The disciples said to Jesus, "This is a hard saying!
Who can listen to it?" At this time, many withdrew and no
longer went about with him. Jesus turned to his closest disciples
and asked, "Do you also wish to go away?"
I am sure many of you have heard the story of the atheist
who fell off a cliff. As he fell downwards, he caught hold of
a skinny branch of a small tree. There he hung, a thousand feet
above the canyon below, knowing he could not hold on much longer.
An idea came to him. He shouted with all his might, "
GOD, if you are up there, say something." Silence. No response.
"GOD!," he shouted again, "If you exist, if you're
out there, say something!" Silence again.
Then, he was about to let go of the branch, when he heard
a mighty voice boom across the canyon, "Let go of the branch!"
After a long pause, the man called out, "Is there anybody
else up there?"
This man had something in common with the disciples who left
Jesus. The words he heard from God were not what he wanted to
hear. He too would say that this is a hard saying. Many of those
disciples who had previously followed Jesus, drifted away. Perhaps
they could find a teacher who did not speak of the mysteries
of "abide in me," or invite followers to eat bread
that will make them live forever.
What is so offensive about what Jesus is asking? I think they
feared that if they aligned themselves with this teacher-healer,
if they were drawn by the invitation to abide in him, they might
find themselves closer to God than they had bargained on. And
what would that mean for their already committed lives?
The most common concept of God, then and now is of
a God who is sovereign, awe inspiring and distant. What
Jesus was suggesting was an intimate relationship with
the awe inspiring, Holy God he called Father. This is a radical
suggestion!
Jesus said:" They who eat my flesh and drink my blood
abide in me and I in them." This promise is provocative,
exciting, and threatening, all at once. To get that close to
another, to open yourself to the degree that you become part
of one another is risky enough when the "other" is
a person. But the prospect is downright overwhelming when the
"other" is GOD.
We tend not to risk that kind of closeness with other people;
can we be blamed for taking a step back from the Holy God? We
withdraw without realizing it. We get busy. We give in to the
relentless demands of life. We add God to our crowded schedules
or perhaps use Jesus as 911 for emergencies.
But as far as allowing God truly to be the center of our life,
we tend to back off without even being conscious that we are
doing so. Sometimes we notice that we feel empty or restless.
We long for intimacy but get it in unhealthy ways: we over work
until we're too tired to think, over eat but don't get what we
need, over spend filling our lives with things. There are many
different painkillers: alcohol, drugs, work or even physical
fitness, as if getting the outside just right will fix the inside.
It is amazing how many alternatives we can create to replace
God. With eternal patience, Jesus looks at our behaviors of avoidance
and asks, "Do you also wish to go away?"
And when we finally hear the question, when we feel our feelings,
our hearts respond with longing. With Peter we say, " Lord,
to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
These are the moments of faith. These are the moments when
we dare to let go of the small skinny branch that has become
our God. In these moments when we LET GO, we choose God. It is
then that God gives us a taste of sacred intimacy. It is hidden
in the bread and wine of the sacrament; it happens in our most
treasured relationships, it comes during difficult, trying times;
it comes when we least expect it.
Soon we will hear the words of invitation to receive the Body
and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. This morning, if you dare,
let go of the branch that you cling to. Open both of your hands
and receive the gift that God wants to give you. As you receive
the Body and Blood of the Lord, dare to Receive God into the
depths of your very being. Allow your self to be drawn to the
Holy One and abide there, as the sacred elements become part
of you.
Each time you take this risk, you will experience yourself
as - not only receiving the bread, but as a part of the
heavenly bread, broken to feed others. You will find yourself
a part of the sweet wine, poured out for the sake of love.
If you dare to let go, you will not die. You will find life,
meaningful life, abundant life, eternal life. Please take a moment
now to answer Jesus as we hear him ask us, " Do you
also wish to go away?"
