John 6: 58b-61
“‘ Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.’
He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?'”
Are you offended, or are you starting to get it? Do you understand that Jesus is trying to tell us about a different kind of life? The flesh dies and is done. The spirit, that part of you that is really “you,” lives on and in Jesus that will be raised up on the last day. It wasn’t just the repetition that was getting to his audience though, it was the idea of eating Jesus that was driving them nuts.
While this conversation has been going on, the scene has changed. Jesus is now in a synagog teaching the same thing that he taught to the crowds that had followed him from the place where he had fed the 5,000. At this time his disciples numbered more than twelve. Many followed him to listen to his teaching. Suddenly almost all of them wanted to leave.
Q: How do you respond to Jesus’ teaching about eating his “flesh” and “blood?”
All understand a very basic fact of physical life. At birth, babies are given milk so they will continue to live and grow. Later we shift to solid food to continue this process. Stop consuming food and water, the physical body will eventually cease to function, have no life, and decay.
Our God is an eternal, spiritual being who chose to cloak Himself in skin, and come to us as His Son, Jesus Christ. He came to not only give His life for our sins, but to be our teacher, by word and deed, of Gods truths to all mankind. His objective is that our spirits may have eternal life, and a daily relationship with Him.
My response has been to repent, turn from my sins and accept Christ as my eternal Savior. I choose to live in humble obedience to His Will, by studying and applying God’s truths into my life as they are revealed to me by the Holy Spirit of God.
I believe in Him.
I think it is important to that while the flesh is currently stuck in sin and death that one day Christ will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body. When God originally made flesh it wasn’t bad but Adam failed… fortunately the new Adam came and is coming back again to make all things new.
Ron,
Thanks for sharing your response to Jesus’ teaching today. Eating Jesus is a powerful metaphor for what happens when we invite him in. The power to repent, the gifts of humility and obedience all come from him and are signs in our lives that Jesus is King and savior!
Nathan,
What an exciting vision of transformation in Christ!
Thank you!