Pastor's Page by the Rev. Willie Israel Not a condiment Often, Jesus' words were troubling to his listeners. However, few of his teachings had as much "shock value" as his statement from John 6:56: "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them." Jesus goes on to explain that he is the bread that came down from heaven. For nearly every culture and every historical era, some kind of bread is the most basic part of the human diet. Whether it's pita, tortillas, croissants, crackers, focaccia, Wonder Bread, or lovefeast buns, bread is present in nearly every meal. Jesus uses this earthly but universal image of bread to show us how important our relationship with him is, when compared with other aspects of our lives. When he makes his shocking statement, he is saying to us that the spiritual life he offers can't be just a side dish or a condiment. Our life in Jesus is the one element that is necessary for our spiritual survival. Unless we literally take Jesus' life into our lives, we will die of spiritual starvation. Through Jesus, God provides God's people with the nutrition we need in order to grow and thrive spiritually. When we symbolically partake of Jesus' body and blood at the Holy Communion, we take Jesus' spiritual DNA into our own lives. Most of us know, just as Jesus' disciples did, what it takes to sustain our physical lives. When we understand and believe Jesus' words, like the disciples we begin to understand what is necessary to sustain our spiritual life. |
