Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, prepare me to receive your word. Clear my mind and warm my heart. Assure me of your loving purposes for me, and speak into my life today.
Jesus' miracles impress the people. But when he starts to talk about eating his flesh and drinking his blood – veiled references to his sacrificial death, and to the sacrificial meal worshippers shared – he loses them. They can't believe he 'came down from heaven' (verse 42), and say that his teaching is 'too hard' (verse 60). Jesus doesn't try to convince them to stay with him – he leaves it up to them.
His inner circle of 12 disciples, though, remain loyal. And when he asks them whether they too would like to leave him, Peter replies with words that are both stirring and poignant: 'Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life' (verse 68).
This is the key difference between the 12 disciples and Jesus' other followers, who left him: Peter and the others wanted what he had to offer, and they believed they would find it nowhere else. They were spiritually alive, seeking truth and the right way of pleasing God.
We shouldn't assume that everyone wants what Jesus offers today. One of the roles of the Church is to seek to awaken spiritual longings in people that might be dormant. When seekers do begin to consider Christ, for many of them his person and his message begin to seem irresistibly attractive.
For his long-time followers, the challenge in the face of so many other options is to keep the freshness of that sharp desire for 'eternal life' found only in Jesus.
God, help me to realise afresh that 'none but Christ can satisfy', and to look to him for hope and a future.
This reflection was written by Mark Woods, Bible Society's Editor
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