There’s a book with the title, “Adventures in Missing the Point.” This phrase often comes to mind when Jesus’ contemporaries – whether it is his disciples or the Jewish leaders – don’t quite get what Jesus is saying. In this case, the Jewish leaders are taking Jesus’ words literally. We can almost hear them saying, “Yuck! Eat his flesh and blood? No way! That goes against every law and tradition we’ve ever known! I knew this guy was kind of weird, but…wow.” We know, of course, that’s not what Jesus was saying. Yes, he is foreshadowing the sacrifice of his physical body for the life of the world. But more importantly, he’s saying who he is and why he has come to live among us as one of us.
Jesus is the Son of God, sent to offer eternal life that begins this very moment. Notice that Jesus uses verbs in the present tense. This life that Jesus offers isn’t just something we can look forward to once we die. We can take part in the unfolding of this abundant, everlasting life right here, right now. The abiding Christ in each of us becomes evident in lives marked by hopefulness, joyfulness, gratitude, peacefulness, compassion, etc.
What evidence is there in your life that Christ abides in you and that you abide in him? Can you think of someone whose life exudes the abiding of Christ? What does it feel like to be around this person?
Offer a prayer of thanks and blessing for this person, committing yourself to abiding in Christ meaningfully and visibly in the same way.
