What About You?

Sometimes we must be asked the “hard questions” in order to grow.

This is not comfortable nor enjoyable but it is necessary. Many times these questions lead to uncovering the “why” behind the “what” or “how”. Other times they will solidify what we “know” so we can continue to move forward.

We live in a world that enjoys grumbling and complaining.

We are no different than the nation of Israel and the world of old. When we don’t get what we want we complain. When we don’t understand, we complain! When what someone says doesn’t seem true we complain.

On our own we would not find God!

We as human beings would never truly find God if he would not make Himself known. We would make God into our own image and most likely put ourselves up as the supreme creature. All cultures have explored creating a god or gods in order to explain the world.

All of creation is part of drawing and revealing God (See Romans 1) and we must remember Christ is the exact representation of God—he is God (see Colossians 1).

What does Jesus mean: eat my flesh and drink my blood?

Here is the hard section of our passage but I think an important section. Stay with me as I quickly go through what I think it means.

Jesus is NOT talking about cannibalism.

If we interpret Scripture with Scripture, which I think we must, then this is immediately off the table. No good Jew, and Jesus was a good Jew, would ever consider drinking blood or eating human flesh.

It is not PRIMARILY about Communion or the Lord’s Supper.

Though it sounds very much like what we say when we share the Lord’s Supper together and I admit the early church would have picked up on this; I do not believe this is the primary teaching.

Jesus is using words of sacrifice.

John has already stated that Jesus is the “lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” and here we see this being described some more. Maybe a helpful story is found in 1 Chronicles 11 and David not drinking the water his mighty men almost shed his blood to get.

We must see Jesus’ sacrifice as the way of eternal life. This requires faith!

We must be willing to benefit and take Jesus’ sacrifice given in grace as the means of salvation. We cannot earn it. We cannot do anything to get it. We must trust that His sacrifice is our salvation.

Jesus is the source of life.

Without the manna, bread from heaven, the nation of Israel would perish. If we believe in Jesus, the true Bread of Life, than we will never truly die; we will have eternal life.

The Gospel offends.

This doesn’t mean we get to be offensive in how we show it. But, the Gospel does not “make sense” from a human point of view. The Gospel will demand we live differently not to earn it but in response to it. The Gospel reminds me it is not about me.

We all must choose.

Yes, unless God revealed himself and drawn men and women to Him we would not know him. But, we also have a choice. We are never forced to trust Him but always invited. What about you?

Faithfulness is the goal.

We read in verse 38 Jesus goal, “to do the Father’s will”. and the same is true of us. It is not about numbers or big or small or anything in between. It is not about benefits or sufferings or anything but faithfully living God’s will and letting Him handle the results.