Partaking of Christ (2)

John 6:51–58 ESV

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So 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. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on 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 whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

Today, we come to the conclusion of our study of John 6. Over the past several weeks, we have used this chapter to help us see how the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, is central for the believer and the community. Christ invites us to his table where he gives us himself. We partake of him.

Jesus is speaking to a group of Jewish leaders and community members at the synagogue in his home base of Capernaum. These are people who knew him well and knew his family. The teaching that Jesus gives is difficult for them to understand. This is primarily because they do not have faith in him.

What Jesus intends to do at this point in the teaching is help those who do have faith in him. We are introduced to the life that is given to us when we place our trust in Christ. The outgrowth of this faith is the table-centered life that is changed and transformed by and through the Holy Spirit.

1. We partake of Christ out of obedience. (vs. 51-53)

When Jesus made these claims that one must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have life, this was highly offensive to the Jews and the crowds. We find it difficult even among those who followed Jesus later on in verse 60 when some say that it is a “hard saying.” And in verse 66, we are told that many of his disciples turned away and no longer followed him. It is essential to explain why this was difficult.

‌We do not know for sure. We can infer two possible reasons. The first reason for the uproar could be that the language has some imagery of cannibalism. This was a charge given by many Gentiles against the Christians. They claimed that Christians ate the body and drank the blood of their martyred leader. The offense of this imagery would cut across social lines. The second reason may have been the exclusive nature of Jesus’ claim. One could not have a life apart from such a meal.

‌If we are being honest, we can rule out the first possibility because nothing in John’s gospel points to eating Jesus’ actual body and blood, even if it was a claim later by pagans. Therefore, it is most likely that the offense had more to do with the exclusivity of Jesus’ claim. As we read later in the chapter, the teachings of Jesus are difficult. People turn away because of his claims of exclusivity and having faith alone in him. Only when we place our faith in Jesus does his teachings become life-giving to us. Otherwise, they are problematic.

‌How does this tie in with the Eucharist? We have established from previous sermons that part of the teaching in the chapter does point to early Church theology around the Lord’s Supper. Jesus tells us in all of the synoptic gospels and 1 Corinthians 11 that we participate in the Lord’s Supper as an act of obedience. It is one of the two sacraments that Christ established. Coming to the table with a posture of faith gives life to us. When we come to the table without faith, Paul declares that it is to our detriment.

‌The only way we can genuinely receive life is to walk in obedience to Christ. That obedience includes doing those acts that he commands us to do in faith, namely the Lord’s Supper. It is in the sacrament that we receive Christ.

2. We partake of Christ to receive grace. (vs. 54-56)

If something strengthens faith in the sacrament, what is that “something”? That “something” is grace. Many people read this text plainly and say we are adding something to it. We are doing “eisegesis” rather than “exegesis” because there is no mention of grace in this text, synoptic gospels, or Paul. The sacrament is only a way of remembering the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. And to some extent, this is true. When we come to the table, we reflect on the crucified Messiah.

‌However, we cannot take Jesus's words out of their context. If we do that, we can come to a very simple reading that the Lord’s Supper is a way to thank Jesus for what he did for us. However, in the context of this passage, in particular, it all flows from feeding the 5,000, which happens at the time of Passover. In the synoptics, Jesus participates in the Passover meal with his disciples.

‌We know the story of the Passover. The Israelites slaughtered a lamb or goat. The blood from the sacrifice was placed on the doorposts of their homes so the “angel of death” would pass over them. The Exodus 12 gives some other details about the setting of the meal, what one was to wear while eating the meal, and the speed at which one was to eat it. Exodus 12:14 says, “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.” A “memorial” is more than intellectual assent. The Greek equivalent is used in Luke 22:19 and 1 Corinthians 11 about the Lord’s Supper with the word “remembrance.”

‌The word means to “recollect.” When we recollect something, we go back to that moment in time. We place ourselves in that same space. Have you ever had the experience where you heard a song, smelled a smell, tasted something someone has made, and you go back to a particular moment in time? You don’t go back there, but it is a more profound experience than simply remembering. The emotions and feelings of that moment come back to you almost as if you are reliving it.

‌This is what is happening during the Lord’s Supper. As Jesus gave his body and blood for our salvation, we partake of his body and blood as a way of receiving the fullness of him into our lives. It’s not just simply remembering a moment. It is taking us to a place spiritually that connects us to who Christ is and what Christ has done.

‌This is the essence of God’s grace. God’s grace connects us back to the cross, where his grace was fully displayed. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the sins of humanity is the place where our salvation was won. We are brought back to this grace through the Lord’s Supper because we eat Jesus’ body and blood. Paul points to the power of grace in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

3. We partake of Christ to be sanctified. (vs. 57-58)

By receiving God’s grace, we live. The Israelites in the wilderness were kept alive through the manna. We are giving eternal life through God’s grace. As a result, we abide in Christ. This is a theme that is prevalent throughout John. This idea comes to its fullest in John 15:1-8, the vine and the branches teaching. We receive true life through the deep connection we have in Christ through faith. We abide in Christ, and he abides in us. Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 4:24, “and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” As Christ dwells in us, we become more and more like him.

‌This is important as we reflect on the larger picture of what Jesus is teaching us here. Through God’s grace, we walk in obedience to Christ’s commandments. That is only possible because we have placed our faith in Christ, and he abides within us by the power of the Holy Spirit. How do we receive this? In part, this is done through the Eucharist. Wesley puts it this way in his sermon, “The Duty of Constant Communion,”

‌“The grace of God given herein confirms to us the pardon of our sins, by enabling us to leave them. As our bodies are strengthened by bread and wine, so are our souls by these tokens of the body and blood of Christ. This is the food of our souls: This gives strength to perform our duty, and leads us on to perfection. If, therefore, we have any regard for the plain command of Christ, if we desire the pardon of our sins, if we wish for strength to believe, to love and obey God, then we should neglect no opportunity of receiving the Lord’s Supper; then we must never turn our backs on the feast which our Lord has prepared for us.”

‌The body and blood of Christ are food for our souls, giving us strength to perform our duty and leading us to perfection. The heart of Christian perfection is to love God and neighbor as Christ loves. It is a means of grace that leads us into a deeper relationship with God, where we put on the new self and are sanctified.

God calls upon us to partake in the fullness of Christ. Too many of us never indeed allow Christ to fill us. We hold on to parts of ourselves that keep us from knowing Jesus, where he abides in us. I hope that you will begin to change that. I hope you allow the work of the Spirit to consume you so that you can walk in obedience to Christ and receive the fullness of his grace. The Eucharist is one of the means of grace afforded to us, but it is the only one where we experience Christ with all our senses. “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” As Solomon says in Proverbs 9:5–6, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.” Let us leave our simple ways and eat of the body and blood of Christ so that we might draw closer to him and perfection in love.