John 6:55

“My flesh is tangible food and my blood is actual drink,” Jesus says.  “This is not make-believe—it’s real!” John 6:55 EFP

I get the sense Jesus really wants the people to understand clearly what he is trying to communicate.  Yet every verse only makes the journey steeper.  Just when a person is opening their mind to a spiritual application of the blood and flesh of the teacher, Jesus makes this declaration!  “Flesh and blood means flesh and blood.”  It is real.  It is tangible and concrete.

This would have been understandable if Jesus was making a statement about himself—he is real.  His body and blood are real.  That makes sense. But Jesus makes this statement on the heels of the statement regarding eating his flesh and drinking his blood. It’s as if he is saying, “Don’t think I am talking about something other than the real thing.”  Is he saying that I will actually eat his real body and drink his real blood?  How is that possible?  If you are feeling uneasy, you should be.  It seems Jesus is trying his best to create that feeling in his listeners.  Why? I can’t help but believe there is a sense of Jesus pushing me outside my comfort zone.

Why would Jesus make the most wonderful gift ever bestowed on humanity seem so disgusting and repelling?  Is there something about believing in Jesus and his sacrifice that causes a gut-level disgust?  If I am left with this question, I can imagine how those people felt who heard it for the first time.  Stay tuned