Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.” As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
REFLECTION
"Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you?"
Have you ever been shocked by something?
There is a time in my life where I vividly remember being shocked. This event actually not only shocked me, it shocked my husband as well.
Before we were married, Ken was able to get a fairly good job and start making some money. He needed a reliable vehicle to get him to work and back home, so he made his first big purchase on his own. He bought a Ford Ranger extended cab, two toned red and white. It was a really nice truck and he took good care of it.
After we were married we had several conversations about how he wanted me to know that we could share everything and what was his was mine and mine was his. I think it may have been 11 months after we were married, my Dad had a big birthday party celebrating a milestone birthday. Ken could not go, but he wanted me to be able to go. He also wanted me to have a reliable car to travel the 140+ miles to my hometown. So he let me take his truck. I had gone by my Mom’s house to pick up my sisters and we were off to the party. Driving down the country road at dusk, the sunset in the distance, we were listening to music and enjoying each others company. Then it happened! All of a sudden I had caught the edge of the dewy grass and the tires just pulled the whole truck into the ditch and into a tree. I WAS SHOCKED! I could not believe what had just happened! It was surreal. I played the whole incident in my mind over and over and wondered how in the world could that have happened? And how was I going to tell my husband that a tree is stuck in his radiator. We didn’t have cell phones so we walked to the nearest house and asked to use the phone. When I told Ken what happened, to my surprise, his first question was, is everyone ok? I just started crying and said “yes”. Praise God! We were all ok. He instructed me to call his Dad and that he would take care of everything from there. So, that is what I did. It was all going to be ok. But I was still in shock.
In the Gospel reading Jesus has just told His disciples something that causes some distress. “Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” Many of His disciples after hearing this began murmuring, Jesus asks them, “Does this shock you?”
Can you imagine being there with Jesus and hearing him say this? What would your reaction have been?
And then later it says, “As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him.”
Why would this be recorded? Could it be because it is VERY important? Who is the Author of these Words?
I looked up the definition of ‘shocked’ in the dictionary, it says, “stricken with sudden mental or emotional disturbance.” These people who were murmuring and leaving were not just thinking Jesus meant what he said to be a mere symbol. They were in shock, and may have been thinking that what He was asking was tantamount to cannibalism. They did not believe He was the ‘Holy one of God’ as Peter and the other ten or eleven did. In my mind, its almost as if they had just gone to their favorite “motivational speaker”, only for him to say ‘the only way into heaven is to eat me’.
A shocking event in our lives can either break us apart, or bring us together. It also can help us to realize what is really important to us.
Will you join in praying the PAPA Prayer for Priest and pray for our priests who are anointed to bring Jesus to us in the Holy Eucharist.
