Leaving the Kitchen

Introduction:In today's passage, Jesus speaks some of the most profound and challenging words in the Gospel: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them." At first glance, these words might seem startling, even confusing. But when we dig deeper, we find a message that nourishes our souls, much like bread nourishes our bodies. Today, we leave the kitchen, where physical food is prepared, and step into the spiritual kitchen, where we find sustenance that leads to eternal life.

Journalist Megan McArdle admits that she and her husband "now have enough high-end cutlery to stock a small restaurant -- and a sense of shame at how rarely we use any of it." They are not alone, she writes in The Atlantic (May 2011): "Almost everyone I know seems to have the Kitchen-aid mixers and Cuisinart's they got for their wedding still sitting in their boxes, to emerge at Thanksgiving, if ever." America has left the kitchen.

1. The Flesh and Blood of Christ:The phrase "flesh and blood" carries deep symbolic significance in Scripture. In Jesus' time, flesh was understood as the essence of humanity, representing both the physical body and the human experience. Blood, on the other hand, was seen as the life force—the very essence of life itself. In Levitical law, blood was sacred because it was the life of a creature, making it a powerful symbol of sacrifice and atonement.

In the agrarian culture of first-century Jews, having bread was essential to survival. There was no endless supply of bread (in dozens of varieties) available at the local market. Simply put: without bread, there was no life. Even today, almost everything we eat comes from something else that has died. Dead animals provide us with meat. Dead wheat gives us bread. Vegetables come from dead plants. When we see how other life dies that we may live, Jesus' words take on a new meaning.

When Jesus speaks of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, He is using these elements as metaphors for a deep, spiritual truth. He is inviting us to partake in His life, to internalize His teachings, and to live in union with Him. This isn't about literal consumption but about a profound spiritual connection. Just as bread and wine nourish the body, Jesus nourishes our souls, offering eternal life to those who believe in Him.

2. Manna and the Bread of Life:Jesus references manna, the miraculous food given to the Israelites in the wilderness. Manna was a physical provision, sustaining them for a time, but it was also a foreshadowing of the true spiritual food that Jesus would provide. Jesus declares Himself to be the "bread of life," the living bread that comes down from heaven. Unlike the manna that satisfied temporary hunger, the bread of life satisfies our spiritual hunger and offers immortality—endless life in the presence of God.

"What's so original about this man?" asked a visitor. "All he gives you is a hash of stories, proverbs and sayings from other masters." A woman disciple smiled. She once had a cook, she said, who made the most wonderful hash in the world. "How on Earth do you make it, my dear? You must give me the recipe." The cook's face glowed with pride. She said, "Well, ma'am, I'll tell yer: beef's nothin'; pepper's nothin'; onion's nothin'; but when I throws myself into the hash -- that's what makes it what it is." --Anthony de Mello, cited in Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life, ed. Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat (Simon & Schuster, 1998), 220.

3. Universal Blessings in Christ:Jesus promises universal blessings through this spiritual nourishment. He offers:

Eternal Life: "If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever." This is the promise of immortality, not just in length of days but in the quality of life, in a deep, abiding relationship with God.

Spiritual Knowledge: Jesus says, "If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know His teachings." This is not just intellectual knowledge but a heart understanding that comes from living out God's will.

Salvation: Jesus declares, "If anyone enters through me, he shall be saved." Salvation is the rescue from sin and death, offered freely to all who believe.

Universal Love: The love of Christ is for all, a love that knows no boundaries and calls us to love others as He has loved us.

4. The Encounter with Jesus:The Gospel of John was written to inspire faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. It speaks to seekers, those curious about Jesus, and to believers who need to be strengthened in their faith. But it also demands a response. When we encounter Jesus, we cannot remain neutral. We either accept His offer of eternal life or reject it. To believe in Jesus is to receive life; to reject Him is to remain under condemnation, separated from the life He offers.

The kitchen is a place that sharpens us. It's a place that wakes us up. Our sense of smell becomes keener. We taste with greater subtlety. We see with more clarity. But there are times when we are not as sensitive, not as focused. We are distracted and nothing seems to go right. In the kitchen the results are easy to notice. The sauce burns, the bread doesn't rise, and dishes slip out of our hands. Cooking requires that we be fully present. This is one of its greatest teachings. It keeps bringing us back to what is happening in the moment and continually calls our attention to what we are doing. We smell when the cake is ready to come out of the oven and we taste when the soup is almost done to perfection. When the water boils on the stove, we turn down the heat. Through cooking we can become more responsive to what is happening around us .... We can sharpen our lives by living them with awareness, moment by moment. --Bettina Vitell, A Taste of Heaven and Earth: A Zen Approach to Cooking and Eating With 150 Satisfying Vegetarian Recipes (Morrow Cookbooks, 1993).

5. The Reaction of the Jews:In the passage, we see that the Jews argued among themselves, asking, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" Their struggle was rooted in a literal interpretation of Jesus' words. But Jesus was speaking in spiritual terms, using the metaphor of eating and drinking to describe the deep, intimate relationship He offers.

6. Understanding the Flesh in Jesus' Time:For Jesus' contemporaries, the idea of consuming flesh and blood was shocking, as it was contrary to Jewish dietary laws. But Jesus was turning their understanding on its head, teaching that the true sustenance they needed was not physical but spiritual. His reference to flesh and blood is not just an analogy; it is a powerful metaphor for believing in His sacrifice, which would bring about the new covenant—a covenant sealed with His blood.

7. The Significance of the Sacrifice:Jesus believed that His death would pay for the sins of humanity and that His righteousness would be given to people in exchange for their unrighteousness. Believing in Him is the only way to satisfy our hunger and thirst for God. His sacrifice is the source of eternal life, and His blood, viewed as sacred throughout the Bible, is the symbol of that life-giving sacrifice.

8. Christian Freedom and Responsibility:

In his article "10 Life Guiding Decisions," Todd Smith gives us some good advice about making good choices. Here's what Smith says: There's no denying the fact that our lives are a mirror image of the decisions we make. Sure there may be a rare exception -- such as a major health challenge -- but in the big picture of life, we are where we are today based on the decisions we made in the yesterdays. The key to living a happy and fulfilling life is to make wise decisions; decisions about where you live and work; decisions in how you treat and interact with others; decisions about how you spend money and handle difficult situations. But perhaps the most important of all is where you are leading your life. 1. What is important to me today? 2. What should be important to me? 3. What do I want my life to look like? When you look 5, 10, 20, or 30 years into the future, what do you want your life to look like? What do you want to be doing with your time? Where do you want to be living? 4. What do I want my days to look like? What type of daily routines would you enjoy? From the time you get up to the time you go to bed, what do you want the typical day to look like? 5. What would I enjoy the most? Where's your passion? 6. What are my greatest strengths? 7. In what areas do I have extensive knowledge? 8. What's the greatest value I offer to the market? 9. How much money do I want to make? 10. What would my criteria be in selecting something new to do? --For more, see Todd Smith, "10 life guiding decisions," littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2011/03/10/10-life-guiding-decisions. Retrieved March 21, 2012.

The New Testament teaches us to accept one another without quarreling over disputable matters, such as the consumption of meat. We are given the freedom to choose, but with that freedom comes the responsibility to use self-restraint, avoiding actions that might harm another believer. Ultimately, whatever we eat, whatever we do, should be done to the glory of God.

Conclusion:Jesus, the bread of life, calls us to a deeper relationship with Him, one that goes beyond the physical and into the spiritual. As we leave the kitchen of physical nourishment, let us enter the spiritual kitchen, where Jesus offers us His flesh and blood, His very life, so that we may live forever. Let us embrace the universal blessings He offers—eternal life, spiritual knowledge, salvation, and love—and let our lives be a testament to His sacrifice and His glory. Amen.