John 6:53-58
After some time sharing the good news of the kingdom of God, there came a point where thousands of people had come to hear Jesus teach. There was a bit of an issue with this gathering, seeing as they gathered in the wilderness, and there was nothing to eat. God worked a great miracle through Jesus, feeding thousands of people on 5 loaves of barley bread and two fish. The crowd was amazed, they were convinced that Jesus was their long awaited Messiah, and the crowd was ready to institute Jesus as their king. Their expectation of Him as king, however, was far different from the reality of His lordship. The people were expecting a warrior king, like King David. They wanted Jesus to liberate them from Rome in a great revolt, then to take on the world as the greatest nation on earth. Knowing this, Jesus was trying to physically distance himself from them. He knew that their intentions weren't really for the kingdom of God, but were for their own a desires.
And so, Jesus put it to them straight: you either take Him on fully, even to the eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood, or you don't have him at all. No false perceptions, no half-in faith, you are either in with Jesus, or your're not; and being "in" means some pretty radical consequences. One cannot take the blessing of God and continue living as lords of their own lives, or under the lordship of another. Jesus is either your one true Lord, or He is not, but He doesn't settle for half-faith that desires His blessing without His lordship, or attempts to make Him into what we want Him to be instead of worshiping who He truly is.
Now, it is evident that everyone was confused in the moment when Jesus spoke of eating Him. Even the apostles were bewildered at this teaching, and disappointed to see the crowds falling away. If this is where the story ended, we would likely be just as confused. But, thankfully, it is not. We can look ahead a ways in the gospel according to John and find this same 'abide' language used again, and this time, we find out what it really means. And we can look to the other gospels and learn what it means to eat of Jesus' flesh and drink his blood.
In John 15, we learn what Jesus means to abide with him.
John 15:9-10 - As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
And in the gospels according to Mark, Matthew, and Luke, we learn what Jesus meant to eat and drink of him.
Matthew 26:26-28 - Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Luke 22:17-20 - And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."
Mark 14:22-24 - And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many."
This is the only other moment where Jesus talks about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. It is the institution of the new covenant between God and man; man will be saved from sin through the atonement (payment) of Jesus through His crucifixion, and his conquering of death in resurrection, so that all people may have the opportunity to be free from sin and enter into the kingdom of God. To eat of Jesus' flesh and drink his blood is to enter into the covenant with God that He established through Jesus: accept His sacrifice for your sins, surrender your life to the Father, live in and agree with His love (that is what it is to abide), and obey Him as the Lord of all creation, including you.
This message of loving the Lord with your all, which naturally causes us to obey Him, is the reoccurring theme of the gospels, indeed, of the whole of scripture: God wants to be with you in a constant, real, genuine relationship in which you are surrendered to Him in love and reverence, and He is pouring into you true life and blessing. It is the foundation on which we all must build our faith; abide with Jesus, love and obey God, and you will naturally bear fruit because of the work God is doing in you through your close relationship with His Spirit.
Until next time, beloved.
Pastor Andrew
And so, Jesus put it to them straight: you either take Him on fully, even to the eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood, or you don't have him at all. No false perceptions, no half-in faith, you are either in with Jesus, or your're not; and being "in" means some pretty radical consequences. One cannot take the blessing of God and continue living as lords of their own lives, or under the lordship of another. Jesus is either your one true Lord, or He is not, but He doesn't settle for half-faith that desires His blessing without His lordship, or attempts to make Him into what we want Him to be instead of worshiping who He truly is.
Now, it is evident that everyone was confused in the moment when Jesus spoke of eating Him. Even the apostles were bewildered at this teaching, and disappointed to see the crowds falling away. If this is where the story ended, we would likely be just as confused. But, thankfully, it is not. We can look ahead a ways in the gospel according to John and find this same 'abide' language used again, and this time, we find out what it really means. And we can look to the other gospels and learn what it means to eat of Jesus' flesh and drink his blood.
In John 15, we learn what Jesus means to abide with him.
John 15:9-10 - As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
And in the gospels according to Mark, Matthew, and Luke, we learn what Jesus meant to eat and drink of him.
Matthew 26:26-28 - Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Luke 22:17-20 - And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."
Mark 14:22-24 - And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many."
This is the only other moment where Jesus talks about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. It is the institution of the new covenant between God and man; man will be saved from sin through the atonement (payment) of Jesus through His crucifixion, and his conquering of death in resurrection, so that all people may have the opportunity to be free from sin and enter into the kingdom of God. To eat of Jesus' flesh and drink his blood is to enter into the covenant with God that He established through Jesus: accept His sacrifice for your sins, surrender your life to the Father, live in and agree with His love (that is what it is to abide), and obey Him as the Lord of all creation, including you.
This message of loving the Lord with your all, which naturally causes us to obey Him, is the reoccurring theme of the gospels, indeed, of the whole of scripture: God wants to be with you in a constant, real, genuine relationship in which you are surrendered to Him in love and reverence, and He is pouring into you true life and blessing. It is the foundation on which we all must build our faith; abide with Jesus, love and obey God, and you will naturally bear fruit because of the work God is doing in you through your close relationship with His Spirit.
Until next time, beloved.
Pastor Andrew
Comments
Post a Comment