Going deeper into the love, presence of Jesus

Published 8:45 am Friday, February 6, 2009

“Do not work for the food that perishes, but the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (John 6:27)

Jesus appeared to be on a roll. Many were getting healed. People were clamoring to be ministered by him and the disciples. He also performed one of his greatest miracles: multiplication of food. Even today with global famine and poverty, this type of miracle could make one king! Those who studied the scriptures discerned that history was in the making. Only during the Exodus and the days of Elijah and Elisha had the multiplication of bread for the masses been so prominent. However, as in the days of Moses, Elisha and Elijah, the miracle was misinterpreted.

At first reading, Chapter 6 of John is puzzling. Jesus moves from eating food to eating flesh; specifically his flesh. If we want to be literal, this chapter is not advocating merely a spiritual “eating of flesh” but a literal ingestion of the body and blood of Jesus (6:53). Martin Luther interpreted this passage as a vivid description of the Lord’s Supper. In the meal shared by all Christians the essence of two objects are present at the same time and place. Without getting into the philosophical and theological complexities, in communion we share this eating described in John 6.

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Just as many left the gathering of the 5,000 with all sorts of understandings and implications of that meal, we can miss its meaning today. The Lord’s Supper is not just a pious reminder of Jesus who meets my needs. Even the proper designation of Jesus as one’s Lord and Savior can distance the desired closeness that Jesus desires in our lives. At the feeding, those present wanted Jesus as their leader and king who would provide for all their needs. Kings were called “saviors” if they provided well for their people. The cross of Jesus — his saving act — is not merely concerned with meeting specific needs in a person’s life. Jesus’ saving act means being in a person’s life. We don’t elect Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, we take him into our lives to transform us. Being inside and among us, Jesus guides and saves.

Many today just want a God or king who meets their needs. We should not ignore this desire. Much of our evangelical outreach with churches worldwide is both sustainable development; along with spreading the good news. We need to continue pray for and work for justice for those with real needs. This, however, is not the end goal of our evangelism. Our goal is to transform because we have been transformed by the flesh and blood presence of Jesus among us. Just as food is absorbed into the body by eating; through Holy Communion, Christ intimately enters our life giving life (6:51). This close presence should move us beyond our own needs to the needs of God’s coming kingdom and the world around us. Going deeper into the love and presence of Jesus means your life and the world’s will be changed forever!