January 1, 2012

John.6 is a very interesting chapter. The chapter begins with an account of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Note what it says in v.14-15. The people were so mesmerized by this miracle of Jesus that they wanted to forcibly make him their king. Their minds were focused on the miraculous food. The miracle reminded them of how God provided manna during the time of Moses. In v.16-24 we read about how Jesus and his disciples got in the boat and crossed the Sea of Galilee to the town of Capernaum. In v.25 we read about how the crowd followed Jesus and when they found him they asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

Note Jesus response in v.26-34. Beginning with v.35, Jesus teaches about how he is the bread of life. In v.60 it says that many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Indeed, the teaching in these verses is difficult. Let me say at the outset that Jesus is not specifically teaching about the Lord’s Supper here. The Lord’s Supper is not the topic of discussion. But as we look at what Jesus says we immediately begin to see connections to the Lord’s Supper. And so, from this passage let me say that Jesus Christ is at the center of the Lord’s Supper.

 

I. THE LORD’S SUPPER SPEAKS ABOUT THE DEATH OF CHRIST.

In v.35 Jesus refers to himself as the “bread of life.” Jump down to v.41-42. The Jewish religious leaders could not reconcile the fact that Jesus was the son of Mary and Joseph with Jesus’ claim to be the bread of life come down from heaven. Notice v.48-51. Jesus really blows their minds by talking about how he will give his flesh for the life of the world. Then it only gets worse in v.52-58.

You can begin to see why these words of Jesus are often taken to be referring to the Lord’s Supper. After all, in Mk.14:22 where we read about the first observance of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus takes the bread and says, “This is my body.” In Mk.14:24 he takes the cup and says, “This is my blood.” So when we come to Jn.6 and read about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, it’s only natural to think about the Lord’s Supper. In fact, the Jewish religious leaders took Jesus literally and actually thought he was saying that people had to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

Now let me just stop here and mention that this is where the Catholic Church, along with some protestant churches get their view about the “real presence” of Jesus in the bread and wine at the Lord’s Supper. The Catholic Church teaches what is known as transubstantiation. The substance of the bread and wine is actually changed into the literal flesh and blood of Jesus even though it continues to look, feel, and taste like bread and wine. Protestants in general say that Jesus was using a metaphor when he spoke of eating his flesh and drinking his blood. In v.52 Jesus says, “This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” In v.63, as Jesus explains this teaching to his disciples, he says, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” We understand the giving of Jesus’ flesh to refer to his death on the cross, not a literal eating and drinking of his flesh and blood. For Jews, the thought of drinking blood would have been repulsive. The Law of God forbade eating flesh with the blood still in it, as well as the drinking of blood.

Let me give another example of how Jesus uses a metaphor to refer to his death and resurrection. In Jn.2:19-21 we read, “Jesus answered t hem, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken 46 years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ But the temple he had spoken of was his body.” Here again, Jesus uses a metaphor to refer to his death and resurrection. He likens his body to the temple in Jerusalem and the Jewish leaders focused on the literal temple. They missed his point that he is the new meeting place, the new way that a person meets God.

Over and over again, Jesus speaks of giving his life as a ransom. This is the only place where he speaks about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. He speaks in this way because of the context of the miracle of feeding the 5000, and the discussion of God’s giving manna in the wilderness (which is called, bread from heaven, in v.31). So as we think about the bread and the cup on this table, clearly Jesus intends for us to see a picture of his sacrificial death on the cross for our sins. The guilt of your sins and my sins was placed upon Jesus. The punishment for our sins was inflicted upon Jesus. Every time you are tempted to think that you are not really all that much of a sinner, just look at the bread and the cup and be reminded that your sin and my sin is serious enough to put Jesus on the cross.

 

II. THE LORD’S SUPPER SPEAKS ABOUT THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

Before anyone could enter into the Kingdom of God with life from above, Jesus had to die. The wages of sin is death. The bible says that God is love. It says that we love God because God first loved us. In order for anyone to be saved from their sins God had to take the initiative, and out of love for us he sent his son, Jesus. Jesus is the only one who was qualified to pay our debt of sin because he had no sin of his own to pay for. Paul tells us in 2Cor.5:21 that, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This is Jesus’ point in Jn.6. He tells us that the reason we must eat his flesh and drink his blood is so that we might receive his life.

Note v.33. See v.35, 40, 50-51, 53-58. Do you get the idea here? Jesus gives his life so we might receive his life. In 1Jn.5:12, John writes, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” Jesus came to give us a new kind of life. It’s an eternal kind of life. It’s life from above which makes us spiritually alive to God and the things of God. Paul says that we are dead in our sins. In Eph.2:4-5 we read, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved."

The Gospel of John was written to point sinners to Jesus that they might gain eternal life in the Kingdom of God. And John makes it very clear that this eternal kind of life is found only in Jesus. When we look at the bread and the cup on this table it speaks not only of the death of Christ for our sake, but it speaks of the eternal life that Jesus gives to us. In v.55 Jesus says, “My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.” Taken together, Jesus says, “My death in your behalf is life giving. It’s real food that gives life.” Finally, go back to v.35 where Jesus says, “He who comes to me will never go hungry and never be thirsty.” You see, the metaphors of bread and drink, flesh and blood, speak of Jesus as the source of eternal life.

 

III. THE LORD’S SUPPER SPEAKS ABOUT OUR FAITH IN CHRIST.

Throughout these verses, Jesus speaks about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. What exactly does it mean to eat his flesh and drink his blood? In the very beginning of this passage, Jesus sets the stage for his teaching. In v.28 the people ask, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” And Jesus answers, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One he has sent.” God requires faith, belief, trust in Jesus.

In v.34-35, after Jesus claims to be the bread who comes down from heaven, the people say, “Sir give us this bread.” Jesus responds, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” Again, the emphasis is on faith. In v.40 Jesus says, “Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.” But then in v.54, Jesus says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.” Clearly v.554 is a metaphorical way of picturing believing in Christ. Even Augustine said, “Believe and you have eaten.” When you stop and think about it, this metaphor is not all that different from how we speak. We say, I still need to digest the ideas in that article.” “The boss ate my proposal right up.” “You are going to eat your words.” “I devoured that book.” “They drank in the lecture.”

When we participate in the Lord’s supper we illustrate in a very graphic way what it means to believe in Jesus Christ. As we eat the bread and drink the cup we take the bread and juice into ourselves and receive whatever nourishment they can give us. Likewise, when we put our faith in Christ for salvation, we receive him and his spiritual life into ourselves and are spiritually nourished unto eternal life. Eating the bread and drinking the cup doesn’t save us. Salvation is found through faith in Christ. The Lord’s Supper is a portrayal of something that has already happened to us.

But has this happened to you? Have you embraced Christ as your Savior by repenting of your sin and putting your faith, your confidence in him? To receive the Lord’s Supper when you have not received Christ is a charade. But why wouldn’t you want to receive Christ? Why wouldn’t you want to be saved from the guilt and punishment of your sin? And what better time than on this first day of 2012? Begin the new year by receiving the new, eternal life of Christ and then come and seek his face at his table in the bread and cup.

If you are ready to surrender your life to Christ and embrace him as your Savior and Lord, then you can do that right now. In your own heart and mind, bow before God and pray something like, “Lord, God, I have come to see that I am a sinner and deserve to spend eternity in Hell. But I now understand that Jesus died for me. He took the guilt of my sin and the penalty of my sin upon himself when he died on the cross. I ask you to come into my life and forgive me of all my sin. I ask you to save me and give me your eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Thank you for saving me. Amen”