When you study the significance of Christ’s ascension, you have to wrestle with the absence and the presence of Christ. In his human nature Christ is absent, ascended to heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father. He is in heaven today. But ‘in his divinity, majesty, grace, and Spirit, Christ is not absent from us for one moment’ (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 18). He is here on earth.
Here is the ministry question I try to address at Calvary Church: how do we encounter the presence of the Lord Jesus as we partake of his body and blood. If the Eucharist is about the presence of Christ, in what way do we encounter his presence? The following sermon is my attempt to communicate the Word of God to my congregation.
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Focus: Participation in the Lord’s Supper signifies and affects a life-giving and sustaining union with Christ.
Function: To encourage people to strengthen their union with and life in Christ by participating in the Lord’s Supper with eyes of faith focused on the ascended Christ.
Text: John 6:50-59
Heidelberg Catechism: L.D. 28
Introduction
I like mystery movies. They have suspense, drama, and intrigue; that is, they draw you into questions of life and death and mystery. Usually, a mystery novel or movie begins by arousing our curiosity (an unsolved murder, for example) and confronting us with all kinds of questions. As the mystery story unfolds, we get clues and insights that eventually lead to the resolving of the mystery.
As I must lead you into a deeper understanding of the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper, I feel a bit like a detective exploring with you a mystery. (For that’s what the Lord’s Supper is—a spiritual mystery). Now in a movie or novel the detective will solve the mystery. But I will not do that nor can I do that. Why not? The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is a spiritual mystery, calling for eyes of faith that see deep, spiritual realities.
I will touch upon clues, give insight, even explain or clarify the meaning of “eating and drinking the body and blood of Christ.” But I cannot and will not try to solve the wondrous mystery of the Lord’s Supper. The mystery in the sacrament is bigger than anyone of us; yes, even bigger than life itself. You see, participation in the Lord’s Supper signifies and affects a life-giving and sustaining union with Christ. And in the end, after all that is said and done, this is mystery. Eat, drink—and live! is the mystery Christians celebrate in the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper.
Some Steps to Get at the Mystery
Before we enter the mystery of the Lord’s Supper connected with Jesus’ claims in John 6, let me set the stage by leading us through a number of steps.
Step One: A human body without the soul or spirit is a lifeless body, a corpse.
In order for you and me to experience human life, we need to be connected with our body. Soul or spirit is mysteriously woven into flesh and blood that makes up a human being. In order for people to live, we need bodies—flesh and blood. Anything less won’t do. If our human spirit or soul should leave the body, there is nothing else left but a corpse, ready to be buried. That’s a fact of life.
Step Two: Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who identifies with our human nature and condition by taking on our flesh and blood.
Yes, that’s a mystery that cannot be solved: the divine Son of God shares in our humanity. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary. Jesus lived on earth, walked in Israel, died in Jerusalem, entered the grave, and rose again from the dead. The risen Jesus is the same Jesus as the one who died; with the same body, but now resurrected and glorified; no longer subject to death and the misery of sin. This Jesus ascended to heaven with his resurrected, glorified body. He is now seated at the right hand of God. This is a glorious truth that makes all the difference in our lives. Where is Jesus today? He is seated in the throne room of heaven. And there he is with his resurrected, glorified body.
Step Three: Where are you who belong to Christ? Where are Christians today?
The most obvious answer is: here! We are here, in this place! True. We are here—body and soul, in the flesh. But—and here is mystery—we are also with Christ in heaven. The Bible tells us that believers in Christ share in Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. Through faith in Christ you and I find ourselves in the tomb of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and we find ourselves with Jesus in his throne room today.
How can that be? Well, our flesh and blood is in heaven. Jesus—in his incarnation and especially in his ascension, has taken our humanity, our bodies to heaven. Yes, we “have our own flesh in heaven” as a “guarantee that Christ, our head, will take us, his members, to himself in heaven.” (cf. L.D. 18) Listen to these Scripture passages:
- Ephesians 2:4-7 “…God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”
- Colossians 3:1-3 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
So, where is Christ today? He is in heaven with his resurrected, glorified body. Where are his followers today? You and I are here! Yes! But we are also with Christ in heaven. Strange? I know, but this is a spiritual reality that has tremendous impact on how we live today, so much so that Paul can say to the Philippian church: (Phil. 3:20 ff) “…our citizenship is in heaven. And we early await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
Step Four: How does the Bible lead us to think of “the body of Christ?”
In three ways at least: (a) There is Jesus’ physical, resurrected and glorified body. If I want to see Jesus in the flesh today, I would have to go to heaven, because that’s where Jesus is in the flesh, the body. But that would mean that I would have to die and enter the heavenly realms to be with Jesus.
The body of Christ, however, can also be observed on earth. (b) There is the church. The church is the body of Christ, where Jesus is the head (seated in heaven as King today) and where the followers of Jesus are the members of Jesus’ body here on earth. Collectively, you and I, along with all other Christians all over the world, make up the body of Jesus. It’s called the church.
The body of Christ, however, can also be taken inside of us, spiritually touching and nurturing the human heart and soul. (c) The body of Jesus comes to us in such material elements as bread and wine. The bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper are the gracious vehicle by which Jesus communicates himself to us spiritually and connects us with himself. This points to the heart of the mystery in the Lord’s Supper. By eating and drinking the bread and wine, we are lifted or drawn into the throne room of heaven, into the very presence of the ascended Lord Jesus Christ.
Pondering these four steps will help you and me to grasp the claims of Jesus in John 6. Step one: in order for you and me to experience human life, we need to be connected with our body. Soul or spirit is mysteriously woven into flesh and blood that makes up a human being. Step two: Where is Jesus today? He is seated in the throne room of heaven. And there he is with his resurrected, glorified body. Step three: Where are Jesus’ followers today? You and I are here! Yes! But we are also with Christ in heaven. Step four: How does the Bible lead us to think of “the body of Christ?” In at least three ways: his physical body, now in heaven; the church, his body on earth; and the bread and wine, his means of grace by which we experience Christ’s very presence and our union with Christ.
Jesus’ Claims in the Text and its Connection with the Lord’s Supper
In the gospel of John we hear that wondrous story of Jesus’ miraculous feeding of at least 5000 people with some loaves of bread and some small fish. That feeding causes a frenzy among the people; they want more from Jesus; and by questioning Jesus they show their hunger and thirst for being fed by Jesus, for having communion with the Son of God. It’s in this context that we read John 6:50-59.
First, we hear this conditional statement by Jesus: (John 6:53) “…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” In other words, if we wish to have life, we must eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus. Obviously, Jesus is not inviting us to become some sort of cannibals, literally eating and drinking his flesh and blood. No, Jesus is speaking in a different sense. Yet he is serious in his statement that life comes to us when we eat and drink his body and blood.
And thus we notice that Jesus follows up by saying (John 6:54-55) “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.” In other words, the life that Jesus promises in vs. 53 is resurrection life, life that is eternal, life that is no longer subject to death. And this is no joke, for Jesus emphasizes that his “flesh is real food” and his “blood is real drink.” It’s far better than Gatorade, or Heineken or a strong cup of coffee, and it’s far better than all of Panera’s bread. It’s indestructible food that Jesus’ offers—life forever more!
But Jesus offers us even more when he invites us to eat and drink his body and blood. He offers us a wondrous union and his very presence. Listen (John 6:56-57) “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” Here Jesus refers to his presence in us and we in him. Then he says, “Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.” Here Jesus points to the intimate connection between him and his heavenly Father; and Jesus makes clear that this intimate connection or union is also ours as we eat and drink of Jesus’ body and blood. That is, we experience and strengthen our union and life in Christ by participating in the Lord’s Supper as we focus our eyes of faith on the ascended Jesus Christ. Jesus offers resurrection, indestructible, eternal life to all who come to him by faith. And Jesus promises his very presence as we participate in the Eucharist; we experience his presence, and the bond between Jesus and us is strengthened, for the bread and wine unites us more and more with the ascended Son of God.
Some Things To Do
The wondrous mystery of the Lord’s Supper provides us with a lot of food for thought. Here’s what I invite us to do. Whenever we participate in the Lord’s Supper:
Be sure to “lift up our hearts.”
To eat the bread and to drink the cup is to remember the body and blood of Jesus Christ. To remember, however, is NOT a brain exercise. It’s a lifting up of the heart, a raising of our eyes of faith to the ascended Lord Jesus Christ. For through the mysterious workings of the Holy Spirit, we are lifted up, we are drawn into the very presence of the ascended Christ. Whenever we participate in the Lord’s Supper, Jesus does not come down in his glorified, resurrection body; rather, the Holy Spirit lifts us up and draws us into the very presence of Christ, so that our faith is nurtured, our bond of unity is strengthened, so that assurance of salvation truly comes our way, and so that joy floods our souls.
Also, whenever we participate in the Lord’s Supper:
Resist the temptation to look at your own spirituality, your own piety, your own worthiness or unworthiness.
The Lord’s Supper is not about our devotional piety, or our level of spiritual maturity. It’s not about our emotional feelings regarding our sins leading Jesus to die for us. It’s not about us. It’s not about how much or little faith we have. It’s all about Jesus.
Resist the temptation to navel gaze, trying to find some wholeness, some goodness, some purity, or some sin or fault or some particular value in yourself to either humble yourself or to elevate yourself in the eyes of God. Rather, lift up your hearts and gaze upon the ascended Lord Jesus Christ, who makes his presence felt in our eating and drinking of the bread and wine. It’s all about Jesus’ presence and union with us; it’s all about resurrection life from heaven giving us strength today here on earth.
Yes! We lift up our hearts, and we shall resist any temptation to lean upon ourselves. Rather, whenever we participate in the Lord’s Supper:
Let us rejoice and sing and celebrate.
Let us pray to the Father, in the name of our High Priest and King, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Do not turn the Lord’s Supper into a funeral service; rather, let it be a celebration, a Eucharist, a great thanksgiving. Eat, drink—and live! is a mystery, a wondrous gifts from God. Cherish it! Embrace it! And thank God for the bread and wine—for this marvelous means of grace!
Glory be to God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and always shall be—world without end. Amen!
Originally posted January 2006