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John 6:51-69

⁵¹ “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

⁵² The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

⁵⁹ Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

⁶⁰ When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” ⁶¹ But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? ⁶² Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? ⁶³ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) ⁶⁵ And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

⁶⁶ After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” ⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, ⁶⁹ and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In The Silver Chair (one of C.S. Lewis’s books in The Chronicles of Narnia series) there is a scene with a girl named Jill. She finds a stream and is very thirsty. But she is terrified to drink because a huge Lion is in her way. The Lion speaks to her, “If you are thirsty, come and drink.” But she is still too scared, so she doesn’t move. “Are you not thirsty?” the Lion asks. “I’m dying of thirst,” she replies. “Then drink,” says the Lion.

“Will you promise not to – do anything to me, if I do come?” she asks. “I make no promise,” says the Lion. “Do you eat girls?” Jill asks. The Lion responds, “I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms.” Jill responds, “I daren’t come and drink.”

“Then you will die of thirst,” says the Lion. Giving up, Jill says, “Oh dear! I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.” The Lion says with finality, “There is no other stream,” If you are familiar with The Chronicles of Narnia, you know that the Lion is a picture of Jesus.

Today’s Gospel text brings us to the grand finale of the last five weeks’ Gospel readings. The crowds that were fed with the fish and the loaves want Jesus to be their bread king who will provide for their physical needs. They do not realize they need more than food to live. Jesus tells the crowds that unless you eat the true bread of His body and drink the true drink of His blood, then they have no life. Jesus’ claim to be the only source of life offended the ears of the crowds. They were so offended that thousands no longer followed Him. Instead, they leave Jesus to starve in the wilderness of sin while they go looking for another stream.

But according to Jesus, there is no other stream. Either drink Jesus’ blood and live, or don’t drink and die. Either eat Jesus’ body and live, or don’t eat and die. There is no other drink. There is no other food. Apart from Jesus, there is no other stream. Jesus tells the crowds, “You need Me – Me alone and nothing else. Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. There is no other stream. Apart from Me there is no life.”

Yet, we, like the crowds, go looking and striving for life in all sorts of places where Jesus isn’t. Jesus has not promised to give life in the good gifts that God gives us. Our houses, no matter how comfortable, do not give us eternal life. Our careers, no matter how successful, do not give us eternal life. Our families, no matter how supportive, do not give us life. Our achievements, no matter how great, do not give us eternal life. Our commitments to God, no matter how grand, do not give us eternal life. They will all fade into nothingness.

Jesus says, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh is no help at all.” If these words do not offend you, you do not know how sinful you really are. You think you can drink from all sorts of other streams and find life, but there is no other stream. The only stream is Jesus. The only source of life is Jesus. Jesus says, “The bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

Jesus gave up His own body, His own flesh, on the cross for the life of the world. His life-giving blood was poured out from His pierced side. On the cross, Jesus has purchased and won your salvation. And, now, He delivers that salvation to you through His Word which is Spirit and life. He delivers that salvation to you in the waters of Baptism where He connects His life-giving Word to the water. Jesus delivers that salvation to you in the Spirit-filled words of the absolution. Jesus delivers that salvation to you as you come to His Supper where, through His Word of promise, He comes to you in body and blood in bread and wine.

Thousands of people left Jesus because of His words that day. They went looking for another stream. But they would find none. They would only find thirst in the desert of sin-parched land.

As they walk away, Jesus turns to the disciples and asks, “Do you want to go away as well?” Maybe they did. Maybe the disciples did want to look for another source of life, another stream. Yet, the Spirit used the Word of Jesus to bind the disciples to Jesus. Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You, and You alone, have the words of eternal life.”

To whom shall you go? Go to Jesus. Find Him where He has promised to be. Find Jesus in the waters of your baptism where God united you with Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-11). Find Jesus in the words of absolution where He, not your simply your pastor but God Himself, declares you to be forgiven of all your sin (Jn. 20:23). Find Jesus in the preaching of His Word because without hearing the Word of God, you will not believe and you will not have life (Ro. 10:17). Find Jesus in His Supper where He gives you His body to eat and His blood to drink (Mt. 26:26-29). Go to Jesus and nowhere else. There is no other stream. There is no other life. But where Jesus is, there is life, life eternal. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.