Title: Flesh and Blood / John 6:52-71
Subject: Flesh and Blood (John 6:52-71)
Jesus continues the story in a long explanation of the incident of Oh Byung-Eye.
The reason Jesus performed the five-year-old incident was what he had done to the Jews who went up to Jerusalem for the Passover, and in this event, the Jews remembered that God had provided manna through Moses.
So they tried to solve the problem of fleshly food through Jesus Christ.
But the Lord introduces Himself to them as the [Bread of Life] that came down from heaven.
In addition, Jesus said a riddle-like saying that you must eat this very bread of life to live forever.
1. The Jewish Misunderstanding
1) The Jews who heard these words took the word of the Lord literally.
John 6:52 For this reason the Jews quarreled with one another, saying,
How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
In other words, they are taking Jesus' words literally and misunderstanding them as sharing his flesh.
2) Often this misunderstanding has continued throughout history.
①In ancient Rome
At that time, there were many cases of kidnapping children in Rome, but it was said that Roman soldiers would catch the kidnappers.
Entering the den where Christians worship, and during the sacrament
[Take and eat; this is my body. Drink this, all of you... My blood, the blood of the covenant, shed for many.]
Hearing this, he went out and said that Christians were [vampires] that eat flesh and blood.
② Even in the early church in our country
2. Meaning of [Flesh and Blood]
1) Association of the Passover lamb
[Flesh and blood] reminds us of the first Passover lambs that the Jews had on the day of the plagues when the firstborn of Egypt died. By applying the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorposts, not only did disasters pass through salvation, but the Jews also experienced the meaning of salvation and accepted it as their own by roasting the flesh that night and eating it. In other words, the flesh and blood of the Passover lamb became the sign of salvation for the Jews in Egypt.
Likewise, Jesus is testifying of his flesh and blood as the sign of salvation.
2) The true meaning of [Flesh and Blood]
This [flesh and blood] refers to the body sacrifice that Jesus Christ took on the cross when He died for sinners. It signifies the event of redemption by dying in the place of sinners.
In other words, it means the vicarious sacrifice offered by his body on the cross.
John 19:34 One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
3. What it means to eat flesh and blood
1) Connection with the Eucharist
Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and many other theologians and modern theologians adamantly reject the Eucharistic meaning in the sense of the act of [eat and drink]. The reason is a gesture to be free from the errors of Roman Catholicism.
Because, in Catholicism, the bread and cup are actually turned into [the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ] at the celebration of the Eucharist in the Eucharist, so unless you eat and drink it, you have no eternal life.
This is the bible John 6:53
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.
because of the literal interpretation of
It is a declaration to avoid thinking that partaking of the Lord's Supper is an act that governs salvation.
2) The original meaning of [eat and drink]
This is not a present tense in Greek, but a simple past tense (aerist) tense, meaning an event that occurred only once in the past.
3) [Those who eat and drink] are introduced in several ways in the text of Chapter 6.
* one who believes
John 6:35b... He who believes in me will never thirst.
John 6:47 ... Whoever believes has eternal life.
* One who comes to the Lord
John 6:35 ... He who comes to me will never go hungry...
* Those who see and believe
John 6:40 ...For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him has eternal life...
*learn from him
John 6:45 ... Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me.
* Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood
John 6:54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life...
4)[Eat and drink] means to believe in the substitutionary death.
that Jesus Christ died for sinners and was sacrificed on the cross,
It is believing in the event of redemption by dying for sinners.
In other words, it means believing in the substitutionary sin offering of His body on the cross.
4. Results
1) You will have the assurance of salvation.
John 6:54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.
I will raise him up on the last day
that you already have eternal life.
2) It means Christ and [union with Christ].
John 6:56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
The word [dwelling] is the word [living], which means perfect communion with Christ.
1 John 3:24 He who keeps his commandments abides in the Lord, and the Lord in him.
We know that he abides in us by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
3) Live by [relying on] Christ.
John 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father.
He who eats me will live because of me.
①Jesus says that he lives because of (reliance on) God.
John 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father.
When the Lord was tempted by Satan, Satan said in Matthew 4:3
[If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread]
[Because you are the Son of God, exercise your divine privileges and use your divine powers,
meet the needs of your body]
The Lord came to take [the image of a servant] obedient and bear the way of the cross,
It is a test of whether you should use that power for the work of God.
Of this the Lord said, Matt. 4:4
[Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
did it]
He showed that he was completely dependent on God.
② We must depend on Jesus Christ to live.
He who eats me will live because of me.
Just as we eat and live day by day, we must [eat and live] Jesus Christ.
**** conclusion ****
1. Let us believe that the atoning death of Jesus Christ is for our salvation.
1) You will have the assurance of salvation.
2) Union with Christ.
3) You will live depending on Christ.