The Words of Life

Today's Reading: John 6:60-69

Many times our first reaction to hearing about God's expectation of us is to evaluate it in terms of our ability to accomplish it -- humanly speaking. We think that we are the "masters of our fate, the captains of our soul," and therefore are able to be self-sufficient in all things. That first reaction can include serving God.

Jesus' discourse in the preceding verses about Him being the "bread of life" and "eating His flesh" and "drinking His blood" would, of course, offend the sensibilities of any self-respecting Jew. Any perception of an actual act of spiritual cannibalism could not be tolerated. Even those listening who realized He was speaking in an allegorical sense would have found their capacity to accomplish such a task woefully lacking.

Of course, we understand Jesus was not referring to spiritual cannibalism, but to spiritual absorption. Later, Jesus would speak to His disciples about the Comforter coming to enable them to accomplish what He was leaving for them to do. Their human condition (and ours) would not allow them to do what needs to be done. The necessary power does not rest in us. That power can only come from God.

The power they derived and we derive to absorb Jesus' essence is provided by the Holy Spirit God has given us. That absorption made itself known in the disciples' lives and makes itself known in our lives by attitudes and actions of each life to honor God by serving Him.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:18 to "be filled with the Spirit." The Holy Spirit already indwells us. The filling is a repeated process. Paul is not saying that we get more of the Holy Spirit, but that He gets more of us over and over!

In verse 63 where Jesus says, "It is the Spirit who gives life...," the word translated life is the one used to define raising the dead to life. In His phrase at the end of the same verse, "...the words I have spoken to you are about spirit and life," the word translated life refers to the principle of life in the spirit and soul. Jesus, in one statement, encompasses the spiritual aspect of life that results in the most valuable form of life -- the one eternal.

We absorb food to sustain life. Denial of food to the body will result in the body dying. We must absorb the essence of Jesus to sustain spiritual life here. The sustaining of spiritual life here will result in eternal life in the future.

Real life -- living for God here and with God in the future -- can only be done through the power He gives. He has given it for us to find in His word.

- Danny Valdetero