Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my meditation today is "Don't Be Ruled by Your Belly!" I read from John 6: 52-58. All Scripture quotations are taken from the New Living Translation and are used with permission.
52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.
53 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”
In this passage of Scripture, the Apostle John retells a lesson taught by Jesus in the synagogue in Capernaum. His audience was unique in that there were listeners from among the 5,000 people He had fed the previous day on the East side of the Sea of Galilee. These are the same people who wanted to make Him king and be fed every day with bread from heaven. Jesus saw them for who they were. They did not want or need a king; they were already being ruled by their bellies. In contrast to manna, the bread that came down from heaven to feed the Israelites in the wilderness, Jesus tells them His flesh and blood are the true bread and the true drink, and they must eat and drink it. This was too much for many disciples to swallow, and they parted ways with Him. They wanted their daily bread, but they did not want Jesus. In response, I can imagine Jesus thinking, "Well, you asked for it, and I gave you the truth. Sadly, anything you hear must first pass through the lens of your stomach to see if it first meets your need for perishable things like food." Jesus so wanted them to refocus their attention on eternal matters, especially the eternal life He offered them by believing He was the Son of God. This is what He meant when He told His listeners to eat His flesh and drink His blood. As we assemble to partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we are reminded that Jesus offered up His flesh and blood on the cross that those who believe in Him might have eternal life. No, the bread and the wine are not miraculously transformed into the body and blood of our Savior as we partake, they are but mere emblems to remind us of the price He paid for our redemption. Let us pray.
Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. As we partake of the emblems just now, we acknowledge that You are our true food and our true drink. You are the Son of God, who came down from heaven, to save us. As we remember Your suffering on the cross, we are overwhelmed by Your love for us, in that You would give Your very own life to save from our sins and give us eternal life. Thank-you, dear Lord, thank-you. In His name I pray. Amen.
Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26: 26-28.
26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.
27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.
And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"
Until next time, from Numbers 6: 24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."
Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!