Matthew 26:26-29
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.’”
Every Sunday at church we have a special time during service where we take communion. We eat the bread which signifies Jesus’ body and drink the wine which signifies His blood. And until He comes again, we will continue to take communion as a way of remembering his sacrifice; a sacrifice that reconciles us with the Father. A sacrifice that gives us the ability to choose life over death. A sacrifice that brings us hope, peace, and freedom. A very important part of Sunday morning service indeed!
But have you ever wondered why God chose this particular tradition to honor Jesus’ sacrifice? Why would He want us to eat and drink in order for us to remember what His Son did for us? After all, God created the church - He could have conjured up any type of ritual He wanted! But He chose communion as way for Christians to never forget the cross. So….what is it about eating and drinking that is so significant?
This was the same question I asked myself. As I looked up different scriptures on communion, I stumbled upon several in John chapter 6. And it was these scriptures that put everything into perspective.
This chapter starts out with one of Jesus’ miracles - He feeds five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. The crowd followed Jesus in search of more food to eat. Being aware of this, Jesus told them, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that ensures to eternal life, which the Son on Man will give you.” (verse 27). The crowd asked more questions, wondering what kind of work God required of them. Very simply, Jesus answers with this: that they believe in Him, the one whom God sent!
The crowd became somewhat skeptical. They asked what kind of signs would He send so that they would see and believe in Jesus. They referred back to their ancestors who were led by Moses out of Egypt where they were enslaved. Their ancestors spent many days traveling through the desert to Canaan, the land God promised to give them. As the Israelites became hungry, God miraculously sent down mana from heaven. Manna was a flaky substance made of bread. This was a sure sign that God was present in their journey and was taking care of them, providing for their every need.
In verses 32 and 33 Jesus replies, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Hearing this made the crowd ask for this bread. But what they didn’t realize was Jesus was actually referring to Himself! Let’s continue to read verses 35 to 38:
“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.’”
Jesus describes Himself as the bread of life, and whoever comes to Him and believes in Him will never go hungry or thirsty. What exactly is Jesus talking about in these verses?
To understand this concept more, let’s think about what bread does for our bodies. Without food, our bodies do not get the nourishment they need to survive. Several things take place when our bodies lack the appropriate amount of nutrients:
Malnutrition
Weak immune system
Loss of energy
Permanent organ damage
When our bodies are not being fed, they suffer tremendously. Eventually this can lead to death if not treated. But what does this have to do with Jesus? Remember He referred to Himself as the bread of life. And if eating provides for our bodies and keeps us healthy and alive, then Jesus does the same for us spiritually!
So… what can happen when we don’t have Jesus in our lives? Spiritual starvation! Let’s look at these side effects of starvation in a more spiritual sense:
1. Malnutrition
Malnutrition is when your body does not get the right amount of nutrients. Nutrients provide nourishment essential for growth, such as protein, vitamins, and minerals. Spiritually speaking, without Jesus in our lives we are not getting the proper “nutrients” in order to grow and stay healthy. A great example of gaining spiritual nourishment is through reading the Bible. The Bible is full of lessons about Jesus’ life and ministry. When we learn about Jesus, we are constantly feeding our minds with stories, lessons, and encouragement. This allows us to gain the proper vitamins and minerals like love, forgiveness, peace, hope, etc. In other words, reading the Bible creates a healthy brain and a healthy heart. A healthy brain knows how to think and react in a godly way, and a healthy heart knows how to show godly love in the same way Jesus demonstrated!
Without Jesus, we aren’t learning or growing spiritually. We become lost, wondering how to obtain these “nutrients” we may want to grow in but aren’t sure how to do so. These characteristics can be very hard (and even impossible) to obtain because only through Jesus can we learn how to be loving, generous, forgiving, peaceful human beings. Why? Because He is the only one who demonstrated them perfectly! He is the ultimate role model for Christians. When we allow Jesus to transform our hearts with the good nutrients only He can provide, we allow Him to teach us how to change, grow, and mature in all areas of our hearts.
2. Weak Immune System
The immune system is a network of cells, tissues, and organs that help the body fight off infections and other diseases. It recognizes bacteria, viruses, and parasites and gets rid of them. Remember that nutrition includes the stuff our body needs to survive. This includes vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin D. These vitamins help to keep your body healthy. And we all know the more of these we put into our bodies, the less likely we are to get sick.
Does this relate to Jesus? Well, let me ask you this: Do you notice when your diet starts going in an unhealthy direction? Do you tend to pick up more germs? It’s the same way with our spirituality! If our minds and hearts are not receiving the proper “vitamins” to stay spiritually strong, what can we expect the end result to be? Sickness! There are many sicknesses in the world; rage, theft, murder, abuse, slander, grudges, envy, drunkenness, selfishness, the list goes on. When we start to slack on our daily studying of God’s Word, we are learning less and less about Jesus and how He teaches us to avoid/deal with worldly sicknesses. That’s why we need the Word of God - so we know how to walk down the path of righteousness and build our resilience to the many struggles and sins we may encounter. Jesus stayed clear of worldly sicknesses because he stayed close to the Father and kept His mind and heart healthy with the nutrients found only from scripture. And when we do the same, we can fight off those sicknesses too!
3. Loss of Energy
A healthy balanced diet of nutrition gives us energy to make it through each day. Energy-producing vitamins such as vitamin B12 are necessary for our daily functions. When our bodies lack the proper amount of nutrients, where are we getting our energy from? Without the proper vitamins, the body is no longer able to function as successfully. We are left feeling tired, our heart rate slows down, we feel faint, and our muscles become weak.
Let’s face it - life is tough! It can bring us down. We can become overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion, and even depression. We can lose motivation to keep trying when we don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. We slowly slip into a spiritual depression and can no longer remember the hope we once had. During our weakest moments, where can we find that hope again? Jesus! As we study God’s Word, we learn more about Jesus and all of the amazing opportunities we have been given through His sacrifice; reconciliation, grace, mercy, promise, forgiveness, peace. What does all of this do to us spiritually? It gives us motivation! We come to understand that even though this world is tough, there is something better waiting for us. Our hope is not on earthly matters, but on a confidence that God has everything under control. Through His Son we have so much to celebrate; so much to be thankful for! And we eagerly share what He has done for us with others who are struggling to find hope in their lives. He will teach us and bless us in new ways we never thought possible, until we are able to spend eternity with Him!
4. Organ Damage
During the process of starvation, eventually the body has no choice but to find other ways to receive nutrients and energy. It resorts to eating energy stores, like carbohydrates. Next comes the consumption of fats and then muscle, including the cardiac muscle. This causes the heart to slowly shut down and can no longer function, which ultimately leads to death.
As human beings, our hearts long for purpose. We seek fulfillment. We need comfort. So we use the world around us to obtain these needs. We look to many different sources; money, fame, success, work, relationships, sex, entertainment, the list goes on. As we experiment with these different things, they satisfy us for a short time. But the fulfillment wears off. We are back to how we started - feeling empty. Just as the body may be receiving “food” as it resorts to eating from other sources, the end result only does damage because it’s not receiving good nutrients from the correct source. Our bodies can only compensate for so long before the heart deteriorates. And our spirit can only compensate for so long before our hearts become damaged.
Jesus is the correct source of nutrients and the only way to a satisfied life! When we walk in His footsteps, we have complete fulfillment. How? Well, let’s consider His characteristics: He helped others. He grew in perseverance. He overcame temptation. He had self control over His feelings and actions. And most importantly, He had a wonderfully strong relationship with God who He could depend on and trust. Wow! That sounds like a fulfilling life to me! Fulfillment comes from striving to live a life just as Jesus lived; a life that allows you to do the impossible! We can overcome addiction. We can learn to be selfless. We can come to forgive others. We can grow in love. We can choose peace over conflict. If Jesus could do impossible things, then so can we! How did He do it? Not through other sources that gave Him temporary fulfillment, power or comfort, but through the power God gave Him. God will give us what we need to do the impossible too!
Jesus - the Bread of Life! The correct source of nutrients for our spiritual selves. Just as God protected the Israelites in the desert by providing manna, He is also protecting us by providing His Son. Through Jesus’ life, ministry, and sacrifice we are given everything we need to survive. We can grow and mature in our character. We can fight off worldly sicknesses and know how to handle temptation. We are able to stay motivated and hopeful. And we will always have fulfillment. Those who choose to constantly seek Him will never go hungry. The next time you take communion, remembered the bread you break. Remember what it signifies. Whenever we have Jesus, we have life. And we have it to the fullest!
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