“CANNIBAL CHRISTIANITY?”


BIBLE READING: John 3-7
            Did you know that the one of the earliest criticisms of the early church was that Christians were cannibals?  It was so rampant among unbelievers in the second century that men like Justin Martyr in 150 A.D. had to refute it publicly.  Then a few decades later Tertullian had to address it as well.   The criticism was rooted in what Jesus said in John 6 concerning those people that had followed him over to Capernaum following the miracle of loaves and fish.  These people had followed in hopes of receiving another free meal. Yet Jesus rebukes them by telling them that the true food they need to eat is His flesh, and the true drink is His blood.   This just isn’t something Jesus said in passing either, in fact He repeats this John 6.51,53,54,55,56 and 58.  Jesus is so adamant about it because He wants them to grasp the true concept of who and what He is in relation to Moses and the prophets.  What does Jesus mean here?  Is Jesus alluding to communion?  It could be…because the saved do partake of communion, but all that partake communion are not saved.  Take note of what Jesus said in John 6.59, “Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Instead, I believe that Jesus was being more figurative than He is literal.  For instance, have you ever seen a baby with those irresistible chubby cheeks that you can’t help but pinch?  Have you ever heard someone say “I could just eat you up…” as they pinched those cheeks?  Now, did you take that person for someone who wanted to eat that baby up with a baked potato and side of mac of cheese?  Of course, not!  What you understood them to mean was that they just wanted to take all that child for themselves. They are saying they want to consume them. Yet the word consume has a few different meanings.  One of those meanings is “to use up”.  An example of using in a sentence would be, “I want to make sure I “use up’ all of my vacation time so I don’t lose it.”   Maybe what Jesus is saying is this, “you must use Me up (eat Me up), all of Me…while you still have me, before I have to depart from this world.  I believe that is exactly what He means, if they truly want food that will never make them hungry again, or drink that will allow them to quench their thirst, then you must go beyond physical food and use all of me up while you still have time.  I hope and pray that we all crave Jesus, more than we crave food to survive; because it is only through him that we can get salvation.


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