Jesus the Living Bread

In today’s passage we see Jesus make statements that drive away many of those who would have been following him. Even his own disciples are confused and having a hard time with it. Therefore it is easy to see why there are so many different interpretations of what it means and how this effects the purpose and meaning of the rite of communion. Yet I believe if one follows the text and considers how it draws on the discussion of the bread of life throughout the chapter then one will find Jesus is speaking of his sacrificial death and that communions primary purpose is to serve as a reminder of that death and the loving savior who gave his all that we might have a relationship with him. Look with me at John 6:47-63

John 6:47–63 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 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. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 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. 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.” Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

The Perfect Sacrifice

John 6:47–51 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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.”

Jesus again claims to be the bread of life that gives Eternal life, and as we have previously discussed this is speaking of salvation. Now He explains how that salvation will be accomplished. The living bread that came down from heaven will sacrifice his own flesh that is his body to provide life to world. Jesus has now predicted not only his death but that his death would be a sacrifice to give others life.

here Jesus connects his death on the cross with the sacrifices of the old testament with one sharp contrast. The Old Testament sacrifices were insufficient payment for ones sins but rather were a deferred judgment meant to point toward the perfect sacrifice. Jesus is claiming to be the perfect sacrifice, and the only such sacrifice that can bring forgiveness of sins and thereby grant eternal life.

Jesus has been building to this moment explaining that he is the bread of life and this bread of life is superior to that of the manna of the Exodus and now he ties this to his sacrificial death saying my death is superior to that of the temple sacrifices.

Jesus was superior in three ways first it was humans that sinned and held the guilt for that sin. Therefore only a human could pay the price for those sins.

1 Corinthians 15:21–22 ESV

For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Second in order to pay the price one must not have been guilty of sin himself and according to 2 Corinthians 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

For our sake he made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Third His sacrifice applied not to one person but to all the world

1 Corinthians 15:22 ESV

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

It is a Spiritual Sacrifice

John 6:52–56 ESV

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 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. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

What does he mean when he says unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you.

The Jews heard this and took it literally that Jesus was speaking of cannibalism and were offended.

Years later the Catholic Church would teach that it was speaking of the salvific nature of communion and that the communion would actually become the bread and body of Christ when one partook of it and this brought salvation to one’s soul therefore if the church took away your right to communion you were damned to hell. Again here we see a sort of spiritual cannibalism.

Yet I propose both of these are wrong for Jesus was speaking metaphorically of his sacrifice and neither his literal flesh and blood nor communion are salvific but rather it is faith in his sacrificial death on the cross for our sins that saves us. But is that what this passage teaches?

I believe so look with me at John 6:63

John 6:63 ESV

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Jesus clearly says it is not the body that brings salvation it is of no help at all not even his body for it is but flesh, rather it is the Spirit that gives life.

Only the Spirit of God can give life for all life came from him. Therefore when Jesus says eat my flesh and drink my blood to gain life or i am the bread of eternal life he does not mean you must consume his body but rather that he has given of himself to grant us eternal life. Again it is the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross that pays for our sins.

Even in the upper room when Jesus says take eat this is my body broken for you and drink this is my blood shed for you notice the sacrificial language here a broken body and shed blood both go back to the old testament sacrifices. Also the very passover meal when he instituted this was to remember the sacrifice of the lambs to save the Israelites when the Angel of Death passed over them when killing all the firstborn of Egypt. A meal to remember the sacrifice, the meal brought no salvation it was a memorial. In the same way Communion does not bring salvation but reminds us of the sacrifice that did.

The True Food

John 6:55–58 ESV

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 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. 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.”

If Jesus is the perfect Sacrifice capable of forgiving all the worlds sins and Jesus is speaking to us here in spiritual terms then what does it mean to his flesh is true food and his blood is true drink?

Many today would prefer that to use Jesus as a Get out of jail free card. Yet Jesus speaks of the ones who partake in this sacrifice abiding in him and they in him. This word is the idea of residing with or making home with it is an ongoing relationship. One cannot simply “accept Jesus as Savior if he is not also Lord of their lives. He desires our obedience. Yet God in his mercy also desires to show us love and to have that love returned to him. It is much the same as a parent-child relationship. As parents we expect our children to obey us but we do so because we love them and want whats best for them and we know better than they do whats in their best interests. God too has our best interests at heart when he demands obedience and it is out of his love for us that he gives us his commands. Though God does have the benefit of being all-knowing and all-powerful and therefore does it much better than any parent ever could. The primary reason for our salvation was not to allow us to escape the punishment of hell but rather to restore us back to a right relationship with the Father.

This is why Jesus has brought up his relationship with the Father so many times in this discourse is that he wants the Jews to understand its not enough to obey the rules, or to observe all the right religious practices and rituals, it is not enough to say the right words or to pray a prayer of salvation. What we really need is a true relationship with God that changes our lives and causes us to desire him above all else.

The point of this passage is that what we need is Jesus, God himself, living in us and with us, we need him in every moment, every decision, every breath of our lives. So then as we prepare to take communion again this morning, I challenge you to remember the sacrifice that was paid for your sins. Do you have something you need to confess before God this morning? Do you need to repent and turn back to God? Are you living in fellowship with God, abiding with him and He with you? Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 11:27 that

1 Corinthians 11:27 ESV

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.

At this time we will observe a moment of silence as we each confess our sins before God and honor his precious sacrifice on our behalf.