3RD WEEK OF EASTER

To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

It was decision time. Jesus’ followers had just heard him proclaim himself the “bread of life.” Whoever eats this bread, he said, would “live forever” (John 6:48, 51). To most of Jesus’ followers, these words were both confusing and disturbing. Perhaps they were expecting Jesus to reveal himself as a powerful military leader. Perhaps they were expecting him to promise them eternal life without making any demands on them. But whatever they were expecting, they were disappointed, so they stopped following Jesus and “returned to their former way of life” (6:66).

But for Peter and the eleven, the choice was already made. Jesus had already proven himself to them, and they were prepared to stay with him, even if they didn’t understand everything he had just told them.

Many of us can point to similar “decision times” in our faith journey. Will we stay with Jesus even if he doesn’t answer a prayer quickly enough? Will we keep following him even if he leads us down a path that includes hardship? Will we stick by him even when we don’t understand some aspect of our faith?

But it’s not just the major events that call for decisions. The call to discipleship means choosing Christ over and over again—maybe even several times in a single day. Will we choose to forgive that careless remark someone made? Will we choose to hold our tongue when we are tempted to gossip? Will we choose to pray for someone who rubs us the wrong way? In these situations and many others, we have the opportunity to choose the Lord.

Try this experiment today. Each time you face a crossroads in the form of a temptation or a difficult decision, take a quick moment to remember Peter’s words: “Master, to whom shall we go?” (John 6:68). Breathe a quick prayer telling Jesus that you want to stay close to him, and ask his Spirit to help you. Then try your best to follow wherever he leads.

“Lord, where else can I go? I believe that you have the only path to eternal life.”

Acts 9:31-42
Psalm 116:12-17
John 6:60-69