Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. John 6:57 NABRE
After feeding thousands Jesus is followed across the lake and He teaches about bread from heaven. Jesus refers to Himself as the living bread come down from heaven, a comparison to the manna God provides the Hebrew people on their sojourn in the desert after fleeing Egypt. Claiming to be food to eat is too difficult for the Jews to understand and they question Jesus, wondering how can they eat His flesh. Jesus is relentless declaring His flesh is true food and His blood true drink. John doesn’t describe the bread and wine ritual from the Last Supper, but some think these verses replace the text other gospel writers include of Jesus offering bread and wine as His body and blood to be eaten to live. From the beginning of their ministry this ritual of bread and wine is important to the community of believers and as the church grows it becomes central to the services of the church.
But, it is a mystery, Jesus knows telling people to eat His flesh and blood will be received with great doubt, and in fact force people to leave His side. This happens later in John’s telling of these events and Jesus turns to His closest disciples asking will they leave as well. Jesus desires His followers fully consume Him, to become one with Him, they become Christ. It is a hard mystery to understand, when we think of Jesus as Word, it is more understandable. In some thinking when you take on the flesh and blood of another, usually an animal, you internally become the animal. Today we say you are what you eat. Jesus lives so that we may become the Christ, entering into union with God fully alive.
Do you believe you are what you eat? Do you believe you can become Christ?
Jesus desires His followers fully consume Him, to become one with Him, they become Christ. It is a hard mystery to understand, when we think of Jesus as Word, it is more understandable than consuming His flesh and blood. Click To Tweet#bible #godisgreat #jesus #christianity #dailybibleverse @youversion #BeAnEncourager #flesh #blood #John #everybodyalways #god #jesuschrist #jesussaves #godisgood #dailydevotion #biblestudy #scripture #bibleverse #verseoftheday #cross #last #gospels #loveeachother #godisgreat #thisVineyard #youversion #everythingalways