taking Jesus in

 John 6:51-59 is the lectionary Gospel text for Sunday, August 15.

Jesus fed the 5,000 and they continued to follow Him.  He preached to them, and as often happens with preachers, the more He talked, the further in trouble He got.  Jesus always seemed to take it that one step further than they were ready to go.  Ain't that just the way.

Jesus claims to be the Bread of Life, offered for the salvation of the world.  Then, Jesus says that they must eat Him.  No, it was not a derogatory comment.  They would have to take Him in to themselves, receive Him, the gift of His flesh, the Passover Lamb, the body and blood of redemption, atonement for salvation.  They were offended by it.  It wasn't kosher.  Their pieties and embedded theologies could not allow them to accept this from the Rabbi.  Jesus "upped the ante" and said, "Whoever eats me will live because of me."

Take me within you.  Take in my gift of atonement in redemption.  Take in my Way of walking with God in Agape Love and Grace.  Take in my beliefs, my principles, my Kingdom values and my Way of walking in faithfulness.  Take it all in.  Be ALL IN.

But they would not allow it for themselves and tried to deny it to others.  Their greed, lust for power over others and desire for status above others were threatened by Jesus' Way.  They were empire, and Kingdom values do not allow for empire's values.

It is the same today.

Oh, folks are drinking the kool-aide, taking the poisoned pill of hatred and false superiority to justify their greed, lust for power over others and desire for status above others.  They have swallowed that just fine - hook, line and sinker.  They have chosen the cults of personality, false teachings and ideologies that believe will get them all that they want.  They have had "itching ears" to hear these false doctrines and have adopted them, and have "blown with every wind of doctrine" that has fed their egos, pockets and halls of injustice.  They have been very willing to take in everything that the social media, ideological networks and false teachers and liars have served them in the form of conspiracies, myths and ideologies that divide people and destroy others' lives.  It has become who they are and it seen in what they say and do.

What we take in becomes us.  What we value, we take in.  "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  Junk in, junk out.  It is reflected in our words and actions.  "By their fruits you will know them."

What will we take in?  What will BECOME US?  What will become OF us?

Will it be the beliefs and ways of empire, or of the Kingdom?

Jesus often said, as we have witness in the Gospels, "The Kingdom has come near to you."

Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is within/among you."

So, what will we take in?  What will we become?

Will it be the greed, hatreds, lust for power and desire for status of empire, or the Agape Love and Grace of the Kingdom?

Will our embedded theologies and ideologies of the last forty years, and our pieties allow the Kingdom of God in Jesus into our hearts and minds?

Will we take Jesus in?

Pastor Jamie