Let us read John 6:47-58.  “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.  I am that bread of life.  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.  The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.  This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.”

Verse 47 makes it plain that believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is how someone receives everlasting life.  In verse 48 Jesus says that He is the bread of life.  Therefore, as the rest of the verses proceed, to eat His body and to drink His blood is the same as placing your faith on Christ as your Savior.  These verses are not speaking of cannibalism.  The Lord Jesus used the pictures of eating and drinking His body and blood as a way of depicting having faith and total acceptance of all that He is and all that He has done for us on the cross.

Please do not be like those in Hebrews 6:4-5 who “tasted of the heavenly gift” and “tasted the good word of God” but never swallowed them to make the Gift and Word a part of themselves.  Are you merely curious about the free gift of salvation or have you actually repented of your sins and trusted on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior?  The Jews to whom Jesus was speaking had made the effort to take ships to Capernaum, “seeking for Jesus” (John 6:24).  They wanted to hear what He had to say and ask Him questions.  However, He said to them in John 6:36, “But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.”  The Lord Jesus knew their hearts and so He used the illustration of eating His bread and drinking His blood to help them understand that believing on Him is not a casual decision.  It is total acceptance of Him and what He has done.

Do not merely taste Christ.  Swallow Him.  Make Him a part of you.  Receive Him as your Savior.  Trust your eternal destiny to Him and you will not be disappointed.  You will enjoy eternal life now and for all eternity.  He will be with you.  He will help you.  You will sense His presence through the hardest trials and the longest nights.  You will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”  Yes, He is able to keep our souls that we have entrusted to Him until the day of judgment, when all danger will be passed.  If you have not yet repented of your sins and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, please do so today.  He is waiting for you with open arms.  (201.4)  (DJ)