Before his death Joshua said to the people: “Choose today whether you want to follow the Lord or false gods.” And Jesus said to his apostles: “Will you also leave me?” In other words, the people were given a choice. God forces no one to obey him. He leaves us free to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to this invitation. Unfortunately we often abuse our freedom, and choose evil instead of good. Remember, if we follow Christ we will always be free. That does not mean that we are free to do whatever we please. We are free only when we do what is right – we are then like an instrument that is being played properly. In other words, we are free when, like Christ, we do the will of God.
Point 1: Today’s readings present us with choices. Joshua offers the people of Israel a clear choice. They have conquered the land God promised them and now stand on an important threshold. Joshua realizes that this is a time for decision, and that the decision they make now will affect their whole future. The people look to the past and choose the Lord as their God–not out of any sense of mere traditionalism or conservatism, but because God has proved himself to be faithful, their redeemer, their liberator and protector. They make a decision to face the future based on their past experience of God’s goodness.
Point 2: Jesus also gives his disciples a choice: “Do you want to go away too?” Peter gives an answer based on experience. The disciples have spent time with the Lord, listened to his words, seen him perform miracles, watched how he dealt compassionately with people. They have come to know him–to know that he is the “Holy One of God”, to know that he brings hope and healing into people’s lives–that he has the message of eternal life. They have come to have faith in him: “we believe.” Their faith is not certainty: Jesus knows that, like those who walked away, the disciples who stayed would have doubts, questions, many things they simply did not understand. That is why he asks if they too will leave. But although they do have questions, his disciples make a decision based on experience, based on their experience of the Lord. It is a gamble–they had no guarantees about how their lives would turn out or what hardships they would have to endure if they remained with Christ.
Point 3: Why were so many of Jesus’ disciples so put off that they couldn’t make that decision to remain his disciples? They too had heard and observed Jesus. But they chose what they already had rather than take the risk of following him. They opted for safety and security, rather than being open to the message of Jesus.
Choosing whether or not to follow the Lord is a choice we all have to make each day. The changing circumstances of our life require us to decide whether to risk trying to live by his teaching or to walk away and remain safe in our old securities. The doctrine which provoked people to leave Jesus was his teaching that we should eat his body and drink his blood, if we are to have life within us. The presence of Jesus is not confined to the Eucharist. Christ also promised that he would be found among the poor, the weak, the sick and imprisoned, the lonely and the hungry–among the people who make us feel uncomfortable or who make demands on our time, our concern, our money, our friendship. Do we recognize Christ’s presence–his life-giving body and blood–among these people, or do we prefer to remain safe and comfortable ignoring the needs and demands of the poor?
Conclusion: Some theologians tell us that disciples of Christ who do not feel called to fight against injustice and oppression are Judases, refusing to follow Jesus. Their conduct is a denial of Jesus and a betrayal of his message of life. It is easy for us to stay with what we have, to walk away from any risk. The challenge of real faith is to follow the Lord and to seek his presence in the needy faces of our neighbor. That is a choice which will lead to the greatest prize of all for us: eternal life.
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION / DISCUSSION / ACTION /
First Reading – Joshua, Chapter 24, Verses 1-2, 15-17, 18
- God could have created us as perfect people if he had not given us free will. Why give us the power to make choices when those choices can and do create such chaos?
- In which do you have more invested, a decision you made or a decision someone else made for you? What are the implications for your family, church, job and community?
Second Reading – Ephesians, Chapter 5, Verses 21-32
- Compare and contrast a wife having a difficult childbirth and the Church with the birth of new ideas.
- What do mothers and the Church learn from their wayward children? What do sorrow and brokenness teach?
Gospel – John, Chapter 6, Verses 60-69
- Compare Joshua in the first reading and Peter in the Gospel. What good leadership qualities do you find in these readings? Can you bring these to the Church today?
- Jesus asked the disciples, “Do you also want to leave”? If you were there would you have returned to your former way of life? Or would you have stayed with Jesus? Is there any middle ground here? Discuss.
Gospel Teaching: If Jesus were to come in the flesh in our own time would he receive a different reaction from the one he got two thousand years ago? The crowds would flock to him with adulation while they needed his healing and liberating touch. He would bring the healing and compassion that they need. But would they stay to listen to the remainder of his message? The general teaching about loving one another and respecting the world of which we are part would be comfortable for most people. Those who are seeking some form of spirituality for their lives would be happy with the values and encouragement Jesus would give. But, when it comes to the claims of Jesus about himself and his unique relationship with the Father who loves us, it is likely that today many people would again find this too hard to accept. Just like the crowd of two thousand years ago they would walk away.
At the end of his dramatic and powerful ministry in Galilee Jesus seems to have come face to face with failure. The crowds have deserted him, taking away with them the healings and the miraculous feedings but leaving behind his teaching. Only the twelve and a few others remain at his side. Only these few are prepared to acknowledge that he is who he says he is, the Bread of Life, the Way to the Father. The crowds could understand his teaching but found it impossible to accept. If they were to accept Jesus’ teaching, then their lives would have to take a radically different path, would have to radically change. Having received what they wanted, healing, compassion, forgiveness, they turn away and head back to their homes. Only the faithful few make the leap of faith and choose to accept this difficult teaching.
Application: Do we live our lives as members of the crowd or as the faithful followers of Christ? Do we come to the Lord to have our needs fulfilled and leave it at that? Or do we have the courage to take Jesus’ teaching seriously and accept the demands he makes on our lives as he calls us to follow him?
In our culture, very often it can seem that we are a small remnant of believers, caught up in the crowd of those who are apathetic or even hostile towards the claims of Christ and his ways. It is vital for us to remember that, like the early disciples of Jesus, we can make a dramatic difference to the people around us. We also can touch the society in which we live by proclaiming the Risen Lord in word and deed. In his death and resurrection we see the demonstration of the truth of Jesus’ teaching about himself and the Father. In our lives of service and joy may people see in us that we believe that Christ has the message of eternal life and know that he is the Holy One of God.
Readings – 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Reading I: Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b
Responsorial Psalm: 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21
Reading II: Ephesians 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32
Gospel: John 6:60-69
Let us pray for all who find the teachings of Christ difficult: that the Spirit of God will lead them into an experience of God’s love for them and guide them to truth through new insights.
Let us pray for the grace of freedom: that we may not be enslaved by power, money, fame or work but may have the freedom to grow to wholeness in Christ.