Jesus tells us that he is the bread of life, that he provides the only food which truly nourishes, that he gives us his own self to sustain us on our journey, that we are to eat his flesh and blood in order to abide in him. For many of Jesus’ disciples this was just too hard to understand and they walked away.

It would be too easy for us to write these lapsed disciples off as fools, as lacking in faith, or as lazy and stupid. We have to remember that up until this point, these men and women had been faithful disciples. To have found a stumbling block too great to overcome must have been a sad and painful moment for them. It would have been interesting to know how many of them might have returned to Jesus at a later date, or how the lapsed had found an alternative way to fulfilment. The real point is that the stumbling block that finally proved too great for those early disciples could face any one of us, and what we need to address, is how we as disciples should cope with the same kind of difficulty.

Key to loyal discipleship is to ask what made Peter and his fellow disciples different from the ones that gave up. They were just as human as the others; they probably had just as many doubts as the others and no more in the way of courage or intellect. The answer has to lie in Peter’s simple, “Lord, to whom shall we go?” The ‘twelve’ might have struggled with doubts and   understanding, but they never doubted where they should be looking for answers. Quite simply, they didn’t take their eye off the ball. They knew that they should trust Jesus even if some of his teachings were over their heads.

Every day we are faced with the same decisions. Do we follow Jesus’ blueprint for living exemplary lives? Do we look to Jesus as the Son of God and the key to eternal life? Do we join in Holy Communion believing in Jesus’ real presence…. or do we turn our backs and look for answers somewhere else?