Elevate

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So 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. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread[a] the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus[b] said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:52-69

Jesus came to help us be with Him and the Father. His desire is that we would not remain stuck with a worldly mindset, but would be elevated to seek things beyond this world. Yet to explain life in the heavens, Jesus had to use imagery which would produce a visceral understanding. What could be more gut wrenching than partaking in a feast that involved Him, Jesus, the bread of life?

Jesus makes reference to the bread from heaven in Moses' day in John 6:32-33. This is an example of an earthly understanding, where God would provide for our earthly needs. Jesus performed this same miracle on the shores of Galilee, when he multiplied bread and fish to feed 5,000. In order to help us understand what happens in the spiritual realm, he is illustrating how we are satisfied in the physical sense. But the true nature of our satisfaction is not with food and water, it is with God Himself. A closer spiritual explanation is when Moses and the elders were feasting on God in Exodus 24:

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.

Abiding in Jesus spiritually, is to feast on His Spirit. Fasting from the world, is to be dependent upon Him. Jesus was using positive affirmations of eating and drinking, to seek Him spiritually by hungering and being satisfied by His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, God's Spirit.

Those who chose to followed Jesus even after this difficult teaching, were seeking things beyond what this world could give them. They saw no other way except to follow Jesus. In seeking the truth, they were hungering for His Spirit, and in doing so they found salvation. All Jesus asked that they do is to believe.

How can we believe?

Seek after Jesus because there is no other option. There is no other means of relating with God except through Jesus, because it is His Spirit that we must abide with.

Nothing of this world can satisfy what God provides. This world is a construct set up so that the harvest of God's people would be realized. The true thing we seek is with God.

Be satisfied by feasting upon His Spirit, and abiding in Jesus so that He may abide in us. To understand what it means to abide in Jesus, is to have our nourishment from Him.

Father,

Thank you for your son Jesus whose truth and Spirit is enough. I can imagine it was difficult for Him to teach us heavenly things, and at the same time it is challenging for us to understand. As Jesus said, "Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?" How much more difficult would it be to understand what it means to abide in you if Jesus did not come to be with us, but stayed seated in the heavens. No, you care enough that Jesus came to be with us so that we would understand. Help us to be elevated in our thoughts and understanding so that we can believe in You. Elevate us so that we may be closer to you and follow your ways until we are united with you in Spirit.