No Better Alternative

“On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.’  From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve.  Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’” (John 6:60-69 NIV)

My wife and I sat in the waiting room for the ICU awaiting news about one of our campus ministry alumni who had collapsed at work just two days before.  I overheard his mom say, “I don’t know how people handle things like this without faith.”

In the face of difficult times, we have a choice: We can embrace God and trust Him or we can walk away from Him in anger or dismay that He would allow such a thing to happen.  The people in that waiting room made a conscious choice to trust the Lord with the fate of someone they held dear.  It is never an easy one, but what is the alternative?

Jesus had just finished teaching and His words were not setting well with His followers.  He had told them “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:53-54) It was just too weird and too hard to fathom, so many turned away from Jesus and never looked back.  They were done with Him.  Yet the Twelve remained.  Why?  Because they fully understood the teaching and embraced it?  I don’t think so.  I think they found it just as weird and difficult as the others did.  Yet they stayed.  So the question remains, why?

Peter gives us the answer: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”  The Twelve concluded there was no better alternative.  They believed Jesus was the Way, the Truth, and the Life and they would trust Him even if they didn’t understand or fully agree with what He said or did. 

The Apostle Paul says we live by faith, not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7). Things may not be going the way we want or think they should, but in those moments we trust God regardless of doubts, worries, or fear.  As Peter realized, what is the alternative?  Do we follow the advice of Job’s wife and curse God (Job 2:9) in the midst of our severe trials?  Do we walk away in anger and bitterness?  To what?

In that waiting room, the people didn’t like what was happening.  They were scared and perhaps even questioning God, but they made the conscious choice to trust Him anyway.  

Today, if you find yourself in a situation where you are doubting the Lord and thinking of walking away from Him, consider this: To whom shall you go?  Will you find anyone or anything better?  God is trustworthy whether you understand what He does or not.  There is no better alternative.  The Twelve knew it.  I know it.  And so do millions of others who trust Him regardless of their circumstances.  

© Jim Musser 2013