11. Meditation: Chapter 10. The Food Question

Chapter 10

The Food Question

John 6:22-71

Jesus Corrected Some Wrong Notions

There are two kinds of food which Jesus mentioned in the conversation with the crowd who seek Jesus positively (John 6:27). The material food is the basic need for our flesh, but the spiritual food which abides unto life eternal is much more important than the meals. For manshould not live by bread alone, but by every word which goes out through God's mouth. The crowd sought Jesus earnestly in order that they could eat the earthly food. However, they are missing the focus, and our Lord wants to tell the crowd that "I Am" true, spiritual and heavenly bread, and the material food is not the true bread actually (Isaiah 55:2). Only the bread of life (Jesus Christ) could satisfy the spiritual needs of human.

Let us apply the sayings of our Lord to our precious Christian faith. Christians are the people of eternity. We are sojourners here, in other words, we live here now for eternity. In the more intense sense, God is using the school of time and sufferings to educate and train us to be eternal kings. Therefore our short life time is very meaningful and purposeful in the light of eternity (2 Corinthians 4:17). Oh, let the eternity now dominates and transforms the full details of our life. Let us seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:31-33) and loose our strong hold of that which is temporary and earthly (Colossians 3:1-3). For we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things that are seen are for a time, but those that are not seen eternal.

Furthermore, Jesus corrected the wrong conception of the God's work. In our old religious notions, we think that Christians should "do" something for God, and when we "do" many things for God, we believe these are God's works. Therefore today the modern Christianity is full of manifold kinds of services and works for God by natural zeal, but the Lord don't approve them (Matthew 7:21-23). John 6:28-29: They said therefore to him, What should we do that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he has sent (Darby Bible Version). The crowd mentioned the works of God in plural way, but Jesus talked about the work of God in singular way. In God's sight, His own work is singular. And His work is the Son of God. All the God's leadings and dealings with us are intended to produce and form the fuller measure of His son in us by the Holy Spirit and the cross, so that we are confirmed to Christ more and more. Therefore God takes the activeinitiation and works in our spiritual life. And our part is to believe into (not to do) and cooperate with God, and watch for His intention, learn the spiritual lesson and get spiritual knowledge of Himself under His mighty hands in the circumstances arranged by Him. Hebrew 8:10: I am the God whom they believe into, to Me they are people whom I goes into (another translation from Greek original). God is our spiritual inheritance, when we believe into Him more and more deeper, His son will go into us and possess us as His peculiar treasure. We are inheriting Christ as our possession by believing into Him.

What is the service and work of God? That is the overflowing forth of life of God's Son spontaneously. The essential condition of service is full measure of Christ's life within the servant. What a challenge to us! The Chinese brother Watchman Nee (1903-1972) once said: service is not to do many works for God, but let God do His work in us (Ephesians 2:10). When God does His work in us (forming the full measure of Christ in us), then we would be His chosen and sent vessels to contribute His fullness so that the life of Christ could be reproduced and formed within other saints more andmore (Galatians 4:19; 2 Corinthians 4:12). That is divine order of the God's work and the law of spiritual travail. Our value of services and works will depend upon how much measure of Christ is formed in other people through us.

"I AM" The Living And Heavenly Manna

Here Jesus had some dialogues concerning the heavenly bread with the unbelieving Jews. And He treated the Jews as sinners and summoned them to believe and come to Him so that they could have life eternal. What a tragedy to the unbelieving Jews! They have long and glorious history with God in epoch of old testament, and the oracles and Moses' law are entrusted to them. The Jewish people have so many advantages and chances to be theimportant instrument to bring forth the glory and salvation of God unto the nations. However, they failed to fulfill their divine vocation, and they are also sinners in the epoch of new testament.

Let us learn some lessons from these dialogues for our spiritual benefits. John 6:31: Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. This verse teaches us that Christians cannot always live in past glorious experiences. We need to count the blessings and graces of Lord in past days with a grateful heart so that He will again deserve our praise and worship, and we also could be encouraged by His unchanging faithfulness and mercy (Psalms 103:2). However, meanwhile, let us remember to press on forward positively in order that the past experiences would not be the obstacles of progressing onward (Luke 9:62; Hebrews 12:1-2; Philippians 3:13-14).

John 6:32: Jesus therefore said to them, Verily, verily, I say to you, It is not Moses that has given you the bread out of heaven; but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. God cares about our spiritual condition at the present time. Do we have fresh experience and knowledge of Lord Himself day by day? Do we have new acquisition and discovery when we read the bible by the Anoiting? Do we have an opened heaven so that the words of God could come down out of heaven, and we eat the heavenly manna to get strength, energy and vitality for our heavenly pilgrimage in the wilderness of the present evil world? These questions are very searching to all of us! It is the matter of life and death, newness and oldness, freshness and staleness, living faith and dead religion, present recognition and past doctrine, or revelation and tradition. And the work of cross is going to deliver us from the latter into the former gradually. Oh! May our Father ever give us the living bread out of the opened heaven.

Eat His Flesh And Drink His Blood

John 6:53: Jesus therefore said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Unless ye shall have eaten the flesh of the Son of man, and drunk his blood, ye have no life in yourselves. This verse inspires us to think of the Lord's supper (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The Lord's supper is the core and firm foundation of faith of God's chosen people. The Lord's supper is not a ceremonial of Christian religion, but the Lord intends it to announce and portray out His mighty resurrection from the death before the spiritual eyes of the saints (Galatians 3:1; 1 Corinthians 1:23; 2:2; 15:3-4). For our very life is rooted deeply in His mysterious death. Without His death, we could not have His life of resurrection within us.

John 6:51: the bread withal which I shall give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The bread is the crucified Christ. And what does it mean to eat His flesh and drink His blood? That is to draw upon and live (grow) into the deeper and fuller meaning of the crucified and resurrected Christ. The teachings of each epistle in new testament are the unfolding, disclosure and explanation of this crucified and resurrected Christ as our all in all. We desperately need the Anoiting to reveal us the tremendous changes, profound significances and mighty impacts accomplished by the salvation of cross. May the Spirit of truth guide us into the reality in Christ progressively by reading His words!