"I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (Jn 6:48-52)
Yesterday I went to Q'doba for a grilled veggie burrito. I had rice (white), yellow squash, zucchini, onion, guacamole, and a green chili salsa wrapped in a wheat flour tortilla. I told the waiter that I needed a whole wheat tortilla or a corn tortilla with not sugar added. She smiled and held up the light colored wheat tortilla smiling and shaking her her up and down, which I assumed meant "yes." what I didn't understand was that she didn't really understand what I was saying and simply heard tortilla. I asked further "Is that whole grain wheat?" She said, "yes, this is wheat tortilla." I bought, bit and blew it again.
You see there was a communication break down. The flour tortilla was not whole grain. I should have just had a naked burrito without the tortilla. She didn't understand me, nor did her coworkers seem to care much whether I got what I needed. The sense I had was, "This is what we have. Take it or leave it."
Jesus told a group who had eaten at His miraculous feeding of the 5000 to work for food that lasts, meaning spiritual sustenance. They didn't get it. He used metaphor claiming that He is the bread of life come down from heaven. This who eat his flesh will never go hungry and have eternal life. They found that claim to be utterly ridiculous. Many disciples stopped following Jesus that day. There was a major collapse in communication. The didn't understand Jesus and Jesus didn't make great effort to sell them. I read this in light of my Q'doba experience. Is Jesus saying, "This is who I am and what I have to offer you. Take it or leave it."
True that Jesus never watered the gospel down in order to please people or make accommodations. He did however teach the secrets tot he kingdom of God to his beloved apostles who had left everything to follow Him. When they didn't get it. He explained His parables to them, although with a little chastisement like the time He said, "are you still so dull?" (Mat 15:16)
My ability to hear God is impaired. We don't speak the same language. He looks at the world and my life way differently than I. The only hope I have to getting Him is to read the translation He gave to help us understand. The scriptures translate God's holiness (not with any perfection) to us so we can understand what pleases God. Just as any translation is not the same as living in the real language, there is nothing like knowing God personally. Our Father in heaven has made it possible to know Him, not through ink on paper alone, but through Jesus Christ living in us through faith.
With Christ in me through the presence of the Holy Spirit I can improve my ability bot to hear and understand. Paul taught the Corinthian church "We have the mind of Christ." (1Co 2:16b) In other words we have the thoughts of the very One we wish to understand in our own heads through the Spirit and the rule of faith we find in scripture which helps us keep clear whose spirit is speaking. For the Spirit will never go against what God has already revealed about himself in scripture.
In truth I could have pushed harder, asked to speak to the manager, and worked to assure I had the right diet. It was easier to walk away. I wonder which bread I really desire.
Lord Jesus, You are the bread of life. Knowing You is life eternal. Knowing You feeds my soul. Knowing You intimately and sharing Your heart and motives is what I desire. But as You said, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Forgive me for taking the easy way. Restore in me a desire to stand firm and accept no substitutes. You are all I need. Amen. So let it be.
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