I hoped this title might direct our attention and thoughts as we continue to examine Christ’s words concerning His being—being our true food.
There is a growing awareness in this nation that eating rightly demands the eating of whole, living foods. Raw organic vegetables, grains, fish, and meats can supply our bodies with the necessary nutrients needed for growth and health. However, over-processed, over-cooked, canned, packaged, and additive filled foods do not fully supply to us what is needed. Much more can be added concerning this, but our real focus is the spiritual, and we are using these natural things to point to a spiritual reality.
Again, we look at John 6:53-58 even more carefully so that Christ’s words concerning Himself may be better understood. Here He declares Himself to be true food, and as we look more closely at His proclamation, He states that the one who eats His flesh has eternal life. In verse 51, He proclaims Himself to be the living bread that came out of the heavens. Thus we see Him as the complete living bread, or every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth, which gives true eternal life to all who will eat of Him. Eternal life is the giving to us of Him who is life eternal.
Now, this is the positive side of His words, but the negative side of these matters must also be realized, because what we eat determines the life that is within. It is either natural, created life, or the eternal life of the Lamb.
There is “food” which actually gives little or no spiritual health benefits. In fact there are health dangers in many or most of these foods. Canned food represents what is not living, not fresh, but what can be contaminated by its container and is lifeless due to the processing. Thus we see the distinction between giving to others the living one Himself or “Christian food” filled with tradition, fillers, filters and lifeless truths that carry notransformational benefits. We must eat the living One in order to be living by His life, and we must offer others the same living One if they are to experience and know Him as New life.
We’ve been given the living heavenly manna, the whole loaf, the eternal complete Lamb, therefore let us come and dine of Him and invite all the others to this feast. If we are not experiencing full, vibrant, joyful life, let us now begin to dine on and with Him. He is the One cure for all spiritual deficiencies. This may seem over-stated, yet if we taste, we will discover that the Lamb is just what the doctor has ordered. A balanced diet is the eating of the whole Lamb of God, not the Lamb mixed with traditions, doctrines, theology, and fables. Yes, there is sound biblical doctrine, and it absolutely is the person of Christ, the Son of the living God for He is the Truth!
Mixture is perhaps the greatest danger. Jesus plus anything else is the recipe for spiritual deception and disaster. It is Him and Him alone. Some actually believe mixture to be necessary in order to preserve (longevity), enhance (change the taste), or make the food more palatable. However, we cannot improve on the Godhead’s perfect food, the eternally perfect Lamb enthroned. So let us be warned about the dangers of human minded mixture. It always detracts, sidetracks, diminishes, steals, and kills the vision, focus, and life of the One who is true living food.
The scriptures are given as a testimony to and of the One, (John 5:39-40), and must be understood as such. This demands the Holy Spirit’s revealing of the person who is the living word who preceded this written testimony. May the Holy Spirit, through the scriptures and by the beholding and eating of Him, direct our hearts and focus out of the land of type and shadows and into our promised land, life, and dwelling place, the beingin Christ. May the mystery be replaced by veils being removed and the Lamb being revealed in us as believers. And may we forever eat of Him who is fullness as our fullness.
John 6:26-27
Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”