Choosing to Follow
Joshua 24:1-2, 15-17, 18b
Psalm 34
St. John 6:60-69
In our Old Testament and Gospel readings, two groups of followers of God are challenged in their intention. The Israelites answer Joshua saying that they will not "forsake the Lord" (Jos 24:16), and Peter on behalf of the twelve responds to Jesus with these incredible words: Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" ( Jn 6:68).
What's interesting to me is their reasons why. The Israelites had just gone through a period of victory in battle followed by peace and "rest from their enemies" (Jos 23:1). And in their reply to Joshua, they cite the goodness of the Lord in their past-- the way he brought them out of Egypt, out of slavery, performed miracles before their very eyes, and so on (24:16). They can look back in history and point to how God has been faithful to them.
At first reading, I struggled a bit with this passage, and with the Psalm which so cleanly parallels it, because it seems an obvious choice. It was a practical decision, really-- things have gone well for the Israelites when they have followed the one true God, and badly when they haven't. It wasn't really a choice.
And for the disciples, their answer seems to be based on something similar, though Peter does not make such direct reference to events in the past. But one might assume that it has something to do with the miracles they have witnessed. "We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God". At least they have been faced with a bit more of a challenge at this moment, a bit more of a reason to not choose Jesus. He has just said "whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life" (6:54), which was a step too far for many of his followers (6:66). We often forget just how scandalous this statement would have been. But still, they have seen Jesus' power and kindness, so it doesn't seem too difficult to assume that there's some way in which his words make sense.
So my initial thought was, but bad things happen to good people. Sometimes you don't see any miracles, and the hardship just keeps piling on, like it did for Job. Sometimes God doesn't confront the evildoers, or rescue the just from their distress, or save those crushed in spirit. Sometimes the goodness of God seems much more distant.
And sometimes I choose other gods out of fear, because I know I am not immune. I pursue control over my own life, I feed on my own anxiety and fear, I strive first to avoid every pain and difficulty. I recognize it in myself more now, as I hold our precious little boy who I care about more than I thought I could care about anything.
But then I honestly thought back to the times in my own life where I can point to the goodness of God, and to deliverance, and I realized that God really has always felt closest in the pain, in the times I was crying out, when I had no control and no other option than to trust Him.
And then on second reading, it seems too obvious. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt first. The disciples were faced with the scandal of the words of Jesus. The just suffer distress. These passages were never saying that bad things don't happen-- and maybe the taste of God's goodness is strongest in the pain, even before the deliverance, which in our own lives we may not truly see until Heaven.
This is something that I think doesn't really make sense unless you've experienced it. Jesus says, "It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail", and "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father." (St. Jhn. 6:63, 65)
Faith is not as simple as, "follow Jesus and your life will always be good, comfortable, pain-free." That would make it an obvious choice, and one that we would walk away from when faced with a challenge. Faith must interact with suffering, we are only saved because someone else died, and God's goodness is strongest in our pain. It's only through the Spirit that one can follow such nonsense, and know it to be true.
Psalm 34
St. John 6:60-69
In our Old Testament and Gospel readings, two groups of followers of God are challenged in their intention. The Israelites answer Joshua saying that they will not "forsake the Lord" (Jos 24:16), and Peter on behalf of the twelve responds to Jesus with these incredible words: Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" ( Jn 6:68).
What's interesting to me is their reasons why. The Israelites had just gone through a period of victory in battle followed by peace and "rest from their enemies" (Jos 23:1). And in their reply to Joshua, they cite the goodness of the Lord in their past-- the way he brought them out of Egypt, out of slavery, performed miracles before their very eyes, and so on (24:16). They can look back in history and point to how God has been faithful to them.
At first reading, I struggled a bit with this passage, and with the Psalm which so cleanly parallels it, because it seems an obvious choice. It was a practical decision, really-- things have gone well for the Israelites when they have followed the one true God, and badly when they haven't. It wasn't really a choice.
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| The Confession of St. Peter Church of St. Mary and St. Lambert |
So my initial thought was, but bad things happen to good people. Sometimes you don't see any miracles, and the hardship just keeps piling on, like it did for Job. Sometimes God doesn't confront the evildoers, or rescue the just from their distress, or save those crushed in spirit. Sometimes the goodness of God seems much more distant.
And sometimes I choose other gods out of fear, because I know I am not immune. I pursue control over my own life, I feed on my own anxiety and fear, I strive first to avoid every pain and difficulty. I recognize it in myself more now, as I hold our precious little boy who I care about more than I thought I could care about anything.
But then I honestly thought back to the times in my own life where I can point to the goodness of God, and to deliverance, and I realized that God really has always felt closest in the pain, in the times I was crying out, when I had no control and no other option than to trust Him.
And then on second reading, it seems too obvious. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt first. The disciples were faced with the scandal of the words of Jesus. The just suffer distress. These passages were never saying that bad things don't happen-- and maybe the taste of God's goodness is strongest in the pain, even before the deliverance, which in our own lives we may not truly see until Heaven.
This is something that I think doesn't really make sense unless you've experienced it. Jesus says, "It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail", and "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father." (St. Jhn. 6:63, 65)
Faith is not as simple as, "follow Jesus and your life will always be good, comfortable, pain-free." That would make it an obvious choice, and one that we would walk away from when faced with a challenge. Faith must interact with suffering, we are only saved because someone else died, and God's goodness is strongest in our pain. It's only through the Spirit that one can follow such nonsense, and know it to be true.
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