Evening Prayer 2-19-2011

Reading: 
John 6:41-59

"I am the bread of life."

These words seem so simple don't they.  Surely Jesus in these verses was not speaking about His flesh and blood because that would have been something that the Jews would have found offensive.  For remember the Jews were not allowed to partake of the blood.  They could not partake of the blood because they were taught in the Holy Scriptures this truth, "the life is in the blood"  (Leviticus 17:14)  In verse 11 of this same chapter of Leviticus God tells them that He has given the life on the altar to make an atonement for their sins.  This is a powerful teaching.

So here Jesus is teaching the disciples that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood if they are to have His life in them.  You see it is not about some great spiritual awakening and feeling that keeps you with Jesus, rather it is your continual feeding on Him in Holy Communion.  In this great Sacrament our Lord breaks through among His people with His body and blood.  He comes among His people to feed them so that you should want to take of His blood because it is in the blood that you receive His life.  This Sacrament is not some spiritual thing, but a physical thing, where Jesus comes to us in, with and under the form of bread and wine to administer His very true and present body and blood to us.  In doing so He gives us life, health and salvation. 

Our Lord promises to never leave us nor forsake us.  (Hebrews 13:5)  So He continues to be among us through His proclaimed words of Holy Scripture.  Where His word goes out to convert the heart and allow the Holy Spirit to implant faith in our hearts.  He then comes to us in Holy Baptism where we die and rise to a new life in Him.  Then in Holy Absolution where the Pastor constantly reminds us that we are forgiven on account of Jesus Christ.  And finally in the Holy Communion where He feeds us with His most Precious Body and Blood.  Our Lord is not some distant God, but one that is constantly near to us to give us His life so that we can dwell in Him and He can dwell in us.