John 6:60-69 This Saying is Hard

By Maryann Gan (edited by TM):

Observation

The Gospel begins with the murmuring among Jesus’ disciples: “This saying is hard, who can accept it?” Whatever they were murmuring about was enough to provoke some disciples to leaving him. It must be noted that Jesus did not stop those who wanted to leave.

Interpretation

When the disciples say, “this saying is hard,” it does not mean that it is “difficult to understand,” but “difficult to accept.”[1] What was it that was difficult to accept which provoked some disciples to leave Jesus? It is Jesus’ claim of being “the living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:41).

Jesus’ listeners could not accept the mystery that this “bread from heaven” will be humiliated on the cross. They did not want to be associated with shame and scandal. John therefore addresses the second teaching that is “difficult to accept” during the early Christian times. The first was the theme of last Sunday’s gospel: that Jesus is present in the eucharistic bread and wine. The second is that Jesus came down from heaven, which is to be interpreted as coming from the Father.

A true disciple believes and knows the glory of the risen Christ through eyes of faith. This is the significance of Peter’s words when he says “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We now believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” For John, the words “believe” and “know” are synonymous. To believe is to know, and to really know Jesus is to believe in him.

Generalization

Faith entails accepting even things that are “difficult to accept,” not just those that are convenient to accept. To be a Christian means to believe in Jesus: who he is, and what his entire life stands for: a life of love, forgiveness and complete obedience to the Father. For many, if not all of us, it may be seem “easy” to accept that Jesus is indeed the Son of the Father, and that he is truly present in the Eucharistic bread and wine we receive in the Mass. But being a Christian is more than belief in a doctrine, it is living a life like the life Jesus lived.


Application

There are those whose reasons for joining a church community are temporal. For examples, spiritual excitement during prayer meetings, fellowship which brings temporary relief from a personal problem, or even membership in a community which brings certain honor or social advantages. When prayer did not bring spiritual relief, when the spiritual "high" was gone, when fellowship did not satisfy one's social agenda, when social pressure against fellowship became so great, leaving became a viable and desired option.

But when one joins a community so that he/she can help and be helped by others to live like Jesus lived, then such members remain and are sustained by the community.


1. What are your reasons for joining the Singles Apostolate or a Renewal Community? What are the values of the Apostolate that is difficult for you to accept and make a part of your life?

[1] Nil Guillemette, SJ, Hungry No More, Manila: St. Paul’s Publications, 1989, 104.