Before Jesus declared that it was not the flesh but divine Spirit alone that provides and maintains life, multitudes of people were following him. He had done much good healing and teaching, but even many of his early students were challenged by Jesus’ demand for a deeper commitment to spirituality, and their numbers soon dropped to only a handful.

From there, Jesus continued his devotion to being about his Father’s business, and his teachings again gained in popularity. Later, as he entered Jerusalem, crowds even cheered him and waved big palm fronds. Within the week, though, his popularity evaporated, and everyone, including most of his remaining disciples, abandoned both him and his mission.

Jesus’ experience toward the end of that week during the night before his crucifixion is enlightening. There in the garden of Gethsemane, he clearly struggled. Yet, it couldn’t have been because he feared for his own safety. He knew very well how to get away from those who would crucify him. Earlier in his ministry, when an angry crowd had attempted to throw him headfirst off a cliff, he’d walked calmly through them and away.