There’s an old saying, “The true test of an army is how it fights when it’s tired.”
When the troop morale is low, when the supplies have run out, when the weather has turned against you and the mud is cold, when blood drips down your face and the enemy seems to be winning, when your muscles ache and your heart is faint, how do you fight?
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History tells us some soldiers have dropped their weapons. They deserted their brothers and “returned to their former way of life” (John 6:65).
Others fought to their death.
We see this clearly happening in today’s Gospel. Jesus’ army is being depleted. At the beginning of this chapter he started with 5,000 men – not including the women and children. They were all ready to follow him.
Now he is down to 12.
The crowds simply will not accept his teaching that we must “eat his flesh and drink his blood,” a future reference to the Eucharist (John 6:56).
So Jesus turns to his disciples to see what kind of soldiers they are, asking them, “Do you also want to leave?”(John 6:66).
Though they do not understand Jesus’ teaching just yet, they trust him and remain by his side. As Peter says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” (John 6:67).
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What type of soldier are we?
When temptation strikes, do we fight?
When our prayers go unanswered, do we fight?
When we struggle to understand Christ’s teachings, do we fight?
When living out our faith demands humility and patience, do we fight?
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“The true test of an army is how it fights when it’s tired.” How well do we fight for Christ, especially when we’re tired or when we struggle to understand his teachings?
The good news is this: even if we drop our weapons – even if our faith fails us – Jesus will never stop fighting on our behalf.
To him be the glory now and forever.