Twelfth Sunday after Trinity John 6:51-58 Ephesians 5:15-20

The teachings of Jesus can be hard to understand; especially when he says something like: ‘my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.’ So, if you would rather turn away now, I understand, even though I also think it would be a mistake to do so. One of the most difficult things for people to grasp in those early days of the Church was the reference to ‘eating and drinking’ the Son of Man. Drinking blood was forbidden anyway, so how can Jesus talk about himself as being ‘consumed’? Of course, as with many parables that he taught, Jesus was not speaking in literal terms but as metaphor. Again, he is talking about ‘bread from heaven’, making that connection with the Exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in the days of Moses, and God’s own provision of food each day, in the form of manna. But he was not turning his friends into cannibals! Instead, what he does seem to mean, is a reference to the bread and wine of the sacrament of Holy Communion, which he says is celebrated ‘in remembrance of him’. In partaking of the food that is offered in the Eucharist as Jesus’ body and his blood, we are partaking of the life that Jesus has offered us by dying on the cross on our behalf and rising again to give us the hope of eternal life. The bread of life, Jesus himself, is given to us through death, so that we may not die but enjoy new life for ever. How does this work, though? The physical food and drink we consume nourish us, of course, but each time it is temporary and needs to be repeated. So how can eating the true bread from heaven feed us for ever? Well, maybe part of King David’s story may help. One day, when he was fighting the Philistines who had occupied Bethlehem, David was thirsty and said aloud: ‘O if only I could have water from the well in Bethlehem!’ This was picked up by three of his most loyal followers and they risked their lives to get water from the well and brought it to David. But David wouldn’t have any of it. He said, ‘God forbid that I should drink the blood of these men who risked their lives in such a way!’ To David, drinking the water that the men had got for him at the risk of their lives would be akin to drinking their blood. He was not going to profit from their putting their lives on the line. And that is what Jesus means but in his case it is the other way around: He is going to risk his life; in fact, he is to give it completely, so that others can profit. In that sense, if we want to profit from Jesus’ work of salvation, we have to ‘eat his flesh and drink his blood’; in other words: accept the Son of Man, who is Son of God and Saviour of the world. In that sense, our spiritual and emotional hunger and thirst are truly satisfied. The reading from Ephesians complements it, saying that we should live as wise people, making the most of the time we have and being filled with the Spirit, as we ‘sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs making melody to the Lord in our hearts, giving thanks to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ God’s work through Jesus, the Word made flesh, is on offer to all who believe. This is the true nourishment that we need, the true bread from heaven. In the Holy Communion we are reminded of this as a foretaste of what is to come in the fullness of time, as God has determined. So take, eat, and rejoice in the provision of the living God, our Saviour. Amen.