“MANY of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him.” How often have the eyes of Jesus had to look upon such a scene? Many have come to Him, just as these had come to Him, stayed in His company for a time, looked upon His face and heard His words; then turning from Him, have gone their several ways. And why did they go away? “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you,” He had said to them. This was, and is, the test of discipleship; a test which must be faced by all sooner or later. They were faced with it, and how did they take it? “This is an hard saying, who can hear it,” and they went back. But why introduce this hard saying at all? Why not make all smooth and easy so that the crowds are not offended, so that the numbers increase, so that the Church retains its popularity with the people? Why not replace hard doctrine with entertainment, godliness with attractive forms of worship, and discipline with the charity which knows not how to rebuke? So says Worldly Wisdom, so says Modernism. But that was not Christ’s way, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, ye have no life in you,” and they went away, and Christ saw them go and let them go. Did their going condemn Him? No, in it he condemned them; did their unbelief condemn this doctrine? No, but His doctrine condemned their unbelief. As it was then so it is now. Did Jesus not care then that they went away? “And when He came near He beheld the city and wept over it” (Luke xix. 41). And again, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not.” Let that be sufficient answer.
“This is an hard saying,” they said, “who can hear it?” Yes, it is hard: it is hard in that man whose life consists in the indulgence of sinful lust. What satisfaction can such a man get in the flesh and blood of the Son of Man? These are clean contrary the one to the other—lust cannot thrive on such heavenly food. How many go back on this account and walk no more with Him? Yes, it is an hard saying, so says the man of the world: the man whose life consists in the pursuit of worldly pleasure, profit and advantage. The world and a Crucified Saviour go not well together. “God forbid,” says Paul, “that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto it.” It is an hard saying, who can receive it? So says the self-righteous man. Yes, it is hard in self-righteousness, its pride, conceit, vain glory, self-satisfaction; for the Cross spells starvation for all that is of self. “God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross.” Self and Christ do not agree and cannot walk together; so they walked no more with Him. “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, will ye also go away?” So He turns to you and to me, “Will you also go away?” It is a searching question. Peter answers, “Lord, to whom shall we go?” Back to a life of sinful indulgence? to the pleasures of this world? to a religion of self? What! back to death, the devil and hell? “God forbid,” in holy awe, dread and fear let it be said. “Lord, to whom shall we go.” Thou hast the words of eternal life. “My flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed”; the words which are death to sin, self and worldliness are the very words of eternal life to my soul—‘Thou hast the words of eternal life.’ And from the depths of his heart every gracious soul will solemnly and sincerely put his ‘Amen’ to the testimony of Peter, and instead of going away will cleave more closely to his Redeemer ‘who loved the Church, and gave Himself for the Church.’