The enduring challenge of divine revelation
"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. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God." (John 6:66-69) This poignant moment in the Gospel of John follows Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse—a profound teaching on the Eucharist in which He declares that His flesh is true food and His blood true drink. The radical nature of this claim, deeply offensive to many of His hearers, caused widespread defection. The evangelist captures this crisis with stark simplicity: “Many of his disciples returned to their former way of life.” The reaction reveals the enduring challenge of divine revelation: it demands not mere understanding but radical trust, even when comprehension falters. The question Jesus poses to the Twelve—“Do you also...