Jesus had stated to the crowd that he is the bread of life come down from the father and that, if people want to live forever, they must eat his flesh and drink his blood. When the crowd contesting Jesus’ statements left, he then turned to his apostles, many of whom were equally perplexed, even repulsed, as was the crowd by his words and left his company at this time. There must have been a significant number of disciples since, from their group, Jesus would select his twelve apostles and, later, a further 72 whom he sent out on a training mission (Luke 10:1). While many people were drawn to the charisma of Jesus and his ministry, it was natural that, as in any large group, there would be a wide range of commitment to the cause and acceptance of his teachings. Such was the case of the early Church to whom John addressed his gospel. Such is the case of the Church in our day and age. We would be mistaken to assume that those who stayed understood and accepted everything Jesus had taught. The apostles did not fully comprehend his teaching until after his Resurrection when they received the grace of the Holy Spirit. Their remaining with Jesus was based on faith, a gut feeling and sense in their heart that Jesus whose message they did not fully understand was “the Holy One of God.” Faith, the confidence that Jesus has the “words of eternal life,” sustains us as we seek to understand his message today and put his words into practice.