My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats 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 he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever. John 6:55-58
Outrageous. Radical. Shocking. This One who calls Himself the Son of Man, who claims equality with God, who raised the dead, healed the sick, opened blind eyes, and fed thousands declares that His flesh and blood are food and drink.
The word He uses for “eat” is trōgō, to “gnaw, crunch.” We’re to gnaw upon the flesh, the nature of Jesus. The flesh that was punched by the soldiers. The flesh that was torn from his body as He endured scourging. The flesh that housed God.
‘And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’ Leviticus 17:10-11
God commanded the Israelites not to drink the blood of animals, for the blood was to be sprinkled on the altar. Yet, the Son of God tells the Jews to drink His blood.
The Israelites depended on the daily provision of the manna in the desert. Six days a week they gathered the bread from heaven. It gave them life – earthly life.
Gnawing on a piece of steak takes work. My jaws, teeth, tongue, thoughts, fingers, angle that bone up, down, and sideways to tear the remaining strands of steak from the bone. I think that’s what Jesus wants us to do with His flesh, His nature. Gnawing on the essence of our Savior. Gnawing on the body that was broken for us.
The blood that He escorted into the heavenly Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the altar for the forgiveness of our sins once and for all, that blood, we can lift to our lips and drink in deeply. The blood’s cleansing sweetness brings new life to us, eternal life.
Are you abiding in Jesus?
My prayer for you
Our wonderful Savior, teach us how to eat Your flesh and drink Your blood fully. We want to abide in You completely and wholly. Help us break through the limitations we have created in our understanding of You . We invite You to abide in us fully. Thank you, Jesus.
