At the close of John vi. we have a very clear and beautiful confession
of Christ from the lips of our apostle--a confession rendered all the
more touching and forcible by the circumstances under which it was
delivered.
Our blessed Lord, in His teachings in the synagogue at Capernaum, had
unfolded truth which puts the poor human heart to the test, and
withers up all the pretensions of man in a very remarkable manner. We
cannot here attempt to enter upon the subject of our Lord's discourse,
but the effect of it is thus recorded:--"From that time many of His
disciples went back, and walked no more with Him." They were not
prepared for the reception of such heavenly doctrine. They were
offended by it, and they turned their backs upon that blessed One who
alone was worthy of all the affections of the heart, and of the homage
and devotion of the whole moral being. "_They went back, and walked no
more with Him._"
Now we are not told what became of these deserters, or whether they
were saved or not. No such question is raised. We are simply told that
they abandoned Christ, and ceased to be any longer publicly identified
with His name and His cause. How many, alas! have since followed their
sad example! It is one thing to profess to be the disciples of
Christ, and another thing altogether to stand with firm purpose of
heart on the ground of public testimony for His name, in thorough
identification with a rejected Lord. It is one thing for people to
flock to Christ because of the benefits which He bestows, and it is
quite another to cleave to Him in the face of the world's scorn and
contempt. The application of the doctrine of the cross very speedily
thins the ranks of professors. In the chapter before us we see at one
moment multitudes thronging enthusiastically around the Man who could
so marvelously supply their need, and the next moment abandoning Him,
when His teaching offended their pride.
Thus it has been, thus it is, and thus it will be until that day in
the which the despised Stranger of Nazareth shall reign from pole to
pole, and from the river to the ends of the earth. We are ready enough
to avail ourselves of the benefits and blessings which _a loving
Saviour_ can bestow upon us, but when it becomes a question of
following _a rejected Lord_ along that rough and lonely path which He
has trodden for us in this sinful world, we are disposed, like those
of old, to go back, and walk no more with Him.
This is very sad and very humiliating. It proves how little we know of
His heart, or of what that heart desires from us. Jesus longs for
fellowship. He does not want patronage. It does not meet the desire of
His heart to be followed, or admired, or gazed at, because of what He
can do or give. He delights in a heart taught of God to appreciate
His Person, for this glorifies and gratifies the Father. He retired
from the gaze of an excited and tumultuous throng who would fain make
Him a king, because they had eaten of the loaves and were filled; but
He could turn, with touching earnestness, to the little band of
followers who still remained, and challenge their hearts with the
question, "Will ye also go away?"
How deeply affecting! How it must have touched the hearts of all, save
that one who had no heart for aught but money--who was "a thief" and
"a devil!" Alas! alas! a moment was approaching when all were to
forsake Him and fly--when He was to be left absolutely _alone_,
forsaken of men, forsaken of God--utterly and awfully deserted.
But that moment was yet future; and it is peculiarly refreshing to
harken to the fine confession of our beloved apostle, in reply to the
deeply affecting inquiry of his Lord. "Then Simon Peter answered Him,
Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we
believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living
God."
Well indeed might he say, "To whom shall we go?" There was not another
throughout the wide universe of God to whom the heart could turn. He
alone could meet their every need, satisfy their every right desire,
fill up every chamber of the heart. Simon Peter felt this, and hence,
with all his mistakes, his failures, and his infirmities, his loving
and devoted heart turned with earnest affection to his beloved Lord.
He would not abandon Him, though little able to rise to the height of
His heavenly teaching. There was a link binding him to Jesus Christ
which nothing could snap. "Lord, to whom shall we go?"--whither shall
we betake ourselves?--on whom could we reckon beside? True, there may
be trial and difficulty in the path of true discipleship. It may prove
a rough and a lonely path. The heart may be tried and tested in every
possible way. There may be deep and varied sorrow--deep waters, dark
shadows; but in the face of all we can say, "To whom shall we go?"
And mark the singular fulness of Peter's confession. "Thou _hast_ the
words of eternal life;" and then, "Thou _art_ that Christ, the Son of
the living God." We have the two things, namely, what He _has_, and
what He _is_. Blessed be His name, Christ has all we can possibly want
for time and eternity. Words of eternal life flow from His lips into
our hearts. He causes those who follow Him to "inherit substance." He
bestows upon them "durable riches and righteousness." We may truly say
that, in comparison of what Christ has to give, all the riches,
honors, dignities, and pleasures of this world are but dross. They all
pass away as the vapors of the morning, and leave only an aching void
behind. Nothing that this world has to offer can possibly satisfy the
cravings of the human soul. "All is vanity and vexation of spirit."
And not only so--it must be given up. If one had all the wealth of
Solomon, it lasts but a moment in comparison with that boundless
eternity which lies before every one of us. When death approaches, all
the riches of the universe could not purchase one moment's respite.
The last great enemy gives no quarter. He ruthlessly snaps the link
that connects man with all that his poor heart prizes and loves upon
earth, and hurries him away into eternity.
And what then? Yes, this is the question. Who can answer it? Who can
attempt to picture the future of a soul that passes into eternity
without God, without Christ, without hope? Who can describe the
horrors of one who, all in a moment, opens his eyes to the fact--the
tremendous fact--that he is lost, lost forever--hopelessly, eternally,
lost? It is positively too dreadful to dwell upon it. And yet it must
be looked at; and if the reader is still of the world, still
unconverted, careless, thoughtless, unbelieving, we would earnestly
entreat of him now, just now, to give his earnest attention to the
weighty and all-important question of his soul's salvation--a
question, in comparison with which all other questions dwindle into
utter insignificance. "What shall it profit a man, if he should gain
the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?" It is, beyond all question, the most egregious
folly that any one can be guilty of to put off the grand business of
his soul's salvation.
And if any one inquire what he has to do in this business, the answer
is _Nothing_--"nothing, either great or small." Jesus has the words
of eternal life. He it is who says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you,
he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, _hath_
everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but _is passed_
from death unto life."
Here is the hinge on which the whole matter moves. Harken to the words
of Christ. Believe in Him that sent His blessed Son. Put your trust in
God, and you shall be saved; you shall have eternal life, and never
come into judgment.
Nor is this all. Simon Peter, in his lovely confession, does not
confine himself to what Christ has to give, precious and blessed as
that is, but he also speaks of what He is. "Thou art that Christ, the
Son of the living God." This is full of deepest interest for the
heart. Christ not only gives us eternal life, but He also becomes the
object of our heart's affections--our satisfying portion, our
unfailing resource, our infallible Guide and Counselor, our constant
reference, in all our need, in all our pressure, in all our sorrows
and difficulties. We need never go to any one else for succor,
sympathy, or guidance. We have all we want in Him. He is the eternal
delight of the heart of God, and He may well be the delight of our
hearts here and hereafter, now and forever.