John 6:66-69 (ESV)

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Rhett and Link are an American comedy duo that hit it big with their YouTube channels when the video service first started to gain traction. They began their entertainment careers while working with the college ministry “Cru”, but in early 2020 they posted three YouTube videos to explain their “deconstruction”—they were leaving Christianity behind. They did not claim to be atheists, but rather, decided to call themselves “hopeful agnostics”. It was a shocking story in the evangelical world, but especially amongst their younger Christian fans and previous CRU associates. But while their exodus sent shockwaves through the evangelical subculture, it also gave license to others who were wanting to abandon the faith.

“After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”

Thankfully, Rhett and Link’s story is not over, and this may turn out to be a temporary departure in the end. Only time will tell. But their story is by no means a new one. As we see in today’s passage, Jesus had moved from meeting physical needs to spiritual needs and that wasn’t too popular with many of his followers, so they left. When the immediate benefits of his ministry dried up, so did the interest of many of his followers. They were in the stands, but not on the team.

“Do you want to go away as well?”

Jesus was testing the faith of is his inner circle, but he was also giving them room to answer. Room to share what was on their minds. When people are struggling with their faith…when they are experiencing doubt…they usually don’t come right out with it. Have you ever been there? I know I have. Nothing as serious as what happened to Rhett and Link, but doubt can creep in from time to time, and when it does, Jesus is ready, willing and able to answer my questions. I engage my intellect, my knowledge of the Word, and my experiences as a follower of Christ and end up where Peter was:

“Lord, to whom shall we go?”

No other worldview or explanation of reality makes sense to me. And while I might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, I’m still pretty sharp, and the teachings of Jesus (and the Bible as a whole) explain most of what I see in this world, not only physically, but even more so on societal and spiritual levels. Some Christians have a simple faith, and that is a beautiful thing! They don’t need apologetics or hermeneutics and they don’t care much for textual criticism. For others, like myself, faith is built through their intellect and reasoning and study of the Scriptures. That’s a beautiful thing, too.

Are you ready to answer Jesus’ question? If you are facing a season of doubt, don’t face it alone. Reach out. Have the conversation. Do the work. If you are secure in your faith, be on the look-out for those that need a friend to walk with them through their season of doubt.