Real Food
I don’t know about you, but I enjoy food – well eating it anyway, I’m not so hot on making it! So to me this idea that the people had that Jesus was going to feed them, and keep feeding them sounds attractive.
Except that was not quite what Jesus had in mind…
John 6:51-58
51 I am that bread from heaven! Everyone who eats it will live forever. My flesh is the life-giving bread that I give to the people of this world.
52 They started arguing with each other and asked, “How can he give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus answered:
I tell you for certain that you won’t live unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man. 54 But if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal life, and I will raise you to life on the last day. 55 My flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. 56 If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you are one with me, and I am one with you.
57 The living Father sent me, and I have life because of him. Now everyone who eats my flesh will live because of me. 58 The bread that comes down from heaven isn’t like what your ancestors ate. They died, but whoever eats this bread will live forever.
This is that soul food that Jesus was talking about – he is the food that nourishes to the depths of our being.
Eating Jesus’ flesh is a strange, if not repulsive idea. So what does Jesus mean?
To me, it means that when we meet with Jesus, in worship, in prayer, in communion, he is feeding us. Feeding us at the depth of our being. The food that Jesus offers is life-enhancing – not just with vitamins, proteins and fibre. He offers to feed us not with food that will make us hungry again in a few hours, but feeding us with God, his life, his love, his peace, his power.
Lord,
I come to you
seeking food,
not that I will soon be hungry again,
but your food,
you love,
your peace,
your hope,
your way in my life…
Feed me Lord,
I pray
for I come
and eat
Pam's Perambulation 
[…] for another post on this passage, see here […]