"Eat This Bread and Live Forever" (Sermon on John 6:51-69)

The world’s oldest living person is a woman in Japan by the name of Kane Tanaka. She is 118 years old. She has held the title of oldest living person for over three years, which is unusually long for someone to be the world’s oldest living person. Usually, they relinquish the title before that long. What is Miss Tanaka’s secret? “Eating delicious food and studying,” she says. Her nurses say, “She has a strong appetite and likes eating chocolate and drinking Coke.” Well, I have a strong appetite, I like eating delicious food, including chocolate, and I do a lot of studying. But maybe I should take up drinking Coke.

Then there’s the world’s oldest male, Emilio Flores Márquez of Puerto Rico. He just turned 113 one week ago. Señor Márquez says of his life: “My father raised me with love and taught me to love everyone. He always told me and my brothers and sisters to do good, to share everything with others. Besides, Christ lives in me.”

“Besides, Christ lives in me.” Well said, Señor Márquez! And that is the guarantee that Emilio is going to live past 113, past 118, even past 120. Sure, Emilio is going to die--probably fairly soon. But, because Christ died for him and now Christ lives in him, Emilio is going to live forever. And guess what, dear friends? So will you!

Live forever? It doesn’t look like that, does it? Death is all around us. The names of our friends and relatives end up in the obituaries. Yesterday I did the funeral service for Carol Toenjes of St. Matthew-Bonne Terre, and tomorrow I’ll do the service for Sharon Blakely of Grace-De Soto. Death is right in front of us, staring us in the face. There’s a tombstone up in Chicago waiting to get my name on it. Death is at work in us. Our bodies are in the process of dying. Our immune systems wear down with age. Our bodies don’t heal as well when we get older. The risk of infection is ever-present. The upper limit on age seems to be about 120, and that’s only for a few people who happen to pick the right parents.

Then again, we can eat right, exercise, be in top shape--and we could step off a curb and get hit by a car. Some drunk driver could cross over the yellow line. Dr. Atkins, the famous diet doctor, died after he slipped and fell on an icy street. Diet cannot prevent dying.

But there’s a worse death than just the physical death of the body. Oh, physical death is a part of it, to be sure. That’s the end result of an even worse death, and that’s the death of the soul. Spiritual death. Spiritual death happens because man sins, and that includes every one of us. Spiritual death first set in when we decided we knew better than God, our Creator. We wanted to be our own god, making our own decisions about what’s right and wrong, good and evil. That was the fall into sin. And with it, death set in. That fallen Adamic nature infects us all. We all are like that. Sin and death, both spiritual and physical death--and eternal death, separated from God forever, under his condemnation--that is our natural condition, that is our common lot. It doesn’t matter what how healthy you may eat, how much you exercise, you cannot escape death. Unless. . . .

“Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,” Jesus says. What does Jesus mean by this? Well, he tells us: “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.”

The first thing it means is to realize that on your own, you have no real life within you. Jesus’ diagnosis is correct. Look inside yourself, apart from Christ, and will find no life there. No life that’s right with God. No life that can overcome your sins. No life that can overcome the grave. “You have no life in you.” Unless. . . .

Unless that life comes to you from outside yourself. Unless that life comes from God, from heaven to earth and into you. That’s how it goes. This is what Jesus offers. To you.

It starts with who Jesus is. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven,” Jesus says. This man speaking in the synagogue at Capernaum--this is no ordinary rabbi. His identity, his origin, is one of a kind. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” Jesus is the very Son of God, the eternal Word, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. “I am the living bread.” In him was--and is--life. Jesus has life in himself. He is full of life. He gives and imparts life. “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.”

But why does he say “bread”? Well, bread is often called “the staff of life.” “Bread” is a universally understood way to say, “that which sustains life.” Nourishment, food, sustenance, what you need in order to live--all of that is conveyed by the word, “bread.”

And Jesus had just fed the multitude with bread, 5000 people from just a few loaves, with plenty left over. This was a sign, to show that Jesus came to give life, and to give it abundantly. But people misread this sign and were only thinking of free food for their bellies. But Jesus came to give life in the fullest sense. Spiritual life. Life through the forgiveness of sins, healing the rift between us and God. Life that overcomes death in every form: the deadness in our relationship with God and with others; the physical death that cuts our life short at 35 or 70 or 120; and the eternal death that our sins deserve. Jesus overcomes all of that death with his abundant life. Jesus is the true Bread of Life, the living bread from heaven.

Jesus gives us his life and overcomes our death by giving himself into death for us. “The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Christ gave his flesh for the life of the world by going to the cross. In going to the cross, Jesus offered his flesh to the blows of his enemies and the flogging of the soldiers. He offered his flesh to the nails driven through his hands and the spear thrust in his side. His holy, precious blood poured forth and paid the price that we owed but could not pay. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave his flesh and shed his blood as the perfect sacrifice to atone for the sins of the whole world.

This is the only way to have life. There is no other. “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” Unless you partake of Jesus by faith, unless you receive him and trust in his sacrifice for your sins--there is no other way to come before God, other than the one and only way that God provides, namely, through Christ’s offering of his flesh and blood on the cross.

But come to him, believe in him, receive him, and you will live! This is his promise, and his word is sure! “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” Here is what you truly need to live past 113 or 118. You need Jesus Christ. Eat this bread and live forever! “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Notice: “has” eternal life, which is present tense, right now! You who trust in Christ, you have eternal life even now! It’s already yours, by faith in Christ.

You have eternal life now, and so the little death that we will face at the end of however many years we get--that is not the end. Our bodies may rest in the grave, but there is another day coming. Jesus speaks of this day. His promise for the believer is this: “And I will raise him up on the last day.” Even as Christ is risen from the dead, so will he raise our bodies, new and glorified forever, on the day when he returns.

So until then, continue to feed on him. Be nourished by Christ with the life that he gives. “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” This is Jesus’ promise to you today. He promises to be with you, in the closest way possible, as we journey through this wilderness on the way to the promised land. Jesus even gives--he literally gives his own body and blood here in this Sacrament. With the bread and with the wine, Christ gives us his very body and blood to eat and to drink. Here is true food and true drink, exactly what you need to sustain your life in Christ.

In the book, “The Fellowship of the Ring,” part of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, as the company is about to set out from Lothlorien, they are given gifts of food and clothing for their journey. The food is in the form of very thin cakes. “We call it lembas or waybread,” the travelers are told, “and it is more strengthening than any food made by Men.”

So it is here today. Here in this Sacrament, our Lord Jesus Christ gives you his “waybread,” food for your journey ahead. He himself is the Way, and he himself is the living bread from heaven. This bread of life is more strengthening, more life-giving, than any food made by men.

So come and eat! Come to Jesus and receive from him! Eat this bread and have eternal life even now. Eat this bread, and you will live forever!

John 6:51-69 (ESV)

[Jesus said:] “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 as 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.

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

And note that consistent with the abundant use of metaphorical language in Scripture, David plainly said that water was human blood, and thus would not drink it but poured it out unto the Lord. And that the Cannanites were "meat" for Israel, etc. And which is consistent with the use of metaphorical language in John. In John 1, the Lord is called the "Word became flesh," as representing Truth being incarnated, and "the Lamb of God" even though He took on humanity.

Then in Jn. 2:19,20, the Lord referred to Himself as the temple but spoke in a way that seems to refer to destroying the physical temple in which He had just drove out the money changers, and left the unbelieving Jews to that misapprehension of His words, so that this was a charge during His trial and crucifixion by the carnally minded. (Mk. 14:58; 15:29) But the meaning was revealed to His disciples after the resurrection.

In Jn. 3:3, the Lord referred to spiritual birth in such an way that its was misunderstood as physical, so that Nicodemus exclaimed, " How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? (John 3:4) Jn. 6:63, the Lord goes on to distinguish btwn the flesh and the Spirit, " That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit," (John 3:6) thereby giving Nicodemus a clue to figure it out, inviting and requiring seeking, rather than making it very clear. And which requires more revelation than that chapter, as with Jn. 6, revealing being born spiritually in regeneration. (Acts 10:43-47; 15:7-9; Eph. 1:13; 2:5)

And had those carnally-minded Jews in John 6, who were looking for physical food, continued on in seeking the spiritual meaning, then they would understood, "As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me," (John 6:57) And "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)

For just how did Christ "live by the Father"? The answer is that the manner by which the Lord lived by the Father was as per Mt. 4:4: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Thus for the Lord Jesus who lived by every word of God, the doing of His will was "meat."

For once again using metaphor, the Lord stated to disciples who thought He was referring to physical bread, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. (John 4:34) And likewise the Lord revealed that He would not even be with them physically in the future (which the lost Jews presumed would be needed under a literal meaning), but that His words which transcendent time and space are Spirit and life: “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:62-63)

For as with the rest of John and Scripture, it is faith which obtains spiritual life by believing the gospel. As John esp. makes clear, contrary to consuming flesh. Thus as Peter affirmed, "thou hast the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)

For the Holy Spirit only and always taught that that spiritual life was obtained by receiving the word of the gospel, and never shows this was by actual physical ingestion of anything, and that one "lives by" (upon) God's word as well, having first by repentant faith in the gospel and then by effectually feeding upon the word of God and thus obeying it. For while the Lord's supper is nowhere referred to as spiritual food anywhere interpretive of John 6 (Acts thru Rev.), the word of God is what is taught as being spiritual nourishment, being that which is called "milk" and "meat" (1Co. 3:2; Heb. 5:13; 1Pt. 2:2) by which believers are "nourished" (1Tim. 4:6) and built up, and with the preaching of which being the primary active function of pastors. (Acts 20:32) Thanks be to God.

And therefore to come together to take part in a communal meal in effectual remembrance and thus proclamation (1 Corinthians 11:26) of the risen Lord's death - by which each believer is made part of the Lord's body, the church, being itself "one bread," (1 Corinthians 10:17) - while selfishly neglecting other members even at the same time is to actually fail to eat the Lord's supper. (1 Corinthians 11:17-22) For such neglect fails to remember and declare the Lord's death by effectually failing to recognize the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:29) as consisting of those bought with the sinless shed blood of Christ by His death, (Acts 20:28) which makes each member part of that universal body. (Rv. 5:9)

Thus such hypocritical participation can result such chastisement as even unto death, and with the solution being that of penitent examination of oneself whether his\her attitude and actions are consistent with the love of Christ for His body, as shown by His giving of Himself, and eating at home lest the Lord's supper become a focus on food and satisfying physical hunger, versus communal sharing as members of the body bought with the sinless shed blood of the now risen Lord, which taking part in the Lord's supper is to show. Thanks be to God, yet I certainly fail in such selfish love and care.

Although your red text almost persuaded me to change my mind on the whole matter (/sarc), when I looked into the origin of the hymn I decided to stick with what Christ actually taught and what His disciples eventually understood because of what Jesus Christ did the next day on the cross to pay for my sins.

Samuel J. Stone (1839-1900) wrote "The Church's One Foundation" as one of twelve published in Lyra Fidelium: Twelve Hymns on the Twelve Articles of the Apostles’ Creed (1866). He was An Anglican priest.

Does the Anglican church believe in transubstantiation?

No.

From the 1662 Articles of the Anglican Faith, the infamous Black Rubric, which, to this day, divides High and Low Anglican churchmen:

Whereas it is ordained in this Office for the Administration of the Lord's Supper, that the Communicants should receive the same kneeling; (which order is well meant, for a signification of our humble and grateful acknowledgment of the benefits of Christ therein given to all worthy Receivers, and for the avoiding of such profanation and disorder in the holy Communion, as might otherwise ensue;) yet, lest the same kneeling should by any persons, either out of ignorance and infirmity, or out of malice and obstinacy, be misconstrued and depraved: It is hereby declared, That thereby no adoration is intended, or ought to be done, either unto the Sacramental Bread or Wine there bodily received, or unto any Corporal Presence of Christ's natural Flesh and Blood. For the Sacramental Bread and Wine remain still in their very natural substances, and therefore may not be adored; (for that were Idolatry, to be abhorred of all faithful Christians;) and the natural Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ are in Heaven, and not here; it being against the truth of Christ's natural Body to be at one time in more places than one.

This is Article 28 in the 39 Articles of Faith found in all past and current Anglican/Episcopal missals/prayer books.

The New Covenant is the sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of sin verses the Old Covenant of living by the law of Moses. The Old and New Covenant is compared in Hebrews Chap 8-9 and was foretold throughout the Old Testament (for example Jeremiah 31:31-33) and explained in the New Testament.

If people want to take Luke 22:20 literally

And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in My blood.

They would have to say it was the cup that died for our sins.

If people want to take John 6:52-54 litereally,

Then the Jews began to argue with one another, 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 yourselves. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Then they would have to conclude that Christ was literally referring to cannibalism and their response would be offensive (I hope).

There is nothing mystical about communion. Christ was simply making a point that we must repent to God and accept His death that He paid for the forgiveness of our sins. That is the new covenant. There will not be another covenant. Christ left this sacrament (communion) so that we could proclaim what He has done for us. Communion physically ties us to a direct act of Christ and a way in which we can proclaim Christ. That is a great honor and blessing in itself.

The New Covenant is the sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of sin verses the Old Covenant of living by the law of Moses.

The proper question is what does God say on the matter?

He clearly defines it here:

Jer_31:33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the LORD. “I will put My instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.

and repeated here:

Heb_8:10 But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Now, doesn’t that explain why we must be born again and have God’s spirit living in us?

He destroyed the temple, priestly system and sacrificial system. no intermediates.

He wants a direct relationship with his chosen.

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