John 6:56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live through the Father, so also whoever eats me will live through me. 58 So this is the bread that has come down from heaven — it is not like the bread the fathers ate; they’re dead, but whoever eats this bread will live forever!” 59 He said these things as he was teaching in a synagogue in K’far-Nachum.
60 On hearing it, many of his talmidim said, “This is a hard word — who can bear to listen to it?” 61 But Yeshua, aware that his talmidim were grumbling about this, said to them, “This is a trap for you? 62 Suppose you were to see the Son of Man going back up to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh is no help. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life, 64 yet some among you do not trust.” (For Yeshua knew from the outset which ones would not trust him, also which one would betray him.) 65 “This,” he said, “is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has made it possible for him.”
66 From this time on, many of his talmidim turned back and no longer traveled around with him. 67 So Yeshua said to the Twelve, “Don’t you want to leave too?” 68 Shim‘on Kefa answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the word of eternal life. 69 We have trusted, and we know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Complete Jewish Bible).
When we deal with life, we always seem to have good reasons for why we do things. We go to school to get a job. We get a job to earn a living. We do things for fun, for love or for health. Those reasons we go to for why we do things have a way of becoming our gods if we trust in them to give us life. Yet, often the very things we seek after for security end up accusing us, judging us and condemning us to death.
Jesus offers us something quite different--he give us himself to eat. He promises us that he will deal with our lives by using mercy and resurrection. Yes, he dies to do that for us, and then he rises from death too! Where shall we go to find such a reason for what we do that raises us from death? Where shall we go to find relief from judgment and death? We go to Jesus, our crucified and risen Lord--and we are not disappointed.
Father of Life, fill our hearts with Jesus, so that he becomes the reason we do things. Let him be our God, our forgiver, the one who raises us from death. Let us live as those who forgive. Amen.
Timothy Hoyer, '09
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Lakewood, N.Y., and Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Falconer, N.Y.
John 6:56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."
59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"
61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you?
62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
64 But among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.
65 And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father."
66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.
67 So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"
68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." (New Revised Standard Version).
THE LUTHER SEMINARY ®
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