The Bread of Life

 John 6:48-58

"I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "how does this man give us His flesh to eat?"

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, 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 eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats 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 he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread that comes down from heaven-not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."

This is an intense portion of scripture as it directs us to do something which is physically impossible yet obviously is very important to our Master. Jesus reminds the Jewish people that their fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and died. The manna was edible. They gathered it daily and consumed it that day. They had no other food to eat. It was vital to their existence. Jesus is telling the Jewish people(and us) that, if they want to live eternally, they must feed on Him. Eating His flesh and drinking His blood is a way of telling them/us to partake fully of who He is: partake worthily of communion with Him. Now, is it really physical eating and drinking that Jesus is concerned about? He used this analogy because He knew how vital eating/drinking are to life. He knows we want to live yet the way to REAL LIFE is in Him! Ask the Father to reveal to you what it means to eat Jesus' flesh and drink Jesus' blood. I think you will find this is a raw depiction of one who hungers and thirsts for Him!