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Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.
This sounds very much as if Jesus is talking about what we will celebrate here today as Holy Communion
But as you know one of the many interesting things about John’s Gospel is that there is no eucharist at the last supper – no sharing of bread and wine
Instead we have the washing of the disciples feet as the action which Jesus asks his disciples to repeat in his name. What are we to make of this?
Well I think we have the answers to this puzzle in chapter 6 – which we have spent 5 weeks on in the lectionary
In Chapter 6 we begin with the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, then the calming of the storm which proves that Jesus comes from God and then we go into a lengthy discourse on the bread of life including statements such as these
I am the bread of life …
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.
It appears clear that this is a meditation on the eucharist
A meal which is shared and in which we share in Christ
This discourse in John 6 has this one central idea – that the route to eternal life is through Christ
As part of this, Jesus compares himself to the live-giving manna of the Old Testament – the manna of Moses did not last
And Moses said to them, ‘Let no one leave any of it over until morning.’ But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each needed; but when the sun grew hot, it melted. (Ex 16:19-21)
So Manna lasted only a day – it was literally “ephemeral”
Here a contrast is made between the spiritual that comes down from heaven – like Jesus who comes down from heaven from God and so is eternal – and the physical which is ephemeral like the manna in the desert
I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty
This distinction has a particular significance for us at the moment as we have been sharing in a spiritual communion since the pandemic began
If joining us on-line then sharing in psiritual communion in entirety
For those present in church then sharing physically in bread but still spiritually in wine
And it is perhaps helpful in a way to focus us on what is important here
It is important that in Christ God is with us physically
It is also important that in Christ we are with God spiritually
These things are in tension
There is – as often with the divine – a paradox in the importance of both the spiritual and of the physical
At the outset of John’s Gospel he tells us of “the mystery of the incarnation” as we hear every Christmas
The word became flesh and dwelt among us
“Incarnate” means made flesh
We know that both body and spirit are important
We are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of metal health – to be well both in body but also in mind and spirit
As the Romans had it mens sana in corpore sano – this was the sign above the door at the Grayshott health spa – now sadly closed.
Or as Paul put it
our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
In this struggle we have choices to make – as the disciples did
So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
This is the over-riding theme through the discourse in John 6 – that a decision is required – a conscious decision to do the work of God – to believe that Jesus is sent by God and a determination to follow him:
In John’s Gospel it is clear that it is important to have spiritual communion with God through the sharing of bread,
Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you
However, the way to eternal life is by following Christ entirely and that includes self-sacrifice on behalf of our fellow brothers and sisters – washing feet
To make the point – that there is no guarantee that having received the bread of the eucharist we will be saved – John links this passage to the last supper by referring to Jesus’s betrayal: “But among you there are some who do not believe.” In chapter 13 in answer to the question “who will betray Jesus?”
Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him… So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. (John 13:26-27,30)
It is a warning to us as we receive the Eucharist today that this physical and spiritual union with God is not the end of our salvation – but only its beginning and we will need the full armour of God to continue that journey. Amen
Sermon preached by Revd Christopher Hancoock at St Mary’s, Headley 22nd August, 2021
Watch it here
The Word on the Hill 