Those who eat His flesh and drink His blood have eternal life and will be raised on the last day (v. 54).
The bread which Jesus gives for the life of the world is His flesh (v. 51).
Jesus gave of His body and blood during the Passover (Lk 22:14-20).
For us today, we partake of and have communion with the body and blood of the Lord Jesus through the sacrament of Holy Communion (1 Cor 10:16-17; 11:23-27).
“I am the light of the world” (Jn 8:12).
Those who do evil and continue in sin are like those who walk in darkness. Their eyes are blinded and they do not know where they are going (Prov 4:19; Jn 3:19-20; 12:35).
We also once lived in darkness and were dead to sin (Eph 2:1; 5:8).
When Jesus came, He brought us light and hope (Mt 4:16).
“I am the true vine” (Jn 15:1, 5).
Without Jesus, we are like withered branches that are only fit to be cut off from the vine and burned (Jn 15:6).
As our vine, He is our source of life. We must abide in Him. Because He lives, we will live also (Jn 14:19-20).
God has given us eternal life through Jesus. Therefore, if we have Jesus, we have life (1 Jn 5:11-12).
Follow the True Light.
What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Deny ourselves and take up our cross (Mt 16:24).
Be willing to put aside our own will and what we may want in order to accomplish God’s will and pursue what He wants.
Sometimes as we try to carry out God’s will, we will meet with opposition, challenges, struggles, and burdens. These are all part of our “cross” which we must take up and bear.
Ex: You try to start up a local church prayer group, fellowship, or other initiative at church, but the response is underwhelming. Few people participate and you receive criticism about your approach. You may feel discouraged and want to quit serving in these areas.
Ex: You try to preach the gospel to a friend, but receive repeated rejections or even hostility. You may begin to feel it is not worthwhile to continue to preach to that friend, or may even lose motivation to preach at all.
Ex: You decline certain social invitations from friends in order to avoid ungodly activities or tempting environments. However, you feel left out and lonely as a result.
In these cases, it is not easy to follow Jesus and to persevere in our pursuit because of challenges and burdens that come our way. However, we must remember that obedience to God’s will and true discipleship demands faithfulness and endurance. God does not require results from our hand, for He is the One who gives the increase (1 Cor 3:6). He only asks that we diligently carry out our role and give Him our best.
Walk in the light.
Jesus has brought life and light to our lives.
As believers, we have been called out of darkness into light (1 Pet 2:9).
Continue walking in the light (Eph 5:8).
Walk according to His word (Ps 119:105).
Conduct ourselves in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, in all goodness, righteousness, and truth (Eph 5:9-10).
Actively forsake sinful ways (Rom 13:12).
Only when we walk in the light can we have fellowship with God and continue to be cleansed of our sins through His blood (1 Jn 1:7).