Real Food
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Introduction
Introduction
So the Jews began grumbling (argue sharply) again…at least this time some of them got it and were arguing for Jesus and what He was teaching here! There was an argument and an argument takes two sides.
Christian writer Tim Stafford tells of an unusual approach to teaching about religious truth adopted by a pastor he knows. You might expect this, for the pastor, Stephey Bilynskyj, holds a Phd in Philosophy from Note Dame University! Whenever he runs a confirmation class the pastor takes a jar full of beans with him. He then gets the students to guess how many beans are in the jar, and writes down their guesses on a notepad. Pastor Bilynskyi then asks the class members to list their favourite songs, writing them down alongside the bean estimates. Pastor Bilynskyi then returns to the bean guesses, revealing the actual number and then whose guess was closest to being right. After congratulations have been offered attention is then refocussed on the song list. “And which one of these is closest to being right?” Pastor Bilynskyi asks. Invariably the students argue that when it comes to “favourite songs” there is no right answer. It’s purely subjective, a matter of taste. It’s at that point that Pastor Bilynskyi asks “When you decide what to believe in terms of your faith, is that more like guessing the number of beans, or more like choosing your favourite song?” Always, Bilynskyj says, he gets the same answer: Choosing one’s faith is more like choosing a favourite song. Bilynskyi disagrees, and though he still confirms those who hold this view, does his best to try to argue them out of it!
Truth about God and His Son Jesus is not a matter of debate! For matters of faith we need a source of absolute truth and we have it in Jesus and the revelation of Him in His Word…we will never find our answers in ourselves or each other…all truth is a revelation of God through His Word and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus had said they must eat his flesh in order to live forever. They knew he was not talking literally…anyone and everyone could figure that much out. But they could not understand what He meant by using the metaphor. “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”
In response Jesus repeats what He said in verse 51, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood you will have no life in you.”
Both “eating” and “drinking” are in the Aorist tense denoting once for all action…you eat the flesh and blood of Jesus once and it has impact upon you forever…you will henceforth always have eternal life.
The Law of Moses forbid the people from drinking blood, not only that, it also forbid the eating of meat which still had blood in it. So the metaphor was an awful one in their eyes and simply could not be easily understood.
If we are going to understand Jesus and what He says in verse 54 we must take it alongside verse 40.
“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
The conclusion is an obvious one…the former is a metaphorical way of stating the latter. Just as Augustine of Hippo wrote, “Believe and you have eaten.”
Both “eating” and “drinking” are in the Aorist tense denoting once for all action…you eat the flesh and blood of Jesus once and it has impact upon you forever…you will henceforth always have eternal life.
So once you come to believe in the work of Jesus on the cross for your sins…you forever have eternal life…it is a one time act with continual affect.
Other food and drink are important. We need nourishment to live…But the flesh and blood of Jesus are REAL food and drink…they will satisfy our spiritual hunger and bring us eternal life without end!
And this relationship will never end. We enter the closest possible relationship with Jesus…a spiritual and perfect union through His body and blood…an eternal union.
“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.
And this relationship will never end. We enter the closest possible relationship with Jesus…a spiritual and perfect union through His body and blood…an eternal union. Eternal life is always mediated through Jesus…not self, not us, never
Some view salvation like Noah offering to put a peg on the outside of the ark. "If you just hang on through the storm, you'll be saved." Salvation is not dependent on our holding on to God, but on our being securely held by and in Christ.
Harry Ironside stated that salvation was like Noah inviting a pagan in his day to place his trust in God's Word and come in to the ark. Some view salvation like Noah offering to put a peg on the outside of the ark. "If you just hang on through the storm, you'll be saved." Salvation is not dependent on our holding on to God, but on our being securely held by and in Christ.
Now the Disciples Are Grumbling
Now the Disciples Are Grumbling
Now it isn’t the Jews who are trying to figure Jesus out amongst themselves…it is those closest to Him…His disciples. We are not talking about the 12…there are disciples and then there are the 12 disciples. At this point we are talking about the former.
And not everyone who was a disciple was saved. At this point a disciple was someone who followed Jesus and saw him as an authoritative teacher. Many of these did not continue to follow Jesus after this particular time of teaching in the Capernaum synagogue.
A genuine disciple never leaves Jesus. A disciple follows Him to the end…because they are kept in the faith by Him.
Jesus begins by asking them if they are offended…what if they see greater things…Jesus has said He came down from heaven…what if they see Him ascending to heaven? Would that offend them too?
What about when they see Him ascend to the Cross? If they are offended in this moment then the Cross will be a scandal to them.
Jesus then speaks clearly to the points of the metaphor and declares they are not to be taken literally. This debunks those who see the eucharist and the literal body and blood of Christ at transubstantiation in this passage.
Flesh and blood mean nothing…a man or woman is saved by the work of the Spirit.
“If the words of Jesus in this discourse are rightly grasped, then instead of rejecting Jesus people will see him as the bread from heaven, the one who gives his flesh for the life of the world, the one who alone provides eternal life, and they will receive him and believe in him, taste eternal life even now, and enjoy the promise that he will raise them up on the last day.”
If the words of Jesus in this discourse are rightly grasped, then instead of rejecting Jesus people will see him as the bread from heaven, the one who gives his flesh for the life of the world, the one who alone provides eternal life, and they will receive him and believe in him, taste eternal life even now, and enjoy the promise that he will raise them up on the last day.
However great the revelation of God there are still going to be some who do not believe.
Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (p. 302). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.
No One Can Come Unless The Father Has Enabled Him
No One Can Come Unless The Father Has Enabled Him
There will always be unbelievers among us. There will be those who see, hear and enjoy the same revelation we see and reject it whereas you and I will accept it.
People will continue to attempt to figure out God and the faith apart from the decision of the Father and work of the Holy Spirit…a work necessary for genuine faith and eternal life.
Jesus knew which ones would actually go all the way from disciple to believer — There are a great many people who are disciples but not believers…they are following Jesus without ever consuming Him…without ever eating of Him…without having faith.
Once upon a time there was a fire in a small town. The fire brigade rushed to the scene, but the fireman were unable to get through to the burning building. The problem was the crowd of people who had gathered not to watch but to help put out the fire. They all knew the fire chief well – their children had climbed over his fire engines during excursions to the fire station, and the friendliness of the fire chief was legendary. So when a fire broke out the people rushed out to help their beloved fire chief. Unfortunately the townsfolk were seeking to extinguish this raging inferno with water pistols! They’d all stand there, from time to time squirting their pistol into the fire while making casual conversation. The fire chief couldn’t contain himself. He started screaming at the townsfolk. “What do you think you’re doing? What on earth do you think you’re going to achieve with those waterpistols?!” The people realised the urgency of the situation. How they wanted to help the fire chief. So they started squirting more. “Come on” they encouraged each other, “We can all do better, can’t we?” Squirt, squirt, squirt, squirt. Exasperated the fire chief yells again. “Get out of here. Your achieving nothing except hindering us from doing what needs to be done. We need fireman who are ready to give everything they’ve got to put out this fire, people willing even to lay their lives on the line. This is not the place for token contributions” This story was originally told by Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. He was urging us to realise that discipleship to Christ means much more than token levels of support to the church and Good’s mission in the world. It calls for wholehearted and total life commitment.
Unfortunately the townsfolk were seeking to extinguish this raging inferno with water pistols! They’d all stand there, from time to time squirting their pistol into the fire while making casual conversation.
The fire chief couldn’t contain himself. He started screaming at the townsfolk. “What do you think you’re doing? What on earth do you think you’re going to achieve with those waterpistols?!”
The people realised the urgency of the situation. How they wanted to help the fire chief. So they started squirting more. “Come on” they encouraged each other, “We can all do better, can’t we?” Squirt, squirt, squirt, squirt.
Exasperated the fire chief yells again. “Get out of here. Your achieving nothing except hindering us from doing what needs to be done. We need fireman who are ready to give everything they’ve got to put out this fire, people willing even to lay their lives on the line. This is not the place for token contributions”
This story was originally told by Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. He was urging us to realise that discipleship to Christ means much more than token levels of support to the church and Good’s mission in the world. It calls for wholehearted and total life commitment.
To become a disciple of Jesus requires a commitment. This doesn’t mean we are all perfect the moment we become believers…but we are committed to being so…committed to love Jesus and be like Him
TO:
Jesus, Son of Joseph
Woodcrafter Carpenter Shop
Nazareth FROM:
Jordan Management Consultants
Jerusalem Dear Sir: Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for management positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests; we have not only run the results through our computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant. It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability. Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic depressive scale. One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory. We wish you every success in your new venture. Sincerely yours, Jordan Management Consultants.
TO:
Jesus, Son of Joseph
Woodcrafter Carpenter Shop
Nazareth
FROM:
Jordan Management Consultants
Jerusalem
Dear Sir:
Thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you have picked for management positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests; we have not only run the results through our computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.
It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability.
Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale.
We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic depressive scale.
One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.
We wish you every success in your new venture.
Sincerely yours,
Jordan Management Consultants.
True and genuine commitment to Christ is a matter of faith…salvation is by God’s grace through faith…it is total commitment…if you are content to be as you are then you are in danger of being an admirer of Jesus like Judas rather than a genuine disciple like Peter.
Again we have people like those mentioned in
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.
But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men,
An admirer of Jesus is not a genuine disciple of Jesus…to become a disciple one must place faith in Jesus and give their life to Him.
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Jesus looked at the 12 and asked them a question, “You do not want to leave too do you?” — The form in which the question is asked in the Greek shows that a negative answer is expected. Jesus looks confidently to these men and expects loyalty from them.
Peter becomes the spokesman for the 12 disciples — He responds with the question, “Lord to whom shall we go?” There is no other…he and the disciples knew that Jesus was theHoly One of God and salvation was in no other. These are the words of a true disciple…one that has moved from admiration to faith.
Those who admire Jesus believe Him to be one way among many to God…they believe He was a good man, great teacher and wonderful moralist. But those who understand He is the Holy One of God place faith in Him and give their life to Him.
A disciple understand that his (or her) life is not his own. She understands that we are all at the disposal of Holy, loving and merciful God who has chosen and saved us. A disciples life is given to Jesus
“For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay;
We, like David, are serving God’s purposes in our own generation. Once we have finished the race we are taken to heaven…
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Overlooking the airstrip today is an institute for peace and understanding founded by a Greek man named Alexander Papaderous. Papaderous was just six years old when the war started. He home village was destroyed and he was imprisoned in a concentration camp. When the war ended, he became convinced his people needed to let go of the hatred the war had unleashed. To help the process, he founded his institute at this place that embodied the horrors and hatreds unleashed by the war.
He opened his wallet, took out a small, round mirror and held it up for everyone to see. During the war he was just a small boy when he came across a motorcycle wreck. The motorcycle had belonged to German soldiers. Alexander saw pieces of broken mirrors from the motorcycle lying on the ground. He tried to put them together but couldn’t, so he took the largest piece and scratched it against a stone until its edges were smooth and it was round. He used it as a toy, fascinated by the way he could use it to shine light into holes and crevices.
He kept that mirror with him as he grew up, and over time it came to symbolise something very important. It became a metaphor for what he might do with his life.
I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world–into the black places in the hearts of men–and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life.
During the Second World War, German paratroopers invaded the island of Crete. When they landed at Maleme, the islanders met them, bearing nothing other than kitchen knives and hay scythes. The consequences of resistance were devastating. The residents of entire villages were lined up and shot. Overlooking the airstrip today is an institute for peace and understanding founded by a Greek man named Alexander Papaderous. Papaderous was just six years old when the war started. He home village was destroyed and he was imprisoned in a concentration camp. When the war ended, he became convinced his people needed to let go of the hatred the war had unleashed. To help the process, he founded his institute at this place that embodied the horrors and hatreds unleashed by the war. One day, while taking questions at the end of a lecture, Papaderous was asked, “What’s the meaning of life?” There was nervous laughter in the room. It was such a weighty question. But Papaderous answered it. He opened his wallet, took out a small, round mirror and held it up for everyone to see. During the war he was just a small boy when he came across a motorcycle wreck. The motorcycle had belonged to German soldiers. Alexander saw pieces of broken mirrors from the motorcycle lying on the ground. He tried to put them together but couldn’t, so he took the largest piece and scratched it against a stone until its edges were smooth and it was round. He used it as a toy, fascinated by the way he could use it to shine light into holes and crevices. He kept that mirror with him as he grew up, and over time it came to symbolise something very important. It became a metaphor for what he might do with his life. I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world–into the black places in the hearts of men–and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life.
Overlooking the airstrip today is an institute for peace and understanding founded by a Greek man named Alexander Papaderous. Papaderous was just six years old when the war started. He home village was destroyed and he was imprisoned in a concentration camp. When the war ended, he became convinced his people needed to let go of the hatred the war had unleashed. To help the process, he founded his institute at this place that embodied the horrors and hatreds unleashed by the war.
One day, while taking questions at the end of a lecture, Papaderous was asked, “What’s the meaning of life?” There was nervous laughter in the room. It was such a weighty question. But Papaderous answered it.
He opened his wallet, took out a small, round mirror and held it up for everyone to see. During the war he was just a small boy when he came across a motorcycle wreck. The motorcycle had belonged to German soldiers. Alexander saw pieces of broken mirrors from the motorcycle lying on the ground. He tried to put them together but couldn’t, so he took the largest piece and scratched it against a stone until its edges were smooth and it was round. He used it as a toy, fascinated by the way he could use it to shine light into holes and crevices.
He kept that mirror with him as he grew up, and over time it came to symbolise something very important. It became a metaphor for what he might do with his life.
I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world–into the black places in the hearts of men–and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life.
Peter answers by saying what He knows for certain…Jesus, you are God and there is no one else to follow…no one else in whom to find eternal life…we believe and know you are the Messiah…Our life now is yours…we will follow you…be a part of your life and be a partner in your purposes.
And our life now is yours…we will follow you…be a part of your life and be a partner in your purposes.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Jesus answers Peter’s declaration with a very important statement…Jesus chose them. Peter may have come to a point of belief in Jesus as Messiah but long before Peter even knew of Jesus God had chosen Peter as one of His own. Divine Initiative is once again affirmed. God chose to love us first.
This is important because it means God chose to love us in spite of the rebellion in our hearts at birth…despite the sins we would commit in life…despite the wickedness we would entertain. He chose to love us, become sin for us, become a curse and die on the cross to pay for all of our wickedness and sin.
God loves us just this much…Some of you had wonderful fathers but even the best are imperfect. Others had or have terrible fathers…but there is a heavenly father who is perfect and loves perfectly
We have a heavenly Father who has chosen us, send His Son to die for us and right now places His Holy Spirit in our lives to convict us of the truth…He loves us, has chosen us and therefore has saved us…Will you believe this for yourself this morning and become a true disciple of Jesus?
During the Second World War, German paratroopers invaded the island of Crete. When they landed at Maleme, the islanders met them, bearing nothing other than kitchen knives and hay scythes. The consequences of resistance were devastating. The residents of entire villages were lined up and shot. Overlooking the airstrip today is an institute for peace and understanding founded by a Greek man named Alexander Papaderous. Papaderous was just six years old when the war started. He home village was destroyed and he was imprisoned in a concentration camp. When the war ended, he became convinced his people needed to let go of the hatred the war had unleashed. To help the process, he founded his institute at this place that embodied the horrors and hatreds unleashed by the war. One day, while taking questions at the end of a lecture, Papaderous was asked, “What’s the meaning of life?” There was nervous laughter in the room. It was such a weighty question. But Papaderous answered it. He opened his wallet, took out a small, round mirror and held it up for everyone to see. During the war he was just a small boy when he came across a motorcycle wreck. The motorcycle had belonged to German soldiers. Alexander saw pieces of broken mirrors from the motorcycle lying on the ground. He tried to put them together but couldn’t, so he took the largest piece and scratched it against a stone until its edges were smooth and it was round. He used it as a toy, fascinated by the way he could use it to shine light into holes and crevices. He kept that mirror with him as he grew up, and over time it came to symbolise something very important. It became a metaphor for what he might do with his life. I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world–into the black places in the hearts of men–and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life.
Come to Jesus…believe, have faith and give your life to Him…then reflect, share and be the love of Christ…shine in dark places…lead others to faith in Him