Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." ... "For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." ... Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." ... "Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life."
John 6:29, 33, 35, 47 NIV
This is one of my favorite passages. Jesus wasn't seeking popularity. He had a chance
This morning, I was thinking about how hard it would have been for the Jews to understand Jesus because He kept telling them to eat his flesh and drink his blood, which God had explicitly forbidden. "How could Jesus claim that he was from God if we know his parents and he is saying things directly against what God commanded?" Jesus was speaking metaphorically, but His statements were so literally offensive that most people couldn't get past it. But at the core of these statements is an invitation to believe and experience eternal life.
Heavenly Father, thank you for challenging us to believe in Christ and experience eternal life. Lord Jesus, you said a lot of things that are outside my box. Please help me get past my limited (and often literal) interpretation, and give me deep spiritual understanding and revelation. Your words are at the same time so profound and also simple. I believe that you are the bread of life; your body was broken, and your blood was shed so that we have forgiveness and restoration. Help me never lose sight of this singularity. And also take me deeper in you. I want to hear your voice moment by moment. I want to live in constant communion with you, like digesting bread and wine. Holy Spirit, I want to be digesting the Word all day long and assimilating you into my life. Lord, I love you, and I pray in the name of Jesus.
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