The Bread of Life

John 6:47-69
(v.53) "Amen, amen. I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you do not have life within you."
(v.60) "Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard, who can accept it?"

Indeed, this doctrine is a major sticking point today, even among those who still profess belief in Jesus. You cannot take communion, the Eucharist, in the Catholic church unless you believe in "trans-substantiation," and affirm the miracle that sees the bread transformed into the actual flesh of Christ. But in Protestant churches, the communion is thought of more as a memorial, and a symbol of faith, enjoined on us by Jesus to bring us together in worshipping Him. The only miracle among them is the continuation of faith from one generation to the next, forever. But both of these have gone too far, surpassing what Jesus actually meant. However, either way serves the purpose that He had in mind, if the church fulfills the rest of its mission.

If we read the whole passage, we must take into account not only Jesus' words, but also his audience and his intention. He was preaching in a synagogue, and there were learned men, scribes, pharisees and a rabbi or two, among "the Jews" whom John lumps all together in his gospel. And many of the common people who had been following from town to town, to see Him do signs and miracles, were still debating what to think of Him. The crowd was becoming somewhat disruptive, even collecting unbelievers who were looking for an excuse to deny him. So Jesus decided to separate the goats from the sheep. He deliberately made this teaching hard to grasp, so that his true followers would have to take it on faith. And He left it beyond their understanding, until He could pick a time when they would be receptive to explain it to them.

His tactic was almost too successful. The crowd was winnowed down almost to the twelve He had originally picked. There may have remained a few women, like Mary Magdalene, and a few others who wanted to believe but waited for an explanation. It remains a mystery that any stayed to hear Him out, as what He had suggested was forbidden by the Law of Moses. Even his explanation comes short as "too little, too late" for most. So he asked his chosen few, "Do you also want to go?" It was Peter who answered with an affirmation of faith. You can almost hear him thinking, "I don't get it, but whatever you say ..."

But John records the key phrases, to tell us what He wants us to understand. (v. 63) "It is the Spirit that gives Life; while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life." The crowd would have no foreknowledge of what Jesus planned for his last Passover meal, nor did his disciples. But we have hindsight to illuminate our reasoning. Like the twelve, we have to catch those words and say, there's something more going on here, I wonder what it is.

Jesus has fallen back on the dichotomy between Spirit and the visible material World, that He so often uses to emphasize the contrast between the way we see things and the Kingdom He is trying to help us manifest, to transform this world. What He has said, about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, has a deeper spiritual dimension that means more than anything we will ever see with our fleshly eyes. The Church Doctors tried to explain it in greek, by making a distinction between essences and accidents, but that wasn't quite as accurate as they wanted to contend. In Hebrew, it was already assumed that there is a difference between spirit and flesh. The Spirit is the realm of the unseen, true reality, while flesh is merely manifestation, visible and corruptible, subject to the penalty for sin. The Spirit has Life, but the flesh shall lie in the grave. Whatever God says is immediately obeyed, transforming reality in the realm of Spirit.

We can look back now, and see what Jesus did at the Last Supper. He began the tradition of the Eucharist meal with a real miracle. But He didn't change the bread and wine into the flesh and blood of this world that we just can't see and have to believe. Rather, He did better than that. He infused the bread and wine with a second nature of Spirit, just like He Himself has two natures, one fully human and another fully divine. This second nature, that He put into the bread and wine, is identical with his own transformed resurrection body, done by his own divine command, eternally and instantly. This is not something that we should expect to see, unless He wants to show it to us, just like the disciples did not always recognize him after He was risen, until He revealed Himself.

But, despite the fact that none of the disciples understood what He was doing, He told us to "Do this in remembrance of Me." He set up a perpetual miracle, and gave us the power to perform it, even if we don't know what we are doing. By the blessing, and the breaking, and the sharing, in his Name, we request the reenactment of the miracle of the Lord's Supper, and for the sake of our faith, He performs it. "Look not upon our sins, but on the faith of your Church." And by this obedience, we are blessed with the promise of our own day of resurrection and a welcome into eternal life in Heaven.

So really, Saint Peter was correct. Jesus has the words of eternal life, and He has given them to us. If we eat his Easter body, and drink the blood of his divine sacrifice, our sins are all forgiven, and we will have eternal life within us. And so, we shall be raised to join Him in Paradise, in accord with his promise; just as the Father raised Him, and then took Him up to Heaven, while his disciples watched.

Baruch attah Adonai Eloheynu, Melech ha-Olam, ha motzi lechem mim ha aretz. Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Together, the blessing of the bread, and the affirmation of faith. Blessed are those who are called to the Supper of the Lamb.