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| READ: Matthew 16:13-23 |
Cannibals for CHRIST!
This story is an example of Jesus' fine tuned sense of humor. The crowd He had just fed now wanted to promote Him to the rank of King. He knows their heart. It's a selfish gesture. They are hoping He'll be a permanent meal ticket for them. His response was, "Sure, but if I'm going to be your king, you have to eat my flesh and drink my blood."
Understandably, they are grossed out by His suggestion. "Eat flesh? Drink blood? Gag me! What does He take us for, cannibals?" He's joking. It's a metaphor. A figure of speech.
He's trying to make a point. You need a King? A Savior? A Best Friend? Forgiveness? Eternal life? Deliverance from addiction? Joy & fulfillment? There's only one true source of those things. That source is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. You must "swallow whole" all that He is to be saved. You must swallow Him "hook, line and sinker" or you cannot have what He offers. You come to Him on His terms, not yours.
"Why spend … for what does not satisfy?" (Isaiah 55:2) "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Psalm 34:8) "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3)
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| REFLECT: |
1. What's wrong with "toiling for food"? (see John 6:27 and Isaiah 55:1-2)
2. How do you eat "living bread"? (John 6:28-29 and John 3:16)
3. What are some of the teachings of Jesus that people nowadays find hard to "swallow"? How about His miracles? Any hard to believe?
4. There's a country song that goes, "Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die." How does that song relate to John 6?
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| RESPOND: |
"Lord, Jesus, I receive all that you are. Make your home in my heart. I withhold nothing from you. Bread of heaven, feed me until I want no more. Fill my cup overflowing."
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