Retreat

"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 accompanied 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.' " - John 6:65-68

For those in the United States, we are well into the election cycle. This means constant ads, news reports, interviews, blog postings, status updates, tweets and debates. It's candidates trying to amass support (which they hope will turn into votes), while arguing against their opponents. This ends up with one side winning, while other sides lose, and the candidate going on to do it all over again in the job they just won.

And throughout all of this, the candidate tries to win over and keep supporters to ensure their victory. They say things they think potential supporters want to hear, while attempting to not alienate the folks they already have "on their side".

And based on these verses, it's quite clear Jesus was no politician. He had a mission and a message that many weren't quite able to stomach. And no matter how many miricles, signs and wonders he performed, it didn't matter for some. They weren't ready to do what Jesus asked, and weren't ready to completely follow him. Because of that, many got up and left, going back to their daily lives.

After reading and thinking about these verses for quite some time, there's so many parallels we can draw from the scene that unfolded. That there are times we are like those who left, other times we're the ones that stay. That, once we hear and understand Jesus's message and purpose, we can't simply "return to our former way of life", but rather live in a new life.

The connection I personally draw is that, even when faced with overwhelming evidence, I sometimes fail in my belief. I sometimes doubt what I've seen, experienced and heard, and would rather go back to doing things the old way because it's comfortable and easy. And when faced with those decisions, I need to strive to choose to stay, but know I'll be forgiven when I choose otherwise.

I'm sure there are folks that left Jesus and came back right after his death, others that came back after some time passed, and still others that didn't come back at all. At all times, regardless of how we slip up, we simply need to come back, and all will be forgiven.


(And I promise, this is the closest I will ever come to talking about politics on this blog, ever. (-: )