This is the fifth and final week of our message series, “More Than Words.” Throughout this series we have been pointing out that our words have power, and we should not dismiss or diminish the power of our words. The truth is that words have incredible power. They can hurt us and wound us, damage and destroy. On the other hand, the properly placed word can bring healing and health, refreshment and renewal, encouragement to the soul. 

We have pointed out that the ability to speak and communicate is one of the most powerful ways we reflect God’s image. God spoke it and it happened. Of course, we don’t have that kind of power, however, through the words we are consistently speaking, we’re sowing seeds, seeds that, over time bear fruit for better or for worse.

Today as we wrap up, we are going to circle back to the importance of being nourished on God’s word. Today, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, we want to look at how to make that happen. 

We are looking at a passage from the sixth chapter from John’s Gospel. Just before the passage of the Gospel we heard today, Jesus had feed 5000 people 5 loaves of bread and two fish. When the crowd realized what he had done, they were going to make Jesus king. But Jesus did not want to be a “bread” king, so he and his Apostles slipped away, went across the lake, to a town called Capernaum, which was his home base.

When the crowd realizes that Jesus is gone, they follow him, arriving the next day. Jesus confronts and challenges them for following him because they haven’t done it out of any sense of piety or religious conviction but simply because they want more free food. He questions their intentions and he questions their faith.

The crowd then pushes back. They reference a story we heard in today’s first reading. The story of Moses during the Exodus, feeding the people of Israel with “manna.” Manna is a Hebrew word which means, “What is it?” Manna had a very distinctive flavor. It tasted like wafers of honey, a taste to remind them that God was leading them to the Promised Land, a land of milk and honey. 

The Manna was given everyday. And everyday, when they received it, every day when the Israelites ate it, they weren’t only being sustained but reminded that God had something better in store for them, that God wanted to lead them to a better place, a better life. Manna served as a sign of God’s provision and faithfulness, as well as a foretaste of the promised land. 

In later Jewish tradition, it came to be believed that the gift of Manna would be one of the definitive signs of the arrival of the Messiah. So the crowds are asking Jesus for this definitive sign that he is the Messiah.

In response to this request, Jesus launches into a teaching that has been called “The Bread of Life” discourse, a part of which we read in today’s gospel. He says, “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:48-51). The original manna could sustain and support natural life, but Jesus, the new manna would offer supernatural life.

Not surprisingly, this stirred things up. “The Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’” (John 6:52).

This teaching was immediately a source of conflict and controversy and it has remained so ever since. But Jesus, rather than correcting them or walking it back, watering it down, or explaining it away, doubles down. “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:53-54). Eternal life does not just mean unending live. Eternal life means God’s life in us. 

Jesus continues, “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (John 6:53-56).

This teaching is very difficult, and we are told that many of his disciples turned back and followed Jesus no longer. These were not just the crowds looking for free food. These were his disciples, his devoted followers, they were ones that had left their former life and given up everything to follow him. But they cannot accept this teaching, instead they just walk away. They just walked away and Jesus did nothing to stop them.

Even though Jesus knew he was going to lose people over this teaching, he preaches it anyway. Communion is real food for your soul, even if it doesn’t appear that way, even if you don’t know it, even if you don’t believe it. It’s real food that can really, actually nourish us spiritually, by bringing Christ’s real presence into our lives. It’s true, it can also have no effect whatsoever, if we receive it mindlessly, thoughtlessly, casually, indifferently. 

Jesus loses a lot of his followers, and he accepts that as the price for preaching his amazing message. Though he does turn to the remaining disciples, the apostles, and, perhaps somewhat wistfully, he asks them if they’re planning on leaving too. Peter answers for the others, “Master, to whom shall we go, you have the words of everlasting life” (John 6:68). Peter acknowledges faith in the Lord’s word. His words alone are the words of life. Everlasting life.

The belief in the Eucharist is either the biggest hoax ever, or the most indescribable gift of all. Christians have been divided on this point since the beginning. And, in the end, everyone must choose for themselves what it is you want to believe.

For me, it’s simple. Like Peter, I just choose to go with what Jesus said. I just take him at his word, and I take that word literally. If a man can predict his own death and resurrection then I just go with what he said. I trust his word. I believe it because Christ said it.

The Eucharist is a reminder that God is our provider, promoter and protector, leading us to something better. It can serve as a reminder that all the problems and pain and crisis and conflict in this world is not all there is. There is more, there can be more. God’s word is calling us and leading us to more. 

In the Eucharist, God’s word, given in Scripture and in Communion is the promise and pledge of more.  Sooner or later you have got to listen to someone’s word. Why settle for anything less than God’s word?

Words have power and God’s word has God’s power. Use that power.