THE SON OF MAN

JESUS said, "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." -John 6:53 [KJV]

Ignorant persons, who sit under unenlightened teachers, are taught to apply these words to the sacrament. Hence they think, if they do but receive the sacrament, they surely eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ; their sins are pardoned; all is well; and they shall go to heaven at last. O, how horridly is that sacred ordinance prostituted! “The wicked, such as be void of lively faith, do carnally and visibly press with their teeth the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ; yet in no wise are they partakers of Christ: but rather, to their condemnation, do eat and drink the sign or sacrament of so great a thing,” says St. Austin. What doth our Lord here mean? 

(1st.) That naturally we have no spiritual life in us. We are dead, under the sentence of the law: as dead to all knowledge of, love to, and delight in God, as a beast. We have no more likeness to God, and the life of God in us, than a devil has. O! this is very cutting and humbling to our proud nature: flesh and blood rise with indignation against it. 

But, (2d.) what joyful news is here for us? Christ came, that we, sinners of the human race, (not fallen angels) might have life, a spiritual, holy, heavenly life: yea, and have it more abundantly too, (John 10:10.). O may the Spirit enlighten us to see this, and quicken us to go to Christ, that we may enjoy it: for, 

(3d.) This is by eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Our Lord puts His strong oath to it, that in this way, and in no other, we can have it; and this fully confirms that, in this way, we are sure to enjoy it. 

(4th.) What is meant by eating Christ’s flesh and drinking His blood? Our Lord deals most familiarly with us. He sends us to our tables, to form proper ideas of what He is to us. Just what eating and drinking natural food is to the body, that Christ is to the soul: as that cannot live without eating and drinking, no more can our souls without the flesh and blood—the life and death of Christ, received into our hearts by faith. Thus, we enjoy the life of God in our souls. 

But, (5th.) here is a precious word. “The Son of man.” Faith must fasten upon that. It is feeding upon the humanity of Christ; that brings us to enjoy the divine life. We come to God, through the flesh of Christ. We feed on the flesh and blood of the Son of man, and so become one flesh with Him: “We are flesh of His flesh, and bone of His bone” (Ephesians 5:30.) We are incorporated into Him; and, O joyful! are presented to the Father, without spot or wrinkle, IN HIM (Ephesians 5:27.) 

 

When at Thy table Lord, we meet, 

To feed on food divine, 

Thy body is the bread we eat, 

Thy precious blood the wine.

 

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

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