Anyone Who Feeds On Me

Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me.” John 6:53-57

“THIS BREAD, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh” (verse 51). Jesus’ words made no sense to those surrounding him. They were just hoping for another miracle like the one they’d experienced the day before when Jesus fed five thousand people by multiplying five barley loaves and two fish. Jesus was pushing them to think more deeply about what this miracle really meant. And he’s pushing us, too.

We don’t eat this bread simply by listening to his teaching on the hillside or by observing his miracles among the masses. To eat the Bread of Life means that we must savor his sacrificial death as our life. Jesus offers himself to us and invites us to nourish our souls with the benefits of his atoning death. But sometimes we respond to this offer like the people of his day did. This is not what we were hoping to get from Jesus. We had a different miracle in mind, a miracle that would take care of what we see as our most pressing problem today: the lack of work or money in our bank account, the struggle going on at school, the health issue that just isn’t getting any better. As we see Jesus offering himself to us as the Bread of Life, perhaps we grumble on the inside. So often we want to use God to get from him what we think we need, when he is what we need. And he offers himself freely.

What we want for ourselves and for our children is far more than simply believing that certain events that happened long ago are true. What we need and want is true communion with Jesus so that we feed on him, share fellowship with him, and draw strength from him.

Here you are, Jesus, offering yourself to us as the true bread that will save and sustain. All we need to do is take and eat. Forgive us for refusing to believe that you are what will satisfy and sustain us over the long haul.