The Digested Jesus
Rev. Enoch Thompson | April 14, 2024 | John 6:52-65
KEY VERSE:
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” John 6:53 (NIV)
MESSAGE:
There is a saying in some of the Ghanaian languages to depict the fact that a person has covenanted with or is operating by a certain spiritual force. Literally, the expression is this; “he has eaten medicine.” There is a sense in which the expression is right because it depicts the interaction between the person and the spirit they are operating by which has gone beyond the consideration to the consumption. The person has become part of the spirit, and the spirit has become part of the person.
The Lord Jesus Christ challenged the crowds to move from a position of merely being around Him and admiring the things He said and did. He was asking them to incorporate Him and what He stood for into their lives to the point that they would become inseparable from Him; ‘"I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”’
True Christian life, true vital spirituality comes from a personal incorporation, let me say digestion, of the inexhaustible Christ. That is when we become alive, that is when spirituality counts.
FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE:
Have you eaten of the bread of life, Have you drunk of His blood? Christ offers Himself to you for a relationship that is transforming like your food transforms your body. Will you take and eat, and drink, of Christ the eternal bread from Heaven!
PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you that you offer yourself to me at such a deep and demanding level. I long to be energized by you, to be made by you, to be transformed by you. I pray that Christianity for me will move from the observation of Christ to the consumption of Christ. May this consciousness dawn on all. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen.
THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.
SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!
DAILY word study: LIFE
In John 6:53, the word "life" translates to the Greek term "ζωή" (zōḗ), which encompasses not just physical existence but also spiritual vitality, eternal life, and the fullness of life that comes from being in communion with God.
The concept of "life" in this verse emphasizes the importance of partaking in the spiritual nourishment that Jesus provides through His sacrificial death and resurrection. It underscores the idea that true life, both now and in eternity, is found in union with Christ, symbolized by eating His flesh and drinking His blood.
Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus frequently speaks about the gift of eternal life that He offers to those who believe in Him (John 3:16; 10:10; 17:3). This life is characterized by an intimate relationship with God, the forgiveness of sins, transformation, and the promise of resurrection and eternal fellowship with God in His kingdom.
Reflections: Are we experiencing the abundant life that Jesus offers through faith in Him? Are we nourishing our souls with His Word and sacraments, drawing near to Him in prayer and worship, and living in obedience to His teachings? How can we deepen our union with Christ and experience the fullness of life that He desires for us?
留言