Day 15 – Who can take this in?

John 6:52-71

This made the Jews argue and dispute with each other, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I in them. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me will also live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven - not like the manna our fathers ate - they died. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things in the synagogue while he taught in Capernaum.

When they heard, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard idea! Who can take it in?”

But, knowing that his disciples were complaining about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this grab you as offensive? Then what if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh counts for nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and life. But there are some of you who don’t believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who didn’t believe and trust him, and who would betray him. He said, “This is why I have said to you that no one can come to me, unless they are enabled by my Father.”

After that, many of his disciples went back and no longer walked with him. Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to leave too, do you?”

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus answered them, “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” Now he was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, one of the twelve but about to betray him.

For reflection

Jesus said that you don’t have life without eating and drinking him in – how do you feel about this?