In the latter part of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks of being the Bread of Life. He does so in fairly graphic terms that was difficult for some of his followers to hear and, as a result, many turned away and stopped following him.
At this point Jesus said to the twelve disciples, “‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘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.’”
Indeed—where can any of us go?
Jesus teaching, while often simple, are rarely easy. Nevertheless, they are unique in that they offer eternal life—the life of God’s future, the abundant life found through faith in Christ, life as it was meant to be. In just a few chapters, Jesus, in describing himself as the God Shepherd, would tell his disciples that he “came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” From Peter’s point of view, it would have been foolish to leave Jesus. Hopefully, we feel the same way.
When we hear about Jesus’ “words of eternal life,” we tend to think that these are words that get us into Heaven after we die. There is some truth in this, but it misses much of what is meant by “eternal life.” Eternal life is not only endless life without death. Rather, eternal life is the life of the age to come, the life of God’s future. But even more than that, I believe that eternal life is every bit as much as a quality of life.
Yes, it will be fully experienced in the future. But—and here’s the thing—eternal life is something we can begin to know—and live—right now. Through faith, through the Word of God, through the Holy Spirit, through the community of God’s people, through the life of God in us, we receive a foretaste of eternal life that is to come. Thus, Jesus’s words offer life, not just after death, but right now. They help us live more abundantly, more meaningfully, more joyfully now—regardless of the circumstances.