Those among Jesus’ disciples who raised the question “this saying is hard; who can accept it?” reflect just how “shocking” was Jesus’ teaching that eating his flesh and drinking his blood would bring eternal life. Not everyone who didn’t believe took Judas’ path of murderous betrayal; most only fell away and “returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.”

The theologian Rudolf Bultmann didn’t start it, but he was the one who stated it most memorably. Everything Jesus says or does is intended to lead us to the moment of decision where we throw in our lot with him or refuse.

The lines in the gospel reading today about many of Jesus’ disciples having trouble accepting his words about being the bread of eternal life—and some actually leaving him because of this teaching—reflect both an actual division among Jesus’ followers in his day as well as one in the emerging Johannine Christian community. Belief in how Christ is really present in the Eucharist has always been a decisive one for Christians.

That we may grow in holiness, we ask God for forgiveness.

"What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” Jesus asked a lot of his original followers, the hearers of John’s gospel, and Christians ever since, part of which comes to a head in this week’s reading. Some had so much difficulty accepting his statement that “the one who feeds on me will have life because of me” (from last week’s gospel) that they dropped out of the group. If that weren’t enough, the Son of Man would have to ascend, eventually to heaven but first to the cross.

Joshua and the gospel-writer John are people confronted with decisions. Joshua lays it on the line: Choose which god you are going to serve. In the end, like Joshua and his household, the Israelites chose the Lord, but it wasn’t easy. Jesus’ teaching was also hard to swallow for some. “How can he give us his flesh to eat?” This uncomfortable equation shocked the first people to hear Jesus say it. We conclude our month-long Sunday meditations on the Eucharist aware that the gospel constantly draws us beyond “I can’t” or “I don’t understand” or “that’s too much to ask.”

The betrayal of Judas is replayed in our lives when we choose to walk with the Master no more. —Roland J. Faley, T.O.R., The Bible Today, March/April 2012