Symbols, Signs and Significance

Recently I've been re-reading and meditating on the Gospel of John chapter 6, where our Lord Jesus, just after He had fed the 5,000, said to the crowds following Him:

"Most assuredly I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled. Don't work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed Him." They said therefore to Him, "What must we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." They said therefore to Him, "What then do You do for a sign, that we may see, and believe You? What work do You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, 'He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.'" Jesus therefore said to them, "Most assuredly, I tell you, it wasn't Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." They said therefore to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." Jesus said to them: "I AM the bread of life. He who comes to Me will not be hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty" (John 6:26-35).

Do you see what the Lord is telling the people? "You're looking for more free food, but you'll just get hungry again. What you really need is the food that lasts forever." This piqued their interest: "Wow! Free food that just keeps on coming forever!" - they probably thought. "What do we have to do to get it?" Jesus replied: "Believe in Me, the One that God has sent!" By saying this, He was claiming to be the Messiah. So the people asked for a sign, something like the way Moses provided the Israelites with bread in the wilderness. A sign like that would be just what they wanted: more free food. But Jesus said: "I AM the bread of life." Here He makes another claim to deity, as in verse 20: "I AM. Don't be afraid." And He's also setting them up for a lesson on what a sign really is.

This talk about coming down from heaven was too much for the leaders of the Jews: "The Jews therefore murmured concerning Him, because He said, 'I AM the bread which came down out of heaven.' They said, 'Isn't this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does He say, "I have come down out of heaven?"'" (verses 41-42). For them, He was treading on very dangerous ground, hinting that He was God incarnate. So the Lord Jesus went on to explain:

"Most assuredly, I tell you, he who believes in Me has eternal life. I AM the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." The Jews therefore contended with one another, saying, "How can this Man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus therefore said to them, "Most assuredly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don't have life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him" (John 6:47-56).

Here the Lord compared the sign of Moses feeding the Israelites in the wilderness, which provided only temporary nourishment, with His giving Himself - His very flesh and blood - as living bread and drink that will provide eternal life. A "sign" for the Jews was more than a flat surface with some words written on it: it was a miracle that at the same time conveyed spiritual power. And the Lord equated believing in Him with eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Some modern-day Christians imbued with the "Age of Reason" may rationalize the spiritual truth of the Lord's Supper to be "merely a symbol." Yes, it is a symbol, but not "merely." It is much more than just a metaphor or a sign in the modern sense, a flat surface with some words written on it. It conveys spiritual power.

Here's an example or two: let's say I'm annoyed with drivers who are speeding at 40 MPH past my home where the speed limit is 20 MPH and when little children are walking to a nearby school. So I cut a piece of flat metal into an octagon, paint it red with a white border and the word "STOP" in the middle, then put it on a metal pole next to the curb. Some drivers might stop or at least slow down, but sooner or later the police would be knocking on my door, saying I don't have the authority to put up that sign. It's just a flat surface with some words written on it, it doesn't have any enforcement power behind it. Another example: a young man and young lady fall in love and want to get married right away, so they respond to a sign that states - "Weddings: $25." They go to this guy who puts on a coat and tie, pulls out a book, reads the wedding ceremony and signs their marriage license. But it turns out this guy is a charlatan who sent in $25 for a mail-order fake "Rev." certificate, and he wasn't authorized to perform wedding ceremonies. In both cases, the signs are insignificant, they have no authority, no power to really do anything.

But the "sign" that the Lord Jesus gave us, eating His flesh and drinking His blood, is more than "merely a symbol." This miracle-sign has significance, it signifies and conveys the power, the dynamis-authority not just of an earthly government, but of God Himself. It conveys eternal life, if we believe in Him Whom God has sent. Believe, eat, drink and live... forever! Come, enter the Kingdom of God!

(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 21 Sep. 2014.)