“Making Communion Personal”

(part 2 of 2)

“Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 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. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.”
John 6:53-56

On hearing this, many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed him. Turning to the Twelve he asked them, “Do you, too, want to leave?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy one of God.”

As I meditated on this passage I was struck by this thought: “How you respond to the blood and body of Jesus Christ determines your eternal future.” As I read the context of this event I found three responses to the blood of Christ that are revealed to us between the Passover and the Crucifixion. The difficulty of Christ’s teaching was centered around “What YOU do with the blood and body of Christ when it is before YOU.”

Do you receive it by faith as did the Twelve. Jesus closest disciples determined at the Passover to receive it by faith. They recognized Him as the Holy One of God and put their trust in Him. However, not everyone was willing to do so.

After the Passover meal Jesus went out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. It is there He is arrested and eventually brought before Pilate the governor. Pilate questions Jesus, but finds nothing by which to charge Him. Pilate’s wife, after being troubled in a dream, pleads with Pilate to release Him. However, because of the uproar being created by the crowd Pilate determines to wash his hands of the situation. It was the custom for the governor to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. He puts Jesus and a criminal by the name of Barabbas before them. He then asks them to choose. They choose Barabbas. When asked what to do with Jesus, they reply “Crucify him!”

“When Pilate saw that he we getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hand in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”

Matthew 27:24

Like many people today, Pilate attempted to wash his hands of the responsibility of Christ’s blood. By his actions, he made a decision. A decision with eternal consequences. For Jesus said, ““I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

By ignoring Jesus Christ’s sacrifice we make an eternal decision to remain separated from the life of God.

The third response to his blood is found in Matthew 27:25:

“All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”

This is just blatant rejection of Jesus Christ. They did not ignore Him, but rather they willfully rejected and vocally opposed Him. They were not trying to wash their hands of it, but rather dip their hands in it!

How then will you respond to the blood and body of Christ? Jesus presented Himself on the cross 2,000 years ago. It is now personal! YOU must decide how you will receive Him. Will you receive Him by faith as the Holy One of God? Will you refuse to take responsibility? Or will you blatantly reject Him? Your eternal future rests on your decision!