…Disciples Returned to Their Former Way of Life

                                                                         (John 6:66b)

Five weeks ago we started reading chapter 6 of John’s Gospel.  The whole chapter is dedicated to Jesus’ description of Himself as the ‘Bread of Life’.  The chapter begins with the Feeding of the 5,000.  But by the end of the chapter nearly all 5,000 people have walked away from Jesus.  Only some committed disciples and the 12 apostles remained.

But then, even the committed disciples became disillusioned with Jesus when He claimed that anyone who ate His flesh and drank His blood would have eternal life.  As a result of that, verse 66 says that “many of His disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him.” 

What strikes me about that sentence is that following Jesus meant that people had to adopt a ‘new way of life'. What do you think that means?

How does being a disciple affect your way of life?

Being a disciple affects my priorities.  It helps me make better choices.  It forces me to be honest with myself.  And, people on the margins are more visible to me.       

If you returned to your former way of life, what would that mean?

If I returned to my former way of life, I think I’d be a mess!