The majority of us are grossed out by what this statement suggests. These are the actions that are usually confined to a horror movie. Cannibals eat flesh and vampires drink blood. These are not things that normal people do. If Jesus is meaning this literally, we would all say, “That’s a little bit too far out there for me.” Those of us who have grown up in the church have an advantage over those who have not. We understand the symbolic nature of this saying because we know to look back and see what would unfold later on. However, do those on the outside of the church understand the symbolic nature of those words?” Our text and other historical documents seem to suggest that those in Jesus’ day didn’t. In fact, during the first and second centuries Christians were viewed as a peculiar people with very strange worship rituals. The main rumor that was spreading throughout the Roman Empire was that Christians were participating in cannibalism during their worship gatherings. This was fueled by the fact that Christians met in secret due to the extreme persecution they were facing. I admit that we have less difficulty with this saying then Jesus’ first century listeners had. But I have to wonder do we fully understand the significance of this saying? Do we really understand the implications of what Jesus is saying? Do we really take it to heart? Today we are going to try to accomplish two things as we examine this text. First gain a better understanding of this saying and second try to understand how this would be difficult for someone outside of the church to understand.
I. A saying that goes against all the cultural norms of Jesus’ day.
A. The crowd could not believe that Jesus was actually making this statement.
1. The Jews had many forbidden foods. In fact God gave the people explicit instructions not to eat anything with blood still in it.
2. Cannibalism was a practice that was seen as gross and immoral throughout the entire Greco-Roman world.
3. It is understandable why there was a lot of confusion in the crowd in regard to this teaching.
4. What Jesus is suggesting in a literal sense is not only taboo but against the law.
5. The people begin arguing among themselves in regard to exactly what Jesus means.
6. The Greek word that is translated argue is machomai which means to participate in a heated exchange.
B. The disciples completely missed what Jesus was trying to communicate.
1. The disciples are going to struggle with this teaching on the basis of their Jewish heritage. So it’s little wonder that this begins to thin the ranks of those following Jesus.
2. We need to remember that this teaching takes place shortly after Jesus fed the 5,000 plus people.
3. God stressed the value of a human life in the Law. In fact, human sacrifice was one of the things God pointed out as being detestable as He was warning the Israelites about the pagan religions in the land of Canaan.
4. Jesus’ opponents and many others just could not comprehend what Jesus was saying. Not only did they view this statement as improper but as impossible.
5. This statement draws a line in the sand as it begins to separate the true believers from the unbelievers.
6. The disciples admit that this was a tough teaching. In fact one could translate verse 60, “This is a tough teaching, who could stomach it?”
II. Unpacking the meaning of a theologically loaded statement.
A. What is Jesus trying to accomplish with this teaching?
1. There was no way the people in the crowd would be able to relate this to the Lord’s Supper because it was not yet instituted.
2. There was no way the people would accept it as a literal teaching because it was quite detestable in their minds.
3. Jesus is emphasizing the fact that sins could not be forgiven and eternal life given unless someone offered their own life and shed their own blood.
4. Jesus wants people to see the significance and necessity of His death. If Jesus doesn’t willing make this sacrifice eternal life will still be beyond man’s reach.
5. Jesus is not expecting His listeners to understand, He is issuing a call for them to believe in Him.
6. Jesus is stressing the importance of trusting Him. Because only in Him will this eternal life be found.
B. The teaching sets the stage for the acceptance of the necessity of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
1. Although, Isaiah had painted a vivid picture of the sacrifice that the Messiah would make for the people the disciples just could not see it.
2. This teaching is revealing Jesus’ identity as the Messiah to the people and presenting the reward that will be given to those who choose to believe in Him.
3. As John writes this there is no doubt that this teaching is stressing the importance of accepting Jesus’ sacrificial death.
4. This teaching needs to be understood in the context of the Passover. Jesus the Bread of Life would die as the Lamb of God for the sins of the world.
5. Just as the Passover lamb’s flesh and blood was offered as a provisional sacrifice for the sins of the people. Jesus would offer His flesh and blood as the once for all sacrifice that would cleanse the people of their sin.
C. The teaching also points toward the significance of the Lord’s Supper.
1. After Jesus had established the Lord’s Supper, one in retrospect can see how this teaching also related to this important memorial.
2. When Christians take the Lord’s Supper we remember His words that tell us that the bread represents His body and the cup represents His blood which sealed the new covenant.
3. As we partake of the Lord’s Supper the action should call to mind Jesus’ tortured body and His blood that was poured out for our sins.
4. Although this is not a direct reference to the Lord’s Supper these words do echo what Jesus says to His disciples has they share with Him during the Last Supper.
III. Learning to get a better handle on these words of Jesus.
A. This teaching helps us to see the importance of shared life and fellowship.
1. In Bible times eating and drinking was of great importance. When you ate and drank with someone it showed your willingness to share life with them and to support them. It also showed trust.
2. Jesus is looking beyond His death and resurrection to the time that the Holy Spirit would come and open the way for man to actually share life and fellowship with the Father.
3. This fellowship and closeness that we enjoy with Jesus allows our relationship with the Father to be restored.
B. This teaching helps us to put the Lord’s Supper into proper perspective.
1. This teaching has led to debate after debate on how it relates to the Lord’s Supper.
2. There are those who believe in transubstantiation which means that when we partake of the bread and juice it actually becomes the body and the blood of Christ.
3. Some churches have memorialized it to the point that it has become an optional exercise. You can take it annually, quarterly or whatever suits you.
4. The bread and juice are to be viewed as symbolic. They are emblems that remind us of the sacrifice that Jesus made.
5. The Lord’s Supper is a tangible way for us to enjoy fellowship with Jesus. However, we should not allow ourselves to limit our fellowship with Jesus to just when we share in the Lord’s Supper.
C. This teaching helps us to see how great of love it took to make a sacrifice such as this.
1. This teaching helps us to see just how gruesome of death Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins.
2. How much love does it take to let your son die for someone else? Especially someone who has turned their back on you.
3. We look at this sacrifice and it boggles our mind. We cannot understand it because it is something that we would never do.
4. Lewis Foster in his work on John makes this statement. “From a little understanding comes faith, and when one looks at things through the eyes of belief in Christ, a far greater understanding results. But this in turn leads to a greater faith, and thus the growth continues.”
5. The importance of this teaching does not rest on us understanding the point that Jesus is making. It is believing that what He is saying is important and relevant to our lives.
Many of us need to be more like the little girl whom the farmer found lost in his meadow.
The farmer said to her, “Do not cry; I’ll take you home.” The little child snuggled up to him, and with a smile, said, “I knew you would; I was waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me?” said the man. “What made you think I was coming?” “I was praying you would,” she said. “Praying? When I first heard you, you were saying A B C D E F G. What was that for?”
She looked up again, and said, “I’m just a little girl. I was praying all the letters of the alphabet and letting God put them together the way He wanted to. He knows I was lost, and He knows how to put them together better than I do.”
