

It is okay to have doubts. It is okay to have fears as we go along this journey of faith. These are normal responses. However, we cannot let these doubts and fears keep us from sharing our faith with the world. We have accepted the gift that Jesus offered to us when we accepted him into our lives. We are called to step forward, confident, and proudly proclaim that Jesus is the one, the Son of God sent to bring new life to all.

May we step forward in faith and shout out to the world what Jesus has done for us all. Amen.

Rev. Heather McColl
Midway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

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