WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO EAT HIS BODY AND DRINK HIS BLOOD? (A reflection on communion)

JOHN 6:53-56: “So Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,   you do not have life in yourselves. [54] The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, [55] because my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. [56] The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” CSB

OBSERVATION: What is the call of being a follower of Jesus Christ? Is it to memorize His teachings? Is it to walk in His footsteps? Is it to do the things that He did when He walked this earth? While all of these things are good within themselves, they are not the essence of being a follower of Jesus Christ. In fact, one could do all of these things and find themselves on the outside looking in!

Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,   but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. [22] On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’  [23] Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!” CSB

The Jews that followed Jesus were enthralled with the miracle of the loaves and the fishes. They were waiting for a Messiah to usher in a kingdom of peace and prosperity. Their interests were in external blessings and comfort. Jesus began to speak to them about the issues of the heart. This is where this conversation took an uncomfortable turn. While the Jews were seeking the physical blessings of the Messiah, Jesus was calling them to their true spiritual need.

He did this by calling them to eat His flesh and drink His blood!

This would have caught those who had eaten the loaves and fish by complete surprise. Not only was it a seeming impossibility, it was downright offensive. How can this be possible? How can someone offer His own body and blood as food? Didn’t Jesus know that it was against Jewish law to drink the blood of a sacrifice, let alone suggesting some pagan cannibalistic ritual? Yet, Jesus boldly proclaimed,

“Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves.”

This statement, taken at face value, was quite disturbing. Without the rest of the Scriptural text, this statement alone is confusing at its least. No doubt it caused quite a stir and reaction among those who heard it.

John 6:60, 66: “Therefore, when many of his disciples heard this, they said, “This teaching is hard. Who can accept it?…[66] From that moment, many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him.” CSB

Fortunately, we have the full discourse of Jesus with His disciples. When so many were offended at what He was saying, Jesus turned to his disciples and said,

John 6:61-65: “…Does this offend you? [62] Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? [63] The Spirit is the one who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. [64] But there are some among you who don’t believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning those who did not believe and the one who would betray him.) [65] He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me   unless it is granted to him by the Father.” CSB

“The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and are life.” Jesus was not calling His disciples to some new form of cannibalism. He was not calling them to disobey the Jewish Law. Jesus was calling them to become ONE with Him. Our call to Discipleship, to being a follower of Jesus Christ, is not a call to DO something. It is a call to BECOME something. It is a call to become ONE with Jesus Christ. It is a call to partake of His divine nature. It is a call to be transformed in the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is a call to eat His flesh (become one in His suffering) and drink His blood (become one in His righteousness).

Paul understood this call. He understood the powerful participation in this call as one celebrates communion. He corrected and exhorted the Corinthian church, who began treating the Lord’s Supper as some common and meaningless ritual.

1 Corinthians 10:14-17: “So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. [15] I am speaking as to sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I am saying. [16] The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? [17] Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, since all of us share the one bread.” CSB

In the same way we are united with Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection through baptism, we are united with Jesus Christ in His body and blood through communion. For centuries, people have debated how this takes place. My reflections are not focused on these arguments. My focus is on the call to become ONE with Jesus Christ. I become ONE with Jesus Christ by grace through faith. I am UNITED with Jesus Christ by baptism. I PROCLAIM, PARTICIPATE IN, and CELEBRATE my unity with Jesus Christ through communion.

When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper before His death, He said these simple words in the same way He spoke to the Jews after the miracle of the loaves and the fish.

“Take and eat, this is my body…”

“Take and drink, this is my blood…“

Each time we come to the communion table, it is a reminder to us that unless we eat of His flesh and drink of His blood, we have no part in Him. Our call is not to do – it is to BECOME. We do because we become. Yet, we do not become because we do. These difficult words are Spirit, and they are life. They are the difference between religion and relationship. They are the highest call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:8-11: “More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ  [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law,  but one that is through faith in Christ— the righteousness from God based on faith.  [10] My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings,  being conformed to his death,  [11] assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.” CSB

The world may stumble and reject these words. The religious may dismiss them as foolish and archaic. Yet, the follower of Jesus Christ must embrace them for in these words alone is the essence of eternal life!

John 6:54-56: “The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, [55] because my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. [56] The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” CSB

Lord, help me to know You, to be united with You, to share in the power or Your resurrection and the fellowship of Your sufferings – being conformed with Your death. Help me to be ONE with You so that I may truly know and partake of Your righteousness by grace through faith. Help me to eat of Your body and drink of Your blood.

In Jesus’ Name!