Picking up at verse 41 of John chapter 6 with the words of the resistance spoken by the Jewish leadership. Because Jesus claimed to be "the bread of life," not only the bread of life but "the living bread!"
John 6:41--51, 52-59 "The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, "'I am the bread which came down from heaven.'" And they said, "'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?'" Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, 'Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in (Isaiah 54:13; Jeremiah 31:34) the prophets, "And they shall be all taught of God." Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.'
The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Then Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day (Matthew 27:51-54, Hosea 6:2-3). For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.' These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum." (KJV)
John 6:41-51, 52-59 "So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven.' They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven?'" Jesus answered them, 'Do not grumble among yourselves.No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (Matthew 27:51-54; Hosea 6:2-3) It is written in the Prophets (by Isaiah 54:13; Jeremiah 31:34), 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.'
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.' Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum."(ESV)
John 6:41-51, 52-59 "The religious Jews were no longer paying any attention - they were shocked and offened at the idea that he said he was the bread from heaven! They reasoned that since they knew his parents to be Joseph and Mary, he had no validity to his claim of heaven being his source! Then Jesus addressed them saying, 'Your murmuring and reasoning among yourselves will continue to veil me from you. (Knowing me from a human point of veiw will not satisfy your quest.) No one is forcing you to believe - it is the Father who sent me who draws you to see me [1]face to face - only once you've seen how in the mystery of GOD (Deuteronomy 29:29) I mirror you, will you understand that I will co-raise you in the grand-finale of my mission! (The word [1]pros is used again, face to face.) It is written in the Prophets that (Isaiah 54:13; Jeremiah 31:34) every single individual will be taught of GOD. To hear the Father's instructions concerning me, is to come [1]face to face with me. (The word [1]pros is used again. See Isaiah 54:13; Jeremaih 31:34 And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, sauing, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more." Mica 4:1-4) No one has [2]seen the Father except the one who [1]proceeds from him; he is most intimately [2]acquainted with the Father! (The word [1]para, a preposition indicating close proximity, a thing proceeding from a sphere of influence, with a suggestion of union of place of residence; intimate connection; the word [2]horao means to gaze; to see with the mind; to perceive; know; to become acquainted with by experience.) Of [1]absolute certainty do I declare to you that anyone whose faith [2]ultimately rests in who I really am, in this one the life of the ages resonates. (In repeating the words, [1]amen amen - Jesus speaks mirror language in order to emphasize the radiance and resonance of certainty between himself and his audience - from faith to faith. The preposition [2]eis suggests a point reached in conclusion.) I am the bread of life! Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and died there in the wilderness. (The manna didn't kill them, their unbelief in themselves did. See Numbers 13:33 and Hebrews 4:2-6. The manna was a prophetic shadow of me.) This what you have here in me standing face to face with you, is the very sustenance of your life; the bread descending out of the heavenly sphere for everyone to eat their fill and not die. I am the living bread, I stepped out of the heavenly realm into this earth suit, in the incarnation, so that everyone may feast on the idea of their true incarnation identity mirrored in me and discover the life of the ages incarnate in them! The bread that I will give is my own flesh; it will translate into life for the entire [world] cosmos!' (The word, kosmos in the NT refers to the entire human family.)
This brought about a war among the Jews! How can this man give us human flesh to eat? (Like Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman at the well they again got it all wrong! Jesus was pointing to a different womb, well and meal!) (Instead of softening the blow by explaining to them what he really meant, Jesus made it a hundred times worse for their religious reasoning, by saying the following!) 'Amen amen, I say unto you that you have (echo) no real life in yourselves until you consume the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood. (The very core of our beingness is founded in our co-association with Jesus, the Son of man; it is only in realizing and fully assimilating our oneness in flesh-incarnation context as the son of man, that we discover the truth of our own oneness in our joint-genesis as sons of Deity. He is about to take humanity with him into their death, grave and hell and then victoriously co-quicken us and co-raise us into newness of life.) Your [1]every meal is a celebration of the incarnation; to eat my flesh and drink my blood is to digest the life of the ages and communicates the fact that you are co-risen with me in the final conclusion of my work of redemption. (The words [1]ho trogon, are the Present Active Participle form of the verb to emphasize a continual or habitual eating.) My flesh is food in its truest form and my blood is drink in its truest form. The eating of my flesh and drinking of my blood is the celebration of our seamless union - you in me and I in you - because you won't find you until you find me! (Thoughts eat words like your mouth eats food - both become flesh!) As the living Father has sent me and also sustains me so will I sustain the ones eating me. I live through my Father - just like my daily food sustains me, so his life permanently resides in me - now you may also continually and habitually feast on me and live through me! This is the bread that stepped down out of the heavenly sphere - there is no comparison with the manna your fathers received from heaven [which was merely a prophetic shadow pointing to me]; They ate and they died [without completing their destiny] - now feast on me and celebrate the life of the ages. (Eating and drinking is most significant - every meal is both a reminder and celebration of the incarnation! Every time we face food we are reminded of our beingness in flesh and our seamless oneness with our Maker and one another. See 1Corinthians 11:26 Your every meal makes the mandate of his coming [1]relevant and communicates the meaning of the new covenant. [Whether you eat or drink, you are declaring your joint inclusion in his death and resurrection, confirming your redeemed innocence. Some translations read, "until I come..." The word translated until is, [1]achri, from akmen, which means extremity, conclusion, the present time; Jesus is the conclusion of prophetic time! The word erchomai, to come is in the Aorist tense, elthe - pointing to that which has already happened!]
The prophetic picture of the table was very strategic in the tent tabernacle in the wilderness - the priests had to daily place fresh bread on the table in the sanctuary. It was called Showbread, lechem haPanim, literally: Face=bread or Bread of the Presence. The Hebrew word for presence means face to face! While Jesus spoke to the two on their way to emmaus in Luke 24, they did not recognize him, even though their hearts ignited while he explained prophetic promises of humanity's redemption in all of the Scriptures, from Moses through the Psalms and the Prophets. In Luke's interview, he pressed them for the details, he wanted to know exactly at what point in thier meeting with Jesus did they recognize him in person! He writes in verse 28, "So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further.... "Wow! Should Jesus not at this point have given them an opportunity to make a commitment or at least say a "sinners prayer?" Not even the best Rabbi could take them any further, Luke 24:29 "But they constrained him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. Luke 24:30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed it, and gave it to them.
Luke 24:31 And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight.
He vanished from their sight because Jesus can no longer be any more present in his person than what he is present in the Word incarnate within us!
The moment we discover Jesus in Scripture as in a mirror, our hearts ignite and our very next meal becomes a celebration of our incarnate union! "Every tiem you eat or drink, remember me!" Every meal celebrates the temple! Your body is GOD's address on planet earth! He does not dwell in buildings made by human hands. You will never again need to employ your willpower to diet and get into shape! Willpower is the language of the Law! While Love and value-consciousness ignites belief. The revelation of the truth sets you free to be free indeed! The days of fast food and junk-food are over! The table is sacred and celebrates your body as the sanctuary of your redeemed life, the life of your authentic design! Sitting around the table is a feast of freindship and delightful conversation. Eat food that blesses the temple! Most diseases are diet-related! Study nutrition! We have this treasure in earthen vessels! The vessel takes its value from the treausre it holds! Feast your mind on likeness realites - make Deity your diet - digest me! Face the Father!) Jesus said these things in a synagogue while teaching in Capernaum." (The Mirror)
In our next post we will look at the last verses the LORD willing.
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