Proverbs 9:1-10; Ephesians 5:6-21; John 6:51-69

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The only people that ever talk about eating flesh and drinking blood are cannibals… and Christians. It’s just not something you find yourself regularly talking about for good reason. Talking about eating another person should put our sensibilities on edge. You would probably think such people are not in their right mind.

But in case you didn’t catch it, go back and read that paragraph again. Yes, as Christians, we talk about this all the time too. This is what we believe about the Lord’s Supper. When we eat and drink the bread and the wine, we are really eating Jesus’ body (or flesh) and drinking Jesus’ blood. We don’t know how this actually happens which is why we call it a Sacrament, which comes from the Greek word for “mystery”.

In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus is teaching the Jews about this need to eat and drink his flesh and blood. As we read, “So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you… For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink,” John 6:53, 55. After talking about the “bread of life” which comes from God in Heaven, Jesus transitions to saying his flesh and blood are this bread. It’s his own body that will give life to the world. 

This is the mistake that many people make when it comes to this Sacrament or mystery. We try to comprehend that which isn’t revealed by God. It’s a mystery for a reason because it is nothing short of the power of God that can make such a feast possible. And people become offended by that answer. The Jews did. Many people in our world do. For the only way we can comprehend this mystery at all is through faith. It’s a reverence for God that leads us to understand. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight,” Proverbs 9:10. 

This is what we must understand by faith. Jesus is our substitute. He gives us his flesh and blood as a substitute for the sin and shame we carry. He gives us his life in place of ours. Jesus offers up himself for the punishment which we deserve. The flesh that Jesus gives is his own body upon the cross. The blood that is poured out is his life given up for us. This is what we partake in the Lord’s Supper. We eat of his body and blood sacrificed for us upon the cross so that by eating and drinking it, we may have his life! Those who eat his flesh and drink his blood shall receive his life spilling over into eternity!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Almighty God, whom to know is everlasting life, grant us to know Your Son, Jesus, to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow His steps in the way that leads to life eternal; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!