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The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
January 2006
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The 11th Sunday after Pentecost (B)
[Pr. 15] Grace to you and peace from God our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! As Jesus says in our gospel lesson today: "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them." For the past three weeks, our gospel readings have been from the "BREAD OF LIFE" sermon by Jesus in the sixth chapter of John. And if you are like most people, you have probably been extremely befuddled by some of the strange sayings in these lessons such as the one I have just quoted. But actually, what Jesus is saying is neither obscure nor weird. He is simply saying, in essence, that YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! In a very real way, this is certainly true for the literal food that we eat. If we eat a lot of fatty and calorie-laden foods, we are probably going to be (to use a "politically correct" term)... TAPE-MEASUREDLY CHALLENGED! And if our diet is lacking in certain essential vitamins and minerals, we are likely to suffer from diseases and problems associated with that lack. But if we eat mostly healthy foods, then we have a much better chance of staying healthy than if we have an unhealthy diet. In a very real way, WE ARE WHAT WE EAT!! And what is true for literal food is even truer for the "food" of our HABITS and PRIORITIES that we have in our daily lives. Because they make us what we are INSIDE...in our HEARTS! And this is so in both positive and negative ways. Let's take a look at some negative things that we "feed" on regularly. For example, GOSSIP! Gossip is where we are always looking for the worst things about other people. And, let's be honest, we all "eat up gossip" each and every day! We are always eager to read or hear the latest dirt about someone else. For example, how many of us at least take a PEEK at the gossip tabloids such as The National Enquirer at the supermarket checkout lines?! Or watch television shows whose main purpose is to expose the intimate details (and scandals) in the lives of Hollywood and other famous personalities? I am sure that almost all of us have indulged in these activities from time to time! Supposedly, "Enquiring minds want to know!" about all these things. People enjoy FEEDING upon the latest gossip and hearing the most damaging dirt about others! If there wasn't a HUNGER for this kind of stuff, most of the supermarket tabloids would soon be out of business! We also do this every day in our families, in our neighborhoods, at school and at work, and even sometimes in the church! There is something almost irresistible about wanting to hear – and believe – and repeat the worst about other people! Gossip obviously hurts the person being gossiped about. It can damage or even destroy his or her reputation. But what is less apparent but is still very true is that we hurt OURSELVES when we gossip or spread rumors about others. Gossip, you see, tends to make us cynical people. We become more and more ready to always believe the worst about others. And the more that we "feed" upon gossip, the more that we are hungry and thirsty for more! We can never get enough! Other people (actually MOST people) hunger and thirst for having more and more material possessions. They are never quite satisfied with what they have. How many of us would like to have a new and better car, a bigger and better house (with new and better furniture to fill it up!), new and better clothes, a new and better computer system (with all kinds of new accessories and software to go with it!), and in general - a lot more money! You see, this is what having material things does to us...we are always hungering and thirsting for something more. It is sort of like drinking seawater...the more you drink, the thirstier you get!! In fact, this is true for all of our negative habits and priorities that I have mentioned. Whether it be gossiping or complaining or desiring more things...WE NEVER GET ENOUGH! We are never, ever completely satisfied! "Eating and drinking" these things only make us desire more...and we are never truly happy because we know that we can never "have it all"! But Jesus in our gospel lesson today invites us to "eat is flesh and drink his blood". And there are two aspects or meanings to this invitation. First of all, to "eat his flesh" means to let his way of living become OUR way of living. The people whom Jesus was talking to understood this very well. What Jesus was doing was inviting them to become as he was in their lives! To love and forgive others in the very same way that he loved and forgave people! To love and obey God as he did! When Jesus invited them to 'EAT HIS FLESH" he was inviting them to pattern their lives after his in every possible respect. But perhaps even more importantly, Jesus also invited them to "drink his blood". In the Jewish faith, the blood of a person or animal was synonymous with the LIFE of that person or animal. And it was in their Law that they should never drink the blood of an animal they killed for food or for sacrifice...but rather pour it out on the ground...for the LIFE was held to be sacred and always to be treated with respect and honor. Even today, genuine "kosher" meats always have the blood drained from them. The people whom Jesus was addressing certainly did not understand him to be literally inviting him to "drink his blood" anymore than he was literally inviting them to "eat his flesh". But they DID understand him to be inviting them to receive his LIFE!! To let his life become a part of their lives in the deepest, most intimate kind of way so that they could experience his life and his love. Today Jesus still invites US to experience who and what he is. Not just to “believe” in him – not just to “follow” him – although believing in and following him are certainly important. But most of all, as we hear in today’s gospel, Jesus invites us to feed upon, to experience, and to be filled with his life and love in the deepest, most personal kind of way. And unlike those negative things we often tend to feed upon – which I have mentioned earlier – when we feed upon the life and love of Jesus we shall always be satisfied and have joy and peace in our lives – come what may. Another aspect or meaning of Jesus’ invitation to "eat his flesh" and "drink his blood" is for us to partake of what we call Holy Communion. It is noteworthy to mention that although Matthew, Mark, and Luke describe Jesus' institution of the sacrament of Holy Communion in their gospels, John does not! Instead, John’s gospel has this "Bread of Life" sermon given by Jesus. You see, Matthew, Mark, and Luke in their gospels usually show WHAT happened, while John in his gospel is usually more concerned about WHY something happened and the DEEPER MEANING of it. When we "eat Jesus' flesh" and "drink his blood" through receiving the bread and wine at Holy Communion, we in a mystical but very real way experience his life and his love. He – in a way that goes beyond mere words – becomes a part of who and what we are. As he says in today’s gospel: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” In this meal, we truly commune with him and he with us. In the past, there have been some people who have asked me to "prove" that Jesus Christ is really present when we receive Holy Communion. Of course, I cannot prove it! But I know that when I eat the bread and drink the wine with a believing heart, I experience his presence. I experience his love. And I know that the same can be true for you – as it has for millions upon millions of believers for the past two thousand years. Somehow, in a way that defies rational description, in this sacrament Jesus comes to us and fills us with his life through and through so that we are satisfied and truly become the people of God. Yes, in a very real and holy way, we become what we eat! As Jesus says in today’s gospel: "my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This 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." Jesus invites us. So let us eat! Let us eat! Amen! -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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