Eat Me!
“Then Jesus said to them, ’Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life… For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.’”
-John 6:53-55
Have you ever noticed how on Sundays, the sample tables at Sam’s are the only things being looked at? People show up and pretend to peruse the aisles, when in fact their eyes are on the Free-Food Tables.
My friends, Jesus is no Free Food Table!
When Jesus fed the five-thousand (scholars actually believe the number is closer to 15,000 due to the fact that only men were counted, excluding women and children), He wasn’t saying “Free food! Come and get it!” That is exactly what the people whom He fed thought though. They even followed him around the lake looking for more free handouts.
When they finally caught up to Jesus they tried to be nice, but He saw right through them and said, “You just want to fill your stomach with a food that provides a temporary solution, I offer food that will always satisfy you.”
They asked how they could get this food, and Jesus replied, “Believe in me.”
The crowd must have been a few french fries short of a happy meal because they still didn’t get what He was trying to say. They asked for some sign to figure out if He was indeed the one sent by God (but I guess they had forgotten about the previous day when He fed nearly 15,000 people with a few loaves of bread and some fish), they said that Moses had given them manna (which is bread from Heaven that God gave His people when they were going to The Promised Land). Jesus was starting to get frustrated because they still weren’t getting what He was saying, so he told them, “Moses didn’t give you bread, God did… and oh yeah, He sent me, His son, so listen to me!”
Now this is where the crowd really proves its mental power. They say, “Um, Sir, could we have the bread anyways?”
So Jesus replied, “Okay guys. Let me spell it out in crayons for you. I am the bread of life. Whoever listens to me, that person won’t be hungry. And oh yeah, I’m the one God sent. If you listen to me, if you truly listen to me, then you will live forever.”
So the crowd talks and they are go, “Hey, wait a second. Aren’t you Joseph’s kid? That carpenter guy? Then why are you saying that you have come down from Heaven?”
Jesus replies, “My Eternal Father, that’s God, sent me down here so that I can save you. Listen to me. I am the bread that God sent here. If you eat my bread, you won’t be hungry. This is not complicated. Listen to me.”
The crowd replied, “How can you give us food to eat, how can we eat your bread if you are the bread?”
Jesus finally just says it. “Eat Me! Eat My flesh! Drink My blood! If you don’t you will die! If you do eat My flesh and if you do drink My blood, then you will live! Listen and eat!”
You see, the crowd got too caught up on the physical world; they failed to realize that Jesus was talking using symbols. He didn’t mean that they should actually turn cannibal and eat him. He meant that we are supposed to crave Him, that we as his people are supposed to need him in the same way that we need sustenance to survive. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6) Long for Christ with all of your being (another Bible verse reference).
Jesus didn’t use terms associated with basic human needs by accident. You’re supposed to have a deep life-or-death need for Christ, because without Christ you will die. It’s not a physical death though, but rather a spiritual death.
What you see, what you taste, what you touch, what you hear… it’s all temporary. Don’t let the temporary illusions distract you from the Ever-Lasting truth. While our time here on earth is real, it’s not reality. While life here on earth is A reality, it’s not The Reality. That belongs to God and God alone.
I urge you not to get confused like the crowd did. Don’t miss out on the Ever-After because all you see is the Here-and-Now.
The quotes aren’t exact quotes; they are more along the lines of a paraphrase. I used John 6:22-59 with a particular emphasis on verses 53-55 with reference to Matthew 5:6 and Deuteronomy 6:5.
-John 6:53-55
Have you ever noticed how on Sundays, the sample tables at Sam’s are the only things being looked at? People show up and pretend to peruse the aisles, when in fact their eyes are on the Free-Food Tables.
My friends, Jesus is no Free Food Table!
When Jesus fed the five-thousand (scholars actually believe the number is closer to 15,000 due to the fact that only men were counted, excluding women and children), He wasn’t saying “Free food! Come and get it!” That is exactly what the people whom He fed thought though. They even followed him around the lake looking for more free handouts.
When they finally caught up to Jesus they tried to be nice, but He saw right through them and said, “You just want to fill your stomach with a food that provides a temporary solution, I offer food that will always satisfy you.”
They asked how they could get this food, and Jesus replied, “Believe in me.”
The crowd must have been a few french fries short of a happy meal because they still didn’t get what He was trying to say. They asked for some sign to figure out if He was indeed the one sent by God (but I guess they had forgotten about the previous day when He fed nearly 15,000 people with a few loaves of bread and some fish), they said that Moses had given them manna (which is bread from Heaven that God gave His people when they were going to The Promised Land). Jesus was starting to get frustrated because they still weren’t getting what He was saying, so he told them, “Moses didn’t give you bread, God did… and oh yeah, He sent me, His son, so listen to me!”
Now this is where the crowd really proves its mental power. They say, “Um, Sir, could we have the bread anyways?”
So Jesus replied, “Okay guys. Let me spell it out in crayons for you. I am the bread of life. Whoever listens to me, that person won’t be hungry. And oh yeah, I’m the one God sent. If you listen to me, if you truly listen to me, then you will live forever.”
So the crowd talks and they are go, “Hey, wait a second. Aren’t you Joseph’s kid? That carpenter guy? Then why are you saying that you have come down from Heaven?”
Jesus replies, “My Eternal Father, that’s God, sent me down here so that I can save you. Listen to me. I am the bread that God sent here. If you eat my bread, you won’t be hungry. This is not complicated. Listen to me.”
The crowd replied, “How can you give us food to eat, how can we eat your bread if you are the bread?”
Jesus finally just says it. “Eat Me! Eat My flesh! Drink My blood! If you don’t you will die! If you do eat My flesh and if you do drink My blood, then you will live! Listen and eat!”
You see, the crowd got too caught up on the physical world; they failed to realize that Jesus was talking using symbols. He didn’t mean that they should actually turn cannibal and eat him. He meant that we are supposed to crave Him, that we as his people are supposed to need him in the same way that we need sustenance to survive. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6) Long for Christ with all of your being (another Bible verse reference).
Jesus didn’t use terms associated with basic human needs by accident. You’re supposed to have a deep life-or-death need for Christ, because without Christ you will die. It’s not a physical death though, but rather a spiritual death.
What you see, what you taste, what you touch, what you hear… it’s all temporary. Don’t let the temporary illusions distract you from the Ever-Lasting truth. While our time here on earth is real, it’s not reality. While life here on earth is A reality, it’s not The Reality. That belongs to God and God alone.
I urge you not to get confused like the crowd did. Don’t miss out on the Ever-After because all you see is the Here-and-Now.
The quotes aren’t exact quotes; they are more along the lines of a paraphrase. I used John 6:22-59 with a particular emphasis on verses 53-55 with reference to Matthew 5:6 and Deuteronomy 6:5.
posted by theboythatis at 12:07 PM
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