Jesus 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.’” (John 6:51-58 ESV).
At “The Last Supper,” when Jesus and his disciples were eating the Passover meal together, Jesus said this to his disciples:
“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matthew 26:26-28 ESV)
And when the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to Jesus and asked him to say that her two sons are to sit, one on his right, and the other on his left, in his kingdom, Jesus answered:
“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” (Matthew 20:22-25 ESV)
This is my understanding of what all of this is saying. Jesus was not speaking of any of them literally eating his flesh and drinking his blood. For to eat and to drink has to do with partaking, participating, and sharing in something. And when Jesus spoke of the cup that he was to drink, he was speaking of his suffering and his death on that cross which he was ready to participate in so that we could be delivered from our slavery to sin and now walk in holiness and righteousness and in obedience to him, in his power.
For the bread, representing his body, and the drink, representing his blood, were symbols representing the death he was about to die. And Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. And he died that we might now live for him and no longer for ourselves. And he shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery to sin so we will now honor God with our bodies, and so we will forsake our sins and walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands.
[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]
So, what he was telling them is that it was required of them that they participate, that they share in his death, and in his resurrection, too, but the death must precede the resurrection. By faith in Jesus Christ we must be crucified with Christ in death to sin and be raised 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. For sin should no longer rule in our lives to where we obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death, but if obedience is what we obey, its end is eternal life (Romans 6:1-23).
For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his 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 him in obedience, we have eternal life with God. And he said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father in heaven (Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
So, if we want to live forever, i.e. to have eternal life with God, to be forgiven of our sins, and to be saved from our slavery to sin, then we must die to sin and live to righteousness, in the power of God. This is what Jesus was talking about when he said we must eat of his flesh and drink of his blood. We must participate in his death and in his resurrection, but not just once, but continuously, if we want to have the hope of salvation from sin and of heaven as our eternal home and of life eternal with God.
For these verbs are not past tense here. It is the one “eating” of his flesh, and it is the one “drinking” of his blood who has eternal life in him. And the Scriptures teach that we must continue in this participating and in this sharing with Christ in this death to sin and living to righteousness or we do not have eternal life in him. And we must continue steadfast in these walks of faith in dying to sin and living to righteousness until the very end if we want to go to be with Jesus when he returns. For it is only then that our salvation will be complete. And this is depending on us no longer walking in sin but us walking in holiness and in obedience to our Lord, in practice.
[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]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70
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