Devotion for Whitsunday, 12 June 2011 Anno Domini (John 6:53-59)

Devotion for Whitsunday, 12 June 2011 Anno Domini (John 6:53-59)
“53 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.54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.58 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. 59These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. (John 6:53-59)
Jesus Christ is the ‘all-in-all’ who possesses every mark of Divinity in His Person. He is the Great I AM because He has ever existed within and without the Space-Time-Continuum in Eternity. He is the Light of the World for without His revealing Light and Truth, the world would be totally immersed in darkness. He is the Bright and Morning Star because, even in the dim vision of this world, His presence is with us to guide and uphold through our dark nights. And He is the Day Star and the Sun of Righteousness whose fuller beams of revealing Light shall dawn upon the world at His Coming. He is the Word from beginning to end as described in the Alpha and Omega.
We read in today’s text that Christ is also that Bread which came down from Heaven. Not the shadow of bread in Manna, but the complete fulfillment of that Bread which the Manna foretold. “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.” This flesh of Christ is our Bread of Life. It is His human suffering, death and Resurrection that constitute the fiber of this Bread. It is not represented by any taint of Leaven (Sin) for Christ was sinless; therefore, the symbol (unleavened Bread) should be consistent with that which is being symbolized (His sinless body). He is verily the Word upon which the Christian soul subsists. If you informed me of a man you know who had never eaten bread (food) in his life, I would say that you were either lying, or the man was made of marble. If we live, we must eat. Our food is the Bread of Life.
“Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” The Word is made manifest in the flesh! There is an obvious order in which the Elect come to Christ. It is first prompted by the Word itself. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) We read (eat) the Word of God from His glorious Bible. We learn of Him who died for us, and faith then follows the believing heart. Knowing of Christ is not enough! We must believe unto salvation. A changed and contrite heart bears evidence of the new Creation in Christ. And now, His blood cleanseth from all sin! “…….the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) He imputes righteousness, but also LIFE! His blood is the life of the Christian! “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” (Lev 17:11) Dr. M.R. DeHaan has written a beautiful study of the medical, and spiritual, aspects of blood in his book, Chemistry of the Blood. The blood carries the digested bread (food) to the various tissues throughout the body. Its white cells attack any foreign organism the moment it enters the body. It provides oxygen to every cell of the body so that the energy derived from the Bread may be made use of. And finally, the blood carries away waste matter produced in the cells of the Body. Christ’s Blood is our very life. He cleanses us of all sin. He makes us alive (quickens us) with His Spirit. He gives us cause to go on in hope. In the Communion, He is present in a profound sense for we are gathered together, with fervent intent, in His Name. The Bread of which we partake is unleavened (symbolizing His sinless Body). It is comprised of thousands of crushed grains of wheat (Abp Cranmer) formed into one Bread (symbolizing the Body of Christ and Church). It is not magically transformed into His physical flesh, but He is present at the Table with every certainty for it is His Table.
The wine of which we partake is of the color and nature of His blood. It warms the heart in the same way that His Presence warms our Spirits. It is the Cup of His suffering of which we partake – the SAME Cup. We must also take up a cross, and that daily, and follow Him. We die daily for others in the Gospel. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” (Phil 3:10) We acknowledge, among other things, the “fellowship of His suffering” at the Communion Table. By the way, the Reformers referred to the furniture upon which the elements of the sacrifice are provided as a Table and not an altar for Christ died once-and-for-all for our sins. His one sacrifice was sufficient and none other sacrifice will do but that one sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross. We do not display a crucifix because Christ is no longer on the Cross for He is risen!
“For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” Truly so! The Bread of Heaven and the Wine of His Spirit is all the sustenance the Christian heart requires. “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” If we eat that Bread of Heaven (the Word) and drink His Life and Spirit (His Blood) into our spirits, He will be IN us, and we will be 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.” Yes, and so do we live by Christ! His flesh and Blood make us more like unto Him!
“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.” Yes, He is also the Water of Life which, if one drinks, shall vanquish thirst forever. And He is the Bread of Heaven which, if eaten, will suffice for our daily Bread in Eternity. Please bear in mind that Bread must be consumed daily. We must resort to the Bread of Heaven from Scripture daily – this is our daily Bread! Manna, in the Wilderness, could not be stored up or saved for future days (except for the Sabbath). We cannot read several chapters of Scripture today and fast from Scripture the next day. We must consult God’s Word daily if we will be healthy and well-nourished Christians. How many who profess Christ actually do this? Do you do this, dear reader?
“These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.” His Words are solemn and of great import. He spoke these Words in a solemn and reverent setting for us to learn. I love good bread. If I find a market that sells really good bread, I will always return to that market for bread. When we receive the Bread of Heaven from the very baker Himself, should we not want to return for more of that Bread which imparts life eternal? Read and study. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15) The word ‘study’ does not imply casual application, but rather intense perusal of God’s Holy word. Are you doing this? If not, you may find yourself ashamed at the last day.