Pentecost 13 (3)
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(NIV)
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” 52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
One of the most repulsive things we can imagine is cannibalism. Eating the flesh and/or drinking the blood of a fellow human being. Although not explicitly forbidden in the Bible (probably because people were so abhorred by it), there are references to is as being something terrible. The Lord warns the disobedient Israelites that as punishment they would at times resort to cannibalism.
(NIV)
53 Because of the suffering that your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you. 54 Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, 55 and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities.
At least on one occasion we have an account of this happening.
24 Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria. 25 There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels. 26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, “Help me, my lord the king!” 27 The king replied, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?” 28 Then he asked her, “What’s the matter?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we’ll eat my son.’ 29 So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him,’ but she had hidden him.”
Two of the more well known instances of Christians resorting to cannibalism in dire circumstances are the Donner Party in 1846 and the Uruguayan plane crash in the Andes in the 1970s.
The Donner Party, or Donner–Reed Party, was a group of American pioneers that set out for California in a wagon train in May 1846. Departing from Independence, Missouri, they were delayed by a series of mishaps and mistakes, and spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada. Some of the pioneers resorted to cannibalism to survive.
The Donner Party, or Donner–Reed Party, was a group of American pioneers that set out for California in a wagon train in May 1846. Departing from Independence, Missouri, they were delayed by a series of mishaps and mistakes, and spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada. Some of the pioneers resorted to cannibalism to survive.
The Donner Party, or Donner–Reed Party, was a group of American pioneers that set out for California in a wagon train in May 1846. Departing from Independence, Missouri, they were delayed by a series of mishaps and mistakes, and spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada. Some of the pioneers resorted to cannibalism to survive.
The journey west usually took between four and six months, but the Donner Party was slowed by following a new route called Hastings Cutoff, which crossed Utah's Wasatch Mountains and Great Salt Lake Desert. The rugged terrain and difficulties encountered while traveling along the Humboldt River in present-day Nevada resulted in the loss of many cattle and wagons, and caused splits within the group.
By the beginning of November 1846, the settlers had reached the Sierra Nevada where they became trapped by an early, heavy snowfall near Truckee (now Donner) Lake, high in the mountains. Their food supplies ran extremely low and, in mid-December, some of the group set out on foot to obtain help. Rescuers from California attempted to reach the settlers, but the first relief party did not arrive until the middle of February 1847, almost four months after the wagon train had become trapped. Of the 87 members of the party, 48 survived to reach California, many of them having eaten the dead for survival.
Although some survivors disputed the accounts of cannibalism, Charles McGlashan, who corresponded with many of the survivors over a 40-year period, documented many recollections that it occurred. Some correspondents were not forthcoming, approaching their participation with shame, but others eventually spoke about it freely. McGlashan in his 1879 book History of the Donner Party declined to include some of the more morbid details – such as the suffering of the children and infants before death, or how Mrs. Murphy, according to Georgia Donner, gave up, lay down on her bed and faced the wall when the last of the children left in the third relief. He also neglected to mention any cannibalism at Alder Creek.[184][185] The same year McGlashan's book was published, Georgia Donner wrote to him to clarify some points, saying that human flesh was prepared for people in both tents at Alder Creek, but to her recollection (she was four years old during the winter of 1846–1847) it was given only to the youngest children: "Father was crying and did not look at us the entire time, and we little ones felt we could not help it. There was nothing else." She also remembered that Elizabeth Donner, Jacob's wife, announced one morning that she had cooked the arm of Samuel Shoemaker, a 25-year-old teamster.[186] Eliza Donner Houghton, in her 1911 account of the ordeal, did not mention any cannibalism at Alder Creek.
Historians have described the episode as one of the most bizarre and spectacular tragedies in Californian history and western-US migration.
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 was a chartered flight that crashed on a glacier at an elevation of 3,570 metres (11,710 ft) in the remote Andes. Facing starvation and death, the survivors reluctantly resorted to cannibalism. Among the 45 people on board, 28 survived the initial crash. After 72 days on the glacier, 16 people were rescued.
The flight carrying 19 members of a rugby team, family, supporters, and friends originated in Montevideo, Uruguay and was headed for Santiago, Chile. While crossing the Andes, the inexperienced co-pilot who was in command mistakenly believed they had reached Curicó, Chile, despite instrument readings indicating differently. He turned north and began to descend towards what he thought was Pudahuel Airport. Instead, the aircraft struck the mountain, shearing off both wings and the rear of the fuselage. The forward part of the fuselage careened down a steep slope like a toboggan and came to rest on a glacier. Three crew members and more than a quarter of the passengers died in the crash, and several others quickly succumbed to cold and injuries.
On the tenth day after the crash, the survivors learned from a transistor radio that the search had been called off. Faced with starvation and death, those still alive agreed that should they die, the others may consume their bodies so they might live. With no choice, the survivors ate the bodies of their dead friends.
According to some, even in these circumstances cannibalism should never be done.
Murdering someone in order to cannibalize him (homicidal cannibalism) is undeniably wrong. But what about cannibalizing someone who is already dead (necro-cannibalism) in order to prevent starvation? This is not an entirely hypothetical question, as “survival cannibalism” has indeed occurred. Those who have resorted to cannibalism to stave off starvation include the Donner party in 1846 and the survivors of a 1972 plane crash in the Andes. However, given the Bible’s wholly negative portrayal of cannibalism, it would seem that self-preservation cannot justify such barbarism. Even in the direst and most desperate circumstances, cannibalism should not be a consideration.
I would think that we have a strong reaction to the topic of cannibalism and would prefer not to bring it up in polite conversation.
That is what makes Jesus’ teaching here so hard to get our minds around. Using figuratively language, he describes the type of relationship we are to have with him as “eating his flesh and drinking his blood.”
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
What does he mean?
What does he mean?
First of all, what most likely is he not referring to here? It seems a stretch to believe that on this occasion Jesus is making a future reference to the Lord’s supper which uses similar language. This assumption is debated.
"Eat the flesh of the Son of man" ()
Many see in those words a reference to the Communion service. "This is My body, given for you," Jesus would say as He instituted the memorial service. This is "My blood which is poured out for you." But to "eat" and "drink" the body and blood of Jesus means far more than to participate in a shared memorial, as the rest of our passage suggests. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me" (). "He who feeds on this bread will live forever" (). "The words I have spoken to you are spirit," Jesus said ().
Jesus was using body and blood to represent everything needed to sustain and support life. Our lives will be supported so completely that we never will hunger or thirst. Our spiritual lives will be sustained so completely that they will endure until Jesus raises us up on the last day.
We are to go to Jesus and to Him alone, for all the resources and the strength we need to live our new lives. We can rely only on our Lord.
The Teacher's Commentary.
So what does he mean?
The initial reaction of the Jews what that he was literally referring to cannibalism.
(NIV)
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
There reaction is similar to Nicodemus what Jesus teaches about being born again and he asks. “Can a man enter a second time into his mother’s womb?” In both cases Jesus should not be taken literally.
Jesus responds to the Jews question by saying,
(NIV)
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
The key to understanding are the words “the one who feeds on me.” Jesus teaches that we are to be so connected to him and to his teachings that it is like being connected to the food and drink that we consume. Both have a tremendous impact on our lives either immediately or over a long term exposure.
It has been said that you are what you eat? Our diet has a tremendous impact on our long term health.
Those who consume harmful toxins may not have immediate adverse side effects, but over time it can ruin them. (Lead poisoning, small amounts of arsenic, asbestos, dangers of smoking to name just a few). Much as been said about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. I have even heard about how we can improve our long term health by only eating what Jesus did. (research)
Over the last several years, with the increasing interest in eating and living healthier, the question about what Jesus might have eaten has become a popular topic of speculation. In some instances we can discover the foods Jesus ate by reading the Bible. For example, states “And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.” However, this is one of the rare passages in the Bible actually showing us the types of food and drink Jesus consumed. However, historians and archeologists have made educated guesses based on the foods known to grow in the geographical area and on customs and beliefs during the life of Jesus. The list of foods and beverages below are some of the ones many believe Jesus likely ate in his lifetime.
I myself am a little skeptical when it comes to interpreting the Bible in this way. Does this mean that because Jesus walked almost everywhere he went, that it the only way we can travel or because he wore a certain style of clothing, we are limited to that?
In more modern terms there is the computer phrase “garbage in, garbage out”. You can only get out of a computer what you have programmed into it.
But back to feeding. Jesus claims that those who feed on him will benefit the most. We feed on Jesus when we are taught by him.
His teaching is not his own, it comes from God the Father (see previous claims)
He teaches us through the living and enduring Word of God. (see passages)
This is beneficial to us. Those who are constantly criticized, lied to, demeaning, and abused will often have serious issues over time. Those who are disciplined, forgiven, encouraged, loved will face a much better outcome.
We eat Jesus’ flesh and drink his blood when we are open to his teachings and commit ourselves to him.
This is supported elsewhere in the Bible.
How can we do this?
In the conclusion of this very powerful teaching of Jesus, we will see the desired for response and the blessing God give to those who are committed to Jesus.
The truth really conveyed here is no other than that expressed in Jn 6:51, though in more emphatic terms—that He Himself, in the virtue of His sacrificial death, is the spiritual and eternal life of men; and that unless men voluntarily appropriate to themselves this death, in its sacrificial virtue, so as to become the very life and nourishment of their inner man, they have no spiritual and eternal life at all. Not as if His death were the only thing of value, but it is what gives all else in Christ’s Incarnate Person, Life, and Office, their whole value to us sinners.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 6
6:53 eat the flesh As if to underscore the absurdity of their confusion, Jesus presses the metaphor further, using the literal imagery of eating and drinking that they had assumed as the context. Eating and drinking are metaphors for faith (see v. 35 and note). Jesus makes the point that faith in Him—to the point of partaking of His role in the world (including His suffering)—is the way to God.
He becomes as truly assimilated to the life of the individual as the nourishing elements in food enter into the substance of the body. The believer abides in Christ as finding his life in Him (Gal. 2:20); and Christ abides in the believer, continually imparting to him what constitutes spiritual life. For in Christ man reaches the source of all life in the Father (ver. 57), καθὼς ἀπέστειλέ με ὁ ζῶν πατὴρ … διʼ ἐμέ. The living Father has sent Christ forth as the bearer of life. He lives διὰ τὸν πατέρα, not equivalent to διὰ τοῦ πατρός, through or by means of the Father, but “because of,” or “by reason of the Father”. The Father is the cause of my life; I live because the Father lives. [Beza quotes from the Plutus of Aristoph., 470, the declaration of Penia that μόνην Ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων οὖσαν αἰτίαν ἐμὲ Ὑμῖν, διʼ ἐμέ τε ζῶντας ὑμᾶς.] The Father is the absolute source of life; the Son is the bearer of that life to the world; cf. 5:26, where the same dependence of the Son on the Father for life is expressed. The second member of the comparison, introduced by καί (see Winer, p. 548; and the Nic. Ethics, passim), is not, as Chrys. and Euthymius suggest, κἀγὼ ζῶ, but καὶ ὁ τρώγων με, κἀκεῖνος ζήσεται (better ζῆσει) διʼ ἐμέ. (For the form of the sentence cf. 10:14.) Every one that eateth Christ will by that connection participate in the life of God.—Ver. 58. οὗτός ἐστιν … αἰῶνα. These characteristics, now mentioned, identify this bread from heaven as something of a different and superior nature to the manna.—
Many see in those words a reference to the Communion service. "This is My body, given for you," Jesus would say as He instituted the memorial service. This is "My blood which is poured out for you." But to "eat" and "drink" the body and blood of Jesus means far more than to participate in a shared memorial, as the rest of our passage suggests. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me" (). "He who feeds on this bread will live forever" (). "The words I have spoken to you are spirit," Jesus said ().
Jesus was using body and blood to represent everything needed to sustain and support life. Our lives will be supported so completely that we never will hunger or thirst. Our spiritual lives will be sustained so completely that they will endure until Jesus raises us up on the last day.
We are to go to Jesus and to Him alone, for all the resources and the strength we need to live our new lives. We can rely only on our Lord.
The Teacher's Commentary.