VociMike:
We do not know everything that God is capable of, but we do know what humans are capable of. Jesus said “I am the door of the sheep.” Are we actual sheep? Of course not. That alone shows that Jesus was speaking figuratively in this case.
Well, you could use the same principle on He being the bread of life. Was He actually saying all Christians are to be ritual cannibals? I say, as you say concerning the “Door” and we being actual sheep, “
of course not.”
OTOH, when speaking of the need to eat His flesh and drink His blood, He was as explicit as He could be. “My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.” He said “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
When He says that the bread which He gives for the life of the world He, to me, obviously is making reference to His crucifixion, the subtitutionary sacrifice of Himself for the sins of the world, and all who subsequently believe in Him have eternal life. This is what He came out of Heave to do, it was His work. This is made VERY evident when He says:
“
For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." They said therefore to Him, “Lord, evermore give us this bread.” Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me (i.e., by faith) shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:33-35).
As the physical manna sustained life for the Isralelites during their wilderness journey, His sacrificial work on the cross on the world’s behalf, provides ETERNAL life to all who
believe in Him (John 3:14-18). Spiritually speaking this is true food and true drink. The spiritual is far greater than the physical. Physically eating manna in the wilderness only sustained their physical lives, but they eventually died (vs. 49). But belief in Christ gives ETERNAL life to those who believes in Him, even if they die physically (see John 5:24-27; 11:25). “
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who BELIEVES HAS ETERNAL LIFE” (John 6:47).
Also, none have yet answered my question on how the Eucharist (as it is taught) is the
actual crucified body and blood of Jesus. And not just body and blood, but His whole, divine Being (body, blood, soul and divinity) Yet He was raised with the SAME body in which He died. Remember, the tomb was empty, no dead, crucified body was found there. His crucified, dead body was raised in new life, glorified and ascended into Heaven. How then, as a Man in bodily form, can Jesus possibly be both dead and alive (crucified and resurrected) at the same time? The Apostle Paul said that we (believers) are to be bodily resurrected and glorifiedas just as Jesus was. Will we then also be both dead and alive at the same time??? I say this only as an illustration of the absurdity.
Also, how could matter (His body) be omnipresent? In Spirit Jesus can be, and is, omnipresent (He being God), but in His humanity,
i.e., in bodily form, He cannot. As a Man He can be in only one place at a time. And now, as a Man, He sits, bodily, at the right hand of the Majesty on High. This was one of the reasons the Spirit was sent after Jesus ascended into Heaven bodily. The Spirit performs His ministry on earth omnipresently. No bodily limitations.
We’re to have faith, yes, but faith does not demand that we believe that which is at variance with reason. I find that there is much about the Eucharist, as taught by Catholicism, that defies reason. There’s a big difference between that which is not completely understood because of a lack of knowledge (a mystery), and therefore must be taken on by faith - and that which is just plain unreasonable.
There is nothing “unreasonable” about understanding and accepting the words of Christ in John six in their
spiritual sense. In fact, it makes much sense when understood in their context. But there is much that is unreasonable (even nonsensical) when told to take them in their literal sense.
Blessings to you,
Bene
