Flesh & Blood
This is one of the most difficult passages of Scripture. The first hearers were confused and many stopped following. We will tackle the teaching about eating His Flesh and drinking His blood head-on in this message.
John 20:30-31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
1 John 4:2-3 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
2 John 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
Hebrews 10:19-20 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,
Commenting on vs. 56 …“The eating and the drinking has to do with shared life, mutual indwelling. In the physical realm one of the most powerful examples of shared life is eating and drinking- the laying down of life by a plant of animal and the interpenetration of life as molecules are transferred, thereby nourishing life. So once again Jesus’ mystifying words are referring to something that could not be understood until after His death, resurrection and ascension and the coming of the Spirit. His death will be the ultimate laying down of life; His resurrection, ascension and sending of the Spirit bring onto the human scene the new possibility of actually sharing in the life of God (John 17:21-23) as He, the incarnate one, has shared in our life.” Rodney Whitacre, The Book of John.
“The "eating and drinking," without which there is no life in us, means that reception of Christ's sacrifice which takes place when a man believes on Christ crucified for salvation. It is an inward and spiritual act of the heart, and has nothing to do with the body. Whenever a man, feeling his own guilt and sinfulness, lays hold on Christ, and trusts in the atonement made for him by Christ's death, at once he "eats the flesh of the Son of man, and drinks His blood." His soul feeds on Christ's sacrifice, by faith, just as his body would feed on bread. Believing, he is said to "eat." Believing, he is said to "drink." And the special thing that he eats, and drinks, and gets benefit from, is the atonement made for his sins by Christ's death for him on Calvary.” J C Ryle
Sermon Discussion Questions:
What is a metaphor and how is Jesus' teaching here "metaphorical"?
What does He NOT mean by this use of language (hint: literalistic, cabalistic, ritualistic)?
What DOES He mean: (hint: what is He saying about the atonement, believing, union)?
Have you believed upon Jesus in a way that can only be described as eating and drinking?
