"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 6:54
Part 2
Yesterday:
“Whoso eateth my flesh.”
“And drinketh my blood.”
Jesus, in His teaching about spiritual life (salvation), used these illustrations as an ongoing belief in His Person and work. Sadly, this truth has become a stumbling block for many.
Today:
Jesus told the Jews He was teaching that day that He is the Bread of Life. He is the one who came down from heaven as the Living Bread. The Jews thought He might be talking about the manna that God fed their fathers in the wilderness, wasn’t that the “bread from heaven?” Jesus said to them,
“Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead” (John 6:49).
Jesus is not talking about “manna,” He is talking about Himself.
“This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die” (John 6:50).
And just to make sure they knew what He was talking about He said,
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51).
Jesus came to earth to give His body to be broken on the cross, and His blood to be shed for the sins of all men. All those who continually feed on this truth,
“Hath eternal life.”
This is the life that only God can give. A sinner may have God’s “eternal life” by simple faith, knowing who Jesus is, and what He has done on the cross to save him/her from their sins. It is not an “action” or an “event,” but only by simple faith that we partake. It is in the constant consumption of this Bread of Life, and His Blood that we find life.
This message Jesus preached that day was very offensive to most of the crowd. In fact, “many of His disciples” left Him, and went their own way after this sermon (John 6:66). And so, it is today, most of our world reject what they think is a narrow and gruesome message. Many men and women are willing to take Jesus as sort of an add-on. They treat Him as almost a curiosity, adding Him to what they already believe. But they do not want Him interrupting what they are doing in their lives. Dear friends, that is not salvation, it is syncretism, and that never saves! Jesus and His message are exclusive. But it is a message for everyone! To have salvation, a sinner must come to God His way.
“And I will raise him up at the last day.”
His children, God will raise up to be with Him forever! A precious promise for all those who put their faith and trust in Him.
Friend, do you know Him?
“O taste and see that the LORD is good:
blessed is the man that trusteth in him”
(Psalm 34:8).