Feasting on God's Faithfulness

The first thing that God gave to mankind (Adam and Eve) was food to “freely eat.” (Genesis

2:16) He gave so much to us, there is such a variety available, and the love manifested through

service in its preparation makes it taste even more delicious. He made the physical world to

show us His goodness. Many of the figures of speech and allegories used in Scripture involve

the subjects of farming and food. The depth of understanding into the character of God and

spiritual matters that can be gained through knowledge in this area is beautiful. Jesus told

Nicodemus, in John 3:12, “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye

believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” Not only does God reveal wisdom to obtain the most

from physical food, but He has given us spiritual food that was made available through the body

and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to sustain us and meet our every need.

Jesus says that the bread he will give for the life of the world is his flesh. Not long after

speaking this, this perfect Son of God was tortured and executed as an innocent man. His death

paid the penalty for the sin of an ungrateful world in order to provide forgiveness, reconciliation

with God, healing and eternal life for those who would receive it.

    John 6:51:

    I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he

    shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life

    of the world.

He gave his flesh and Jesus is asking people to “eat” him. It sounds pretty crazy and if you read

the rest of the record you’ll see that it upset quite a few of his followers. Good thing his

disciples understood he was speaking figuratively, or else the last supper would have looked

more like a cannibalistic tribal ceremony instead of a farewell dinner. Jesus, as the Word made

flesh, came to be our Passover lamb in order to deliver us from the pains of death. When we

receive his words not just with our minds but into our hearts seeking to apply them, we are

“eating” his flesh. When you eat something you take it into your body to utilize it for

nourishment, growth and/or comfort. Jesus Christ can be all of that for us, meeting our physical,

spiritual and emotional needs. You have probably heard the expression “You are what you eat.”

Well, we can feast on Jesus’s words to become more like him.