Sunday August 23, 2009 John 6:56-69

Welcome, I had a nice time on vacation last week and got to enjoy my niece and nephew who are 2 and 4 respectively. Needless to say they have much more energy than I and they kept me going from morning until their bedtime. Rarely is my name called so many times in one day by anyone but they just had so many things to tell and show me.

Our text is still in John on Jesus’ teachings about his body being the bread of life.

V56 Although this sounds like a cannibalistic sentence it is to be taken metaphorically. We have already discussed what it meant to eat his flesh – as physical bread is essential for physical life, Jesus is essential for life itself.
The Jewish people had been told in Leviticus17:14 that they were never to eat the blood of an animal as the life of the creature is its blood. Even today they are very particular about the meat they eat and the method used to kill the animal. That is why Bylerlys in St. Louis Park has a rabbi working behind the meat counter. The blood (life) belonged to God. Now Jesus tells them to drink his blood. This would have been repulsive to them because they didn’t understand what he meant. By drinking his blood (the cup at the Last supper that he used to symbolize his blood) he meant they must take his life (blood) in to the very center of their being, the very core of their hearts. (William Barclay)

V57 Just as he lived by taking God into the very core of his life so they too must take him into the very center of their lives.

V58 This is spiritual bread not physical bread eaten by your ancestors in the wilderness who eventually died but “bread” to give you eternal life.

V59 This teaching is given at the same synagogue in Capernaum where he first cast out a demon in the beginning of the book of Mark. In the book of Mark the people are shocked at his teaching with authority and not as the others taught. The demon in Mark challenged Jesus by using his name and knew that he was from God. Jesus is releasing (healing) them from their bondage (exile); not from Rome but from the demonic. We too need to see that we are in bondage to the demonic and to break this bond we must “feast” on Jesus. We must take him into the very center of our beings by living as he lived.

In the above verses Jesus is trying to metaphorically tell the people how to obtain eternal life and break the bonds of sin (not only the act of doing nasty things but living for self instead of serving others). They and we must eat his body as “bread” and drink his blood as “life” taking him inside of ourselves and bonding us to each other as brothers and sisters in his family (new community).

V60-61 The disciples had a hard time understanding and accepting his teaching as it was the opposite of what they had been taught through the centuries. To them it sounded rather gross. Jesus perceives their reaction and asks if they are offended.

V62-63 He then goes on to state that if this offends them how much more will they be offended when they see his vindication, his resurrection to be seated at the right hand of God, which meant that his teaching was correct. That he has descended from God and will return to God. He is speaking of spiritual realities not the literal eating of his flesh. (Wendt) The physical life (flesh) is temporary but the spiritual life offered by him is eternal

V64-65 Jesus already knew who would accept this teaching and who would reject it. The ones who rejected it would be the ones who betrayed him. He tells them that they won’t understand his teaching unless God has granted them the ability to do so. We don’t find God as he isn’t lost; we are the ones that are lost and God finds us. Think of the shepherd looking for his lost sheep. The sheep don’t seek out the shepherd and when they are found it is because of the shepherds searching.

V66 Because of this teaching; that he has descended from God and to follow his life (eat his flesh and drink his blood) is the way back to God, many people leave him. Some people may have thought this was just too hard to do. They didn’t want to give up their way of life and change completely. Some people saw this as courting disaster. To believe this man was sent from God was to go against the main line of thought in the Jerusalem temple. They needed to follow the laws for God to accept them. That is what the priests had taught.

V67-68 Jesus then asks his 12 disciples if they want to leave too. Peter answers for them saying to whom can they go to find the way to God. Jesus is the one who can show them the way as he was sent from God. He alone knows the way to return even if this means going against the tide of public opinion, the priestly authorities and courting danger.

The people had been coming to Jesus to get something from him. He was feeding them physical bread during the feeding of the 5000 and they keep following him to eat, he is giving out free food. As long as they are benefiting from him they follow. He then begins to teach them that he is really offering spiritual life with God. And to receive this life requires work on their part. They must change their whole way of life. For most of them this is unwelcome news so they leave and return to their old way of life. The gravy train has left the terminal. We too want something from Jesus. We want material things and when we get them we feel blessed. We devote an hour on Sunday mornings in hopes that God will bless us with material things. We don’t want to live a servant lifestyle as it demands sacrifice on our part. For Jesus being blessed is not equated to owning material things but living his lifestyle. Who doesn’t go to the fair and pick up all the free stuff they can? I see people with bags of it while carrying my own bag and always wonder where did they get that yardstick from because I want one. We need to put down our bags of stuff, turn around and start following Jesus to find eternal life.