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The Continuous Eating and Drinking of Jesus Christ

What exactly does it mean to eat and drink of Jesus Christ?

When Jesus said you must eat my flesh and drink my blood he lost many of his disciples, they misunderstood him. Some no doubt took him literally, perhaps thinking he may be asking them to be cannibals. But he was not speaking physical eating and drinking he was speaking of spiritual eating and drinking, the real eating and drinking of real food and real drink..

So what exactly does it mean to eat and drink of Jesus Christ?

I’ve experienced in the past 2-3 years that eating and drinking Christ in an internal/ spiritual way is deeply satisfying, it brings tremendous peace that I cannot do without. It has nothing to do with fulfilling some religious ritual or expectations from other people, there is death in that.

Jesus said at the table “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup do this in remembrance of me.” What we call communion today represents this eating and drinking of his flesh and blood that Jesus was referring to.

The manna that sustained the Israelites in the wilderness represented this eating of spiritual bread.

Jesus once said that he “had food that the disciples knew nothing about” referring to his internal focus and response to his heavenly father.

Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no part in me. – Jesus Christ

To eat and drink of Jesus Christ is simply to continuously listen and respond to him, to keep all focus and intent on knowing him, its a constant seeking him first a constant increase in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, by finding and looking for him in all things.

It includes bible study but its not only bible study, it includes sharing him but its not only sharing him, it includes fellowshipping around him with others but not only fellowship, it includes finding him in every aspect of life, it includes prayer but its not only prayer, it includes obedience and being quick to respond to him.

To eat of Jesus Christ is to abide in Jesus Christ, it is to be led of the Spirit of God. Physical food and drink that we consume daily actually are just representations of the real food that will sustain us for eternity, we will be eating from the tree of life and finding our life from him, that is Jesus Christ.

Eating and drinking of Christ is exceedingly simple if you are able to look to him and focus on him and not become distracted by other things (be they good things or evil).

For further teaching and examples on this topic check out this ebook by my friend Bridget Babione entitled The Bread and Wine, 20 Recipes for Eating and Drinking Christ, it is well worth the $2.49 !

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The Real Eating & Drinking

I am reading a book by Adam Gazzaley titled The Distracted Mind. Brain researchers have shown that human brains, when searching for and finding information, light up in the same way that animal brains light up as they graze for and find food. 

So in a sense, our brains are eating as we gather information. 

Upon reading this I immediately was reminded of the creation story. Remember in the creation story God told Adam & Eve to eat from the tree of life, which contained his own life and to not eat from the tree of knowledge (see Gen 2:16-17). 

In a very real sense God in the beginning linked eating to himself (the tree of life) and to knowledge (knowledge of good and evil). Just like what is referenced in the Gazzaley book.
New and interesting information feed us in a mental and even a spiritual way.  Brain scientists are just beginning to see what God alluded to in Genesis.

I also think this is why social media can be so addicting. Social media is a constant flow of new and customized information. In a sense we are eating as we scan our social news feeds.
Jesus understood this when he told people to seek him first and to eat his flesh and drink his blood and for his disciples to feed his people and one another. 

“For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.”‭‭ – John‬ ‭6:55-57‬

Paul understood this when he taught his churches to look to Jesus, and as he constantly re-focused their attention on the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

It’s almost as if God responded to our choice of knowledge of good and evil by sending Jesus Christ, and now we both eat of knowledge, (specifically knowledge of Jesus Christ) who happens also to be the tree of life itself.

In Jesus Christ, eternal life and knowledge are summed up unified in one person.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” – 2 Peter‬ ‭1:2-3‬ ‭NASB‬‬

We are to constantly center our lives on feasting on the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and feeding others. In this way we are well nourished and do feast on the tree of life, the real eating and drinking, just as God intended.

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