Whoever Feeds on This Bread

John 6:51-58 ESV

Jesus Christ said:

“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 Christ often spoke in parables and he spoke metaphorically in order to illustrate biblical truth. So, he wasn’t saying that he was literal bread that we eat which goes into our mouths and then into our stomachs. And he wasn’t saying that literally we must eat with our mouths what is of his physical flesh, which we couldn’t do now anyway. But that wasn’t the message. And he wasn’t teaching that we must drink his literal blood, either. So, what was the message he was giving here? 

First of all I believe we should look at what his body and his blood represent. For when Jesus Christ was crucified on that cross for our sins, his body and his blood were given on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of living in sin so that we will now live for him and for his righteousness, and so that we will now honor him with our bodies. Jesus died for us to deliver us from slavery to sin so we would now become slaves of God and of his righteousness (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23). 

And what is another word for eat? It means to partake, which means to participate, share in, contribute to, join in with, involve yourself in. Basically that is the same word as fellowship in the Scriptures. For to be in fellowship with the Lord is participatory on our part and not just what God does for us. It means we take part in him and in what he did for us and we join in with him in the very purpose for why he died on that cross. So it involves us dying with him to sin and living to him and to his righteousness.

For that is what Romans 6:1-23 talks about. By faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin and we are resurrected with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Thus we are not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies any longer, to obey its sinful passions. For if sin is what we obey, and if obedience to our Lord is not what we obey, we will not inherit eternal life with God. But if we obey our Lord, we will live for eternity.

So, this whole thing about eating his flesh and drinking his blood has to do with us participating with him in his death and resurrection by us dying with him to sin and us being raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer walking (in conduct, in practice) according to our sinful flesh, but now walking according to the Spirit of God. And this death to sin is not a one-time thing. Daily we are to be dying to sin and living to God and to his righteousness, by the Spirit, in the power of God.

For Jesus taught that if we are to come after him, we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), then we have life eternal. For not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah 

 

Hymn lyrics by William Williams, pub.1745

tr. by Peter Williams, pub.1771

Music by John Hughes, 1907

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,

Pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak, but Thou art mighty;

Hold me with Thy powerful hand.

Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,

Feed me till I want no more (2X).

Open now the crystal fountain,

Whence the healing stream doth flow;

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

Lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield (2X).

Lord, I trust Thy mighty power,

Wondrous are Thy works of old;

Thou deliver’st thine from thralldom,

Who for naught themselves had sold.

Thou didst conquer, Thou didst conquer

Sin and Satan and the grave (2X).

When I tread the verge of Jordan,

Bid my anxious fears subside;

Death of deaths, and hell’s destruction,

Land me safe on Canaan’s side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises,

I will ever give to Thee. Amen (2X).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7G59DKf-AI