February
3, 2003
YOU
ARE THE CHRIST!
"But
Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You
have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe
and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'
" (John 6:68, 69, NKJV).
Some
of Christ's followers left Him because of His references to
eating His flesh. Jesus had said to the worshipers in Capernaum,
"Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood,
you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks
My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the
last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink
indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in
Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live
because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because
of Me" (John 6:53-57).
Jesus
again makes reference to His flesh and blood at the end of
His ministry on earth during the last supper with His disciples
referred to in John 13:2-17 and 1 Corinthians 11:24, 25. Paul
records, "For I received from the Lord that which I also
delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in
which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks,
He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this
is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance
of Me.' In the same manner He also took the cup after
supper, saying, 'This cup is the new
covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in
remembrance of Me.' For as often as you eat this bread
and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He
comes" (1 Cor. 11:23-26).
In Scripture
Jesus is called the Word. "And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). It is by dwelling and
meditating on His Word, and in prayer, that we feed on Him
and receive His nourishment and His values into our lives.
On Calvary's cross, Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of
the human race. And because of God's gifts, we all have received
life from the Source of life, and we all have the opportunity
to receive the eternal life that God has to offer. Eternal
life is a gift that comes only through accepting the provision
that God has made for us through Jesus, His Son (see John
3:35, 36).
What
a transference. "For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew
no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness
of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). It is by receiving Jesus
and feeding on His Word that you and I receive His life and
His graces. And this life we receive most fully when obeying
His Word. "If you love Me, keep
My commandments... He who has My commandments and keeps them,
it is he who loves Me" (John 14:15, 21). As we
receive Him into our life, we become one with Him.
Some
of Christ's followers turned away from Him because this feeding
on His "flesh" and "blood" was more than
they could handle. Jesus turned to the twelve and asked, "Do
you also want to go away?"
"But
Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You
have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe
and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"
(John 6:67-69).
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