Eat and Live

Introduction

Some eat to live. Others live to eat. If you are the former then you are eating for nutrition. This phrase “eat to live” is often used in dieting circles to focus on nutritional and healthy meals that allow the body to function metabolically at its best. Much of the time the meals focus more on fruits, vegetables, and limited amounts of meat. The other phrase “live to eat” focuses on food in a variety of contexts some good and some not so good. On the negative side, live to eat can mean that one is an emotional eater. A person who is upset, sad, or alone may eat food to soothe the emotions being felt. On the positive side are those who live to eat because they enjoy food. Food is a source of great delight and they associate food with good memories, entertainment, and time with friends and family.

One thing that is absolutely necessary for life is food. Food is the means that sustains life. We need the calories to survive. Without food one starves and dies. Food sustains life. From the time we are born we need food to survive. Spiritual life comes from spiritual food. In our text, Jesus says that he is the source of life. He is our spiritual food. He gives life and sustains life. Today we are going to be reminded that life and eating go together.

Comparison

After the last two signs, Jesus engages in a discussion with the people about bread. The people want Jesus to be like Moses and provide bread on a daily basis. Jesus reminds the people that Moses didn’t provide bread—only God could do that. In other words, they have set their sights too low. Jesus isn’t to be compared to Moses; he is to be compared to God. Jesus calls himself the bread of life, but he does so with the emphasis clearly on the first two words “I AM the bread of life.”

This first of seven “I AM” statements in John’s writing are designed to shout out that Jesus is God. Remember the incident in which Moses met God at the burning bush? In Exodus 3, Moses is being called to serve God by being the leader for Israel to come out of Egyptian captivity. In verses 13–15, Moses is trying to understand what is expected. And he is thinking about how he will be able to explain what has happened to him. So he asks God: when the people ask me who sent me, what name shall I use? And God answers, “I AM WHO I AM.”

God became known as the “I AM.” Jesus uses that designation in his seven “I AM” statements. This first one is clearly intended to align himself with God and to designate that he is the Messiah. Notice in 6:32 that he uses the phrase “my Father” again. As we already saw from 5:17 this phrase brought deep criticism and rejection. Then Jesus calls himself “I AM,” which would further intensify ill feelings. Then he says in 6:35 that those who come to him will never be hungry or thirsty, which is a reference to the Messiah’s work as seen in Isaiah 55:1 and 49:10. Then in 6:38, he says that he has come down from heaven, which results in the people grumbling.

The parallel with Moses is clear. When Moses brought food, the people grumbled. When Moses declared the will of God, the people complained. The people compare Jesus with Moses and the comparison is similar when we look at the people’s reaction. But Jesus is not willing to allow a human comparison. He calls on the people to make a divine comparison. Jesus makes the comparison obvious in verses 41–59: Moses’ bread was temporary. Those who ate it still died. But those who eat my flesh and drink my blood will live forever.

Four times in this brief interchange, Jesus has pronounced himself as I AM (v. 35, 41, 48, and 51). He has used the phrase “my Father” as a comparison to God. He has declared himself to be greater than Moses. He has declared that he is heaven-sent. Can you feel the tension? Can you get a sense of how volatile the situation is? From attempting to make him king in verse 15, the people are getting ready to turn on him. All they wanted was a lifetime of food. They needed food to live. They were folks who lived from day to day. If Jesus could feed them all for one meal, surely a lifetime of meals was possible. But this guy has a Messiah complex. He thinks himself God. He is losing touch with reality.

The reaction? We know this guy’s mother and father. Getting fed was a great sign that he could lead us politically. He could possibly be another Moses. But God? And Jesus piles it on: My body is real food and my blood is real drink. Real? Spiritual. No one is thinking cannibalism. It’s figurative and the people know that it is as well. What’s Jesus saying? You are thinking too small. You are settling for too little. You want a lifetime of food when I can give you an eternity of life. Why settle for today when you can have infinite tomorrows.

Result

What’s the result? Jesus says in verse 56 that those who seek him for spiritual food will not only have eternal life but there will be mutual indwelling. Jesus will speak more of this in John 15. Verse 57 demonstrates that life comes from the Father to Jesus and he can give life to those who want what Jesus has to offer.

As followers of Jesus eat to live. Only Jesus offers real life. We settle for less. We want comfort. We want painless existence. We want ease. We worry about so many things. We hold God hostage to our wants. We demand that he meet our needs. Like the people who followed Jesus, we want God to make life easier and simpler. We want the reward of heaven while making sure that we experience as much heaven on earth as we can. No wonder we have no joy. No wonder we struggle to understand what God is doing.

So how do we respond to this idea of eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus? Most of the time we think of the Lord’s Supper and while that is fine, I’m confident that Jesus wasn’t thinking of that as he spoke. How do you ingest Jesus? How do you make sure that you get your full daily requirement of Jesus so that you have life? Think of it this way—with Jesus you live.

Life going great? Remember that real life is with Jesus. Troubles? Real life is with Jesus. Relationship issues? Jesus gives real life. Hate your job? Jesus gives real life. Quit looking for solutions through your own strength. Trust that Jesus is the only one who can give real life.

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