Christianity can be condensed into four words: Admit, Submit, Commit and Transmit. -Samuel Wilberforce
EAT MY FLESH AND DRINK MY BLOOD!
John 6
47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
48 I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.
49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.
51 I AM THE LIVING BREAD WHICH CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN. IF ANYONE EATS OF THIS BREAD, HE WILL LIVE FOREVER; AND THE BREAD THAT I SHALL GIVE IS MY FLESH, WHICH I SHALL GIVE FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD.”
52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”
53 THEN JESUS SAID TO THEM, “MOST ASSUREDLY, I SAY TO YOU, UNLESS YOU EAT THE FLESH OF THE SON OF MAN AND DRINK HIS BLOOD, YOU HAVE NO LIFE IN YOU.
54 WHOEVER EATS MY FLESH AND DRINKS MY BLOOD HAS ETERNAL LIFE, AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY.
55 FOR MY FLESH IS FOOD INDEED, AND MY BLOOD IS DRINK INDEED.
56 HE WHO EATS MY FLESH AND DRINKS MY BLOOD ABIDES IN ME, AND I IN HIM.
57 AS THE LIVING FATHER SENT ME, AND I LIVE BECAUSE OF THE FATHER, SO HE WHO FEEDS ON ME WILL LIVE BECAUSE OF ME.
58 This is the bread which came down from heaven–not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
60 THEREFORE MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES, WHEN THEY HEARD THIS, SAID, “THIS IS A HARD SAYING; WHO CAN UNDERSTAND IT?”
61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you?
62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.
65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
66 FROM THAT TIME MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES WENT BACK AND WALKED WITH HIM NO MORE.
67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.
Whoa…imagine the setting? Jesus was teaching in the church of the day. He stood there while all of His disciples stood around listening and I would imagine the Pharisees and religious leaders were there taking notes as well.
Jesus knew the majority of His followers would eventually fall away for they were not chosen for eternal life.
Here He was, ready to drop the bomb of all bombs on them…imagine what you or I would have thought?
You cannot be with Me. You cannot go to heaven. You cannot experience eternal life.
UNLESS…you eat MY FLESH and DRINK MY BLOOD!!
Can you see their faces? Can you see the men standing there doing their best to compose themselves? Picture yourself there, listening trying to (ahem) digest Christ’s words…
Any one of us would have turned back as well. How would you feel if on Sunday morning, you sat there and listened to your pastor tell everyone that he is leaving the church to start a new church. Those of you who wish to follow will have to EAT MY FLESH AND DRINK MY BLOOD!!!
Yeah…right.
So to clear the air over this much understood passage, let’s look at what Christ was actually saying.
How did Jesus open the topic? He talked about manna and how the Hebrews ate the manna and still died. Then He swung the topic around to say that He was the bread of life. What was bread symbolic of in the Scriptures? Sustenance. Life.
He showed how even though the manna came from heaven, it still couldn’t keep the people from dying. But He, being the bread of life, the true sustenance, could give the person who accepted Him eternal life. He was saying in essence, as important it is to eat food and water in order to live, it is even more important to accept and submit to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for eternal life. His bruised and beaten body and His spilled blood are far more important than food that spoils and is gone tomorrow.
He knew who God was going to give to Him and He wasn’t concerned about them. He knew the majority of His followers (just like today) would turn their backs on Him when the going got tough.
Jesus always had a way with words and every word was pre-planned and said in such a way that those who were blinded and deafened spiritually wouldn’t be able to comprehend.
This is why there is only a small select group of us who get the Gospel and who understand the “hard truths” of Christ.
Reblogged from: https://paultheslave.wordpress.com/2015/05/28/eat-my-flesh-and-drink-my-blood/
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