Jesus – the bread of life for us.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live for ever.’ John 6:56-59
There is a pattern in how Jesus does things in the Gospel of John. He does an action that reveals his power: talking with an outcast woman and offering her living water, feeding a crowd with 5 barley loaves and 2 dried fish, healing a man born blind, raising Lazarus from death. There’s a lot of discussion, and Jesus draws people in deeper to his claims. His disciples, and those close to him start to believe, they start to realise that there is more to Jesus than just what they see and hear. They believe he really does come from the Father, even though they know his family live in Nazareth. But his actions, and his claim that he is special also provoke resistance, especially from those who have the religious power. By the time we get to chapter 11, his fate is sealed. He can back off or be killed for his claims and his actions.
John 6 starts with Jesus feeding the crowd. The crowd call Jesus the great prophet and want to forcibly make him their king. That’s disaster in the making, with the Romans occupying their nation. Jesus removes himself, the disciples go across the lake, a storm builds up, and then in the night, Jesus just walks across the water to get to them. The next day the crowd follow, and Jesus turns their hunt for him, and for another miracle into offering himself as the true bread of life, come down from heaven. They know his family, they can’t see him as someone special from God. Jesus gives them hard words: they can’t come to him, unless his Father in heaven draws them. He is going to give his very flesh for the world. People need to chew on him and drink his blood to have eternal life. Crazy words. The Father has sent him. He is the living bread that has come down from heaven.
People turn away, the disciples choose not to, but Jesus knows that one of them would betray him.
Jesus does not back off. When there is grumbling from his disciples about his provocative words, ‘Eat my flesh, drink my blood,’ he wades straight in. ‘What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before.’ The first part of Jesus ascending to where he was before is to be lifted up, not into heaven, but on a cross.
And there is the deep mystery. Jesus wins, by being an utter loser. Eternal life comes through his death. Deep love means that he gives up his very life for us. He is faithful, and loving, even to the one who betrays him, and in fact none of the male disciples show up well. He takes upon himself all evil, all sin and stops it getting worse through taking revenge or destroying everyone and everything around. It’s there, in his power, that we take a stand against evil, that we support each other in what leads to life. It’s there that we keep offering forgiveness to each other. It’s there that we are all given life.
Jesus is the bread that gives eternal life.
I want to explore 4 aspects. Munching on the word. Holy Communion. Being drawn by the Father into the deepest love there is, and finally, knowing that we don’t do this journey of life alone, or in our own strength, cleverness or self-sufficency.
The Word.
Daily connection – a few minutes each day is vital. Have a Bible reading plan, or work your way through a chosen book of the Bible. Use a devotion book or on-line resource, such as from the LCA website. Find an app that gives you devotions. Doing a devotion together or as part of a family brings great blessing.
Holy Communion. Luther didn’t over-explain it. Bread and wine, also Christ’s body and blood. Simply trusted the words. He worried that if he messed with the left hand, that would mess up the right hand side – forgiveness of sins. We receive Christ’s body and blood with the bread and wine. It’s as simple and as amazing as that.
We get ready to receive it by simply trusting the words of Jesus, ‘given for you’. That way we receive all that Jesus has to offer us.
Drawn into the love of the Trinity. Deep, healing love that is at work in the whole cosmos. Jesus insisted that no one comes to the Father, except through him, and no one comes to him, except that the Father draws them to Jesus.
We don’t do the journey of life alone. When others said that these words of Jesus were all too hard, Peter spoke for the disciples when he said, ‘Where else can we go? You have the words of eternal life.’ We are not lone super-heroes. We walk with each other and support each other, and Jesus goes with us. Trust the people around you. Support them, when they need it. Let them support you when you need it. Together we go a lot further and it’s a lot easier.
