Difficult to Accept
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August 23, 2024Our Gospel this weekend brings to a close the Bread of Life Discourse we have been hearing for five weeks now,beginning with the Feeding of the Multitude, and then the following three weeks with the teaching of Jesus on himself as the bread of life. “I am the bread of life. Anyone who eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”
After hearing what had been said, many of his disciples say, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” The word “hard” isa translation of the Greek word “sklēros” which means“difficult,” not in the sense of being difficult to understand butin being difficult to accept because it is harsh or offensive.Many of those listening to Jesus understood what he said.But it’s one thing to hear and see things, it is something else altogether to make them your own. They can’t accept it because it made a huge hole in their worldview. So, weread: “Many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” What is startling is that the disbelief comes not from the opponents of Jesus, but from his own disciples; and it was not only a few, but many.What precisely do the disciples find difficult to accept?
New Testament scholar Brendan Byrne offers this explanation: “The aspect of his teaching they are referring to in making this complaint is not immediately clear. The most obvious explanation sees it as referring to what he has been saying about the Eucharist: that is, eating his flesh and drinking his blood. But I think the “offense” is more likely togo back further: to Jesus’ claim to be the Bread of Life comedown from heaven – that is, to his incarnation, which will culminate in his self-gift upon the cross.”
This better explains Jesus’ subsequent comment following the complaint: “What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” The sense of which seems to be: “If you have difficulty accepting my claim to have come down from heaven, how much more difficulty will you be likely to have with the way I shall return there?”which, of course, will be via the cross.Jesus then turns to the Twelve: “Do you also want to leave?” This question is also directed to us: Will we choose Jesus despite the incredible claims he makes? Or will we decide to stay where we are, satisfied with the lives we are living? Simon Peter answers, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
It is intentional that our first reading tells the same conviction. The Israelites are gathered at Shechem in the presence of the ark. Joshua, the undisputed leader of the Israelites,places before the people a choice that will shape their own self-identity: “Decide today whom you will serve.” Joshua puts three options before them: they can continue to serve their ancestral gods; they can opt for the gods of the people in whose land they are now dwelling; or they can worship the Lord.
Joshua is decisive. “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” The people also reply, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD for the service of other gods.”
May we all have the same conviction to never abandon the God who does the same for us. Amen.
