(Adapted from a sermon preached on August 26, 2018)

I read a story recently about a little boy’s first communion. His parents had told him that the bread and juice were the body and blood of Jesus, and he went forward excited to find out what this might mean. When the boy tasted the bread, however, his face turned sour. “My Jesus is stale!” he said to his mother. “I need another one.” The mother hurried to get him some grape juice so she could keep him quiet.

This story, while humorous, illustrates an important point: it’s difficult to know what we mean when we say that we’re receiving the body and blood of Jesus.

In the gospel of John, Jesus tells us that “those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them” (John 6:56). But what does that mean? What does it mean to eat Jesus’ flesh, and drink His blood?

Some people believe that Jesus is referring to the Eucharist, to the consumption of bread and wine which we believe has become, in some sense, His body and blood.

Others think that eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood means making a faith commitment to follow Him, whatever the cost.

It’s likely that Jesus means both of these things, and maybe more. The gospel writings, after all, can be read on more than one level; they often have more than one meaning.

In any case, it seems clear that there’s power in the body and blood of Jesus. “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide me, in I in them,” Jesus says. Here Jesus seems to be speaking of His cosmic presence throughout the universe. Wherever we go, we are in the presence of Jesus; and He also lives within each of us. But to really abide in Him, to remain in close contact with Him, we need to be reminded of this presence – and the Eucharist is one way that this can happen.

In verse 58, Jesus goes on to say that His body is “the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:58). Here Jesus is referring to the miraculous feeding in the wilderness, where Moses and the people of Israel were fed by bread that seemed to be falling from the sky. As amazing as this event was, it’s nothing compared to what Jesus is offering us! For while the bread from heaven sustained the people of Israel in their journey, the people all died eventually – some not too long after this.

Physical food, no matter how nourishing, can only keep us going for so long. Eventually, all of our bodies will wear out and die.

The food Jesus offers us, by contrast, is spiritual food that will sustain us eternally. Our bodies will die, yes; but our spiritual connection to Jesus will remain.

Yes, there is power in the body and blood of Jesus. But accepting this truth, and living by it, isn’t always easy.

This gospel reading tells us that when Jesus’ disciples heard this teaching (about the bread of life), they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it” (John 6:60)?

One thing that makes this teaching difficult is our tendency to over-analyze it. It’s not enough to know that Jesus is present in the bread and wine; we want to know how.

But would such knowledge really help us? Maybe it’s better just to live in the mystery. As one Anglican theologian has said, “We believe that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist – but we’re not so rash as to try to explain how!” But there’s another reason this teaching is hard to accept, and that’s because of the claim it makes on us. You see, when we receive the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, we’re receiving a commission to be broken and poured out just as Jesus was.

When Jesus’ earliest disciples saw Him killed, they knew without question where this journey would take them. And many, I would bet, figured this out earlier. So we read in verse 66 that “because of this many of His disciples turned back and no longer went about with him” (John 6:66). This is a common temptation, whenever the life of faith gets difficult. And if we think it’s always going to be easy, we’re probably kidding ourselves!

I’m reminded of a story the Baptist preacher Tony Campolo once told about a unit of the coast guard that was stationed near New Jersey when a hurricane struck – and the ship was starting to break up.

At this point the captain woke up the men under his command, most of whom were sleeping, and told them they needed to go out to sea.

“Captain, if we go out, we might never come back,” one of the men shot back.

“I’m not asking you to come back,” the captain said. “I’m asking you to go out!”

This is the sort of commitment Jesus is looking for. He wants us to have such faith that we will follow Him wherever that may lead – even when we can’t see how it could possibly end well for us. The truth of the matter is that there are few guarantees in life, no matter who we follow – and with Jesus it’s no different.

Jesus doesn’t guarantee us that when we follow Him we will be happy every step of the way. He doesn’t guarantee us that we will be free of persecution or scorn. He doesn’t guarantee us that we will live a long and peaceful life. He doesn’t guarantee us that we will be rich or famous or successful in the eyes of the world. Jesus doesn’t even guarantee us that we will live to see tomorrow! What Jesus does guarantee is that He will be with us every step of the way – and that if we can trust His loving presence enough to keep following Him, it will be well worth it.

Indeed, if can really accept Jesus – both his gifts to us (through His life, death, resurrection and presence in our lives) and His claims on us – we will be blessed beyond what we can imagine.

Following Jesus won’t make our life easier, but it will make it more meaningful and more rewarding – both now and in the life to come. So let us come to Jesus today in faith. Let us receive Him in faith, and let us go forth in faith, sustained by the power of His spirit within us.