August 16, 2009

“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me.”  “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life.”  “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”  These words coming out of Jesus’ mouth grip and disturb.  They paint a graphic and violent image.  This speech created controversy when it was originally spoken and has stirred debate ever since.  In the early years of the Christian church when both the Jewish leaders and the Roman authorities were threatened by its growing appeal, they pointed to these words as reason to worry.  What exactly were those people doing in the caves and behind closed doors?  After their prayers, whose flesh and whose blood were they consuming?  Was this a cult that required cannibalism?  Were they eating children or kidnapping Jewish widows?  Centuries later, when the Protestants wanted to distance themselves from the practices of the Roman church, the priests and scholars at the Vatican stood by their sacraments, pointing to John’s passage saying the Lord himself commands this meal.  Christ is literally present in the bread and wine and he insists we partake.  Today, when this lesson comes up in the lectionary, modern commentaries warn about getting trapped in a debate about the necessity of weekly communion or in trying to reenact the shock value of Jesus’ words, “Eat my flesh, and drink my blood.” 

I appreciate their historical sensibilities, but I wonder if Jesus was about something much more straightforward.  Rather than setting the precedent for the Eucharist well before the Last Supper, was Jesus just presenting an analogy about commitment?  Remember, these lines, “Unless you eat the flesh and drink my blood, you have no life” comes the day after the feeding of the 5,000.  Jesus has just made the case that he is not Moses, that what he offers is not food for just one day where he’ll repeat a miracle each morning so the needed bread will appear on demand.  He’s said that he is not a temporary solution for a hungry people.  He is not a fast food outlet.  Jesus tells his would be followers that he is about more, much more than catering.  While he appreciates their physical concerns, he is committed to their eternal well-being.  He wants to enhance their life on earth and assure their place in heaven.  Jesus wants them healthy, fit in mind and spirit, in body and soul.  He wants them living now and later in optimum shape, at their peak condition, so that they can enjoy the wondrous life God envisions for them.

Jesus is energized and focused on bringing God’s beloved out of their stupor, out of their willingness to settle for so much less than they can be.  He tells the people on the mountain, the plain, the shore, raise your sights.  Expect more, desire more.  A diet of bread and water, a diet of worldly concerns is bland and unsustaining.  Set your minds on the heavenly banquet. Imagine the choice, the abundance, the nutrients, the flavors that the Father serves up every meal for all time. 

Jesus has spent months teaching parables and preaching the Law, curing sick people and touching those no one else sees.  He’s tried so many stories and performed so many signs and on this day, he’s presenting the most common place, the most universal human experience – the need to be fed.  Everyone requires nourishment.  Everyone can relate to the metaphor Jesus describes.  He says you can live your life day-to-day, head down, scrounging, worrying about your daily allotment.  You can be satisfied with whatever comes out of the dirt, or you can feed on nectar.  You can eat the Cheetos, Twinkies and Slurpies of this world, or you can dine on the milk and honey, whole grains and filets in my father’s house.  You can open a bag lunch of a cold greasy pizza, watered down Pepsi, and sit hunched over an aluminum table, perched on a plastic stool, or…, or you can choose something very, very different.  You have the choice and the ability to satisfy your hunger with a different experience.  You can be seated in comfort and luxury in calm and quiet.  You can be soothed with good music, engaging conversation, fabulous nutritious, savory, sustaining food.  Everyday of your life and throughout all eternity you can either eat as if you’re in an airport between flights, or you can dine at the “Holy Ritz.”  You and you alone choose your everlasting meal ticket.  Option one sends you into the world’s dining hall.  Option two opens the doors to the Father’s banquet.  Option one requires focus on the rules and values, ways and means of the Kingdom of Man.  Option two requires dedication to the commandments of God. 

The Kingdom of Man means worry and striving.  You’re pretty much on your own.  You are responsible for your own well-being.  Both your daily and your final outcome are completely in your hands and under your control.  Good luck managing all contingencies, especially fueled by that junk food diet – the Cheetos, Twinkies and Slurpies of this world.  How are you going to prepare for eternity with that orange cheese dust all over your mouth and fingers?

If one opts for the heavenly banquet, served in the Kingdom of God, the responsibilities are different.  One is never expected to self-serve.  One is not left alone or hapless. In that reality, one is connected, supported, nourished and well-tended.  So, of course, in this place, the way in is clearly marked.  There is no back alley entrance, no complicated reservation process.  There is the one requirement. Jesus said I’m the way in.  I’m all you need to get out of the loud, unsatisfying, unhealthy food court of this world and into the better, blessed alternative.  I’m your lucky, saving meal ticket.  Take me.  Consume me.  Gobble me up.  Let me nourish you with my Father’s promises.  Let me fill you up with pure, refreshing truth and will quench your thirst like no bottled water you’ve ever gulped.  Take all of me in, everything I offer.  Devour every morsel of my message.  Feed on me and feel my strength course through you.  Feed on me and feel your heart grow with compassion.  Feed on me and realize how new possibilities occur to you.  Feed on me and grow those “made in the image of God” muscles.  Jesus says I’m the way.  I’m the truth and the full life.  I give you feeding that lasts and sustains.  I usher you into the great banquet hall for the most glorious feast.  Take me in, consume me, gobble me up and see what happens next.

 You know, Gourmet Magazine publishes these fantastic recipes.  They bring together delicious dishes and they take gorgeous photos of the meal and print them on click, glossy paper.  They are beautiful, but you can’t smell the delectable aromas or taste the juices and savory seasonings.  You can’t be transported or nourished by a photograph of food.  One must actually prepare the dish and then stick a fork in and put the morsels in the mouth.  This is what Jesus requires.  He says commit to me.  Take me in, make me part of you.  Make me real to you.  Meat and drink, body and blood, bread and wine is what I must be to you.

Our brother and sister evangelicals have a good grasp on this concept.  When they ask, “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?” what they’re really inquiring is whether one has taken Christ into his or herself in an intimate, connected way.  Has one made Christ real and active in one’s life or is he a detached idea, a facsimile, a pretty picture, someone else’s ideal?  As Anglicans, we believe that the Son of God is more than the sum of his human relationships, but at the very least, he is defined by his connections and interactions with real, live flesh and blood, individual human beings.  These earthly relationships do not diminish Jesus Christ.  They move him greatly.  He himself commands them.  We cannot take in, consume or appreciate a vague notion.  Christ has offered himself without reservation.  He is ready to feed us fully – forever, but we must take that first bite and that is only possible after we make his picture and being real in our hearts and minds.  “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me.”  “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life.”  Those who spend time making me real in their minds and making me present in their lives will taste and see the goodness of the Lord. 

My friends, this is a meal worth preparing.  This is glorious food indeed.  Take the time; make the effort to make Jesus Christ clearand real for yourself.  Figure out how you two will connect.  Make him alive in your life, so you may feast – every day, every day.  Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

 Bon Appetit!