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Scripture: Joshua 24: 1-2a, 14-18, John 6:56-69
Title: Are You With Me?

As some of you may have seen via facebook, Layla finally learned how to ride a two wheel bicycle on Friday. Once she decided she was going to do it no matter what, it wasn’t really that bad, but the process to get her to that point was difficult, to say the least.
So many times over this summer she would get on, try a few times, and then throw her hands up, say “it’s too hard!!!” and walk away. (Or run, or stomp… You get the picture.)

One of the things I really love about kids is their pure honesty in expression. Most of them haven’t yet learned the art of restraint.
So, when something doesn’t go their way – they give up.
They storm off and quit when things get hard.
Right?
How many of you know exactly what I’m talking about?
Yeah – and how many of you, now that you are adults, have wished you could still do this?
When things get hard, you wish you could quit … when things get difficult, how many of you wish it was socially acceptable to just walk away?

Here we are, in the final week of our 5 weeks in John’s 6th chapter, and it’s finally time for us to respond to what we’ve heard. After all these weeks of hearing about Jesus as the bread of life, he finally turns to the us and says, Are you with me guys? Are you in or are you out? And some of the people there – they do just this – they walk away.

But before we get there, let’s jump back a bit. Because despite the fact that we’ve been in these 70 verses since the end of July, this whole discourse happens in a matter of a day.
So even though the feeding of the 5000 happened for us a full month ago, it is still very fresh in the minds of those listening to and following Jesus.
If you’ve missed any of these last Sunday’s, a quick reminder –
Jesus fed the 5000 and then they followed him, because they wanted to be fed again. They loved that he met their immediate needs.
Jesus then began to teach the crowd that bread can only feed you for a moment, but the true bread from heaven, the bread of life, can feed you forever.
And then Jesus says that this bread he is speaking of is him.
He is the bread of life. He is the one who nourishes and sustains us.

So we get to today’s text – and John throws us a nice little reminder in verse 59 – Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Remember Jesus snuck away after feeding all the people and everyone followed him to Capernaum? He’s been teaching this bread of life stuff in the synagogue there, and John wants to remind us that Jesus hasn’t moved, it’s still the same discourse, in the same place, and still the same main point Jesus is trying to get across to those who have followed him.
In fact, in our reading today Jesus repeats one last time that he is the bread from heaven, coming down to feed us forever.
Then, after all his teaching on this one topic – the disciples now say:
“this teaching is hard – who can accept it?”
The “this teaching” the disciples speak of is the whole discourse. All of the things we’ve heard over the last five weeks.
The whole lesson Jesus is giving them – about who he is and what he is all about – it is THIS teaching that is so hard to hear, that is so difficult to understand.

Jesus turns to the disciples and says, “does this offend you?”
Tough love Jesus is back.
He doesn’t give them a hug and tell them to try again – Jesus says – “does this offend you?”

Now the word used in the Greek that is translated as offend is (skan-da-lee-tzo) skandalezo, which in hearing it you might think means scandalize, and that’s not a horrible way to think about it – Does this scandalize you? – but it literally means a stumbling block, or something that causes you to sin.
This is an important distinction in John’s Gospel, because it is this skandalezo, this stumbling block, that is what causes people to walk away.
It’s just too hard. It’s too much.
What is too hard? What is too much?
This whole discourse, Jesus has been stating his relationship to God, and how it affects those who follow him…
Today – in verse 65, when Jesus tells them that no one can come to him unless it is granted by the Father, he isn’t making a claim of exclusivity, he’s not saying: “you’re out unless God says so”
He is saying something completely shocking.
Jesus is saying he is in relationship with God.
He is saying that God and Jesus are one and the same.
When Jesus says that knowing him is how you know God – that is skandalezo.
And some people can’t handle it.
They think – This guy? Really?
Nope. I don’t buy it.
They think – You know, I liked the food. I liked it when he fed me, but now… now he’s saying he’s God.
I can’t.
It’s too much for me.

And they walk away.

So then Jesus turns to his remaining disciples and asks – Do you also wish to go away?
Are you with me?
I think we can all relate to the disciples’ struggle here.
Who hasn’t felt the same way about what Jesus teaches us?
Who hasn’t at some point wished it were easier to be a disciple?
Who hasn’t had moments in their life when they have questioned their faith?
Who hasn’t had a time where believing in the love and goodness and grace of God was almost impossible?
Haven’t we all been there?
This teaching is difficult. We say. It’s too hard.
It might be easier for us to just walk away.

So Jesus asks – are you going to walk away too?
And it’s Peter who responds: “Lord to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life – we have come to believe and know that you are the Holy one of God.”

This is where today’s gospel reading ended in the lectionary.
But it is not where John’s 6th chapter ends.
There are two more verses, and while the lectionary did not include them – I think they are the core of this whole discourse and cannot be forgotten.
Jesus replies to Peter’s powerful and faith-filled words – with this:

Have I not chosen you? Yet one of you will betray me.
And then we have our introduction to Judas.
Jesus says – one of you here is going to walk away from me too, in the biggest way, and still, I choose you.
AND STILL I CHOOSE YOU.

This is it.
This is the heart of John’s good news for us today.
Three words:
I choose you.
And maybe even more powerful are the two words before them – AND STILL.
Despite ourselves, despite all the ways in which we walk away – Jesus STILL chooses us.

This morning we are going to gather around the Baptismal font and see this choosing in action once again. We will watch as God claims and calls Calla a beloved child – just as God has done and continues to do to each and every one of us.

Today Jesus turns to us, just as he turned to the disciples and asks – what about you? Are you with me?
And it’s our turn to respond….
Now some of you might respond like the followers of Jesus and say: you know what? This is too difficult for me.
I just can’t do it.
I can’t buy into what you are saying.
This grace stuff just sounds too far fetched – like something made up in a fairy tale.
And some of you might respond like Peter: We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.

But no matter what your response is today –
no matter how you answer when Jesus turns to ask you if you are in or out – the only thing that really matters is that Jesus has already chosen you.