March 16
Scripture of the day: "The Jews began to argue with one another, saying, 'How can this man give us His flesh to eat?' So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.'" John 6:52-54
Thought of the day: This was well before the Last Supper in which Jesus offered the bread with, "Take, eat; this is My body." ... and offered the cup with, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins." Matthew 26:26-28. With no Last Supper and no crucifixion, these people had no points of reference. His words were shocking to them.
Challenge of the day: The multitude had eaten His miraculous meal. Then He began talking about His flesh and blood. It had been fun until He said those words ... but then it all changed. They could not disregard this prophetic description of His brutal sacrifice. Today we have crosses in and on our churches, carved into the pews and woodwork, on the covers of our hymnals, on gold chains around our necks, and hanging from our ears. Has overexposure desensitized us? What if He had been executed by hanging ... or in an electric chair? Would symbols of those provoke us differently? Do we think lightly of His sacrifice? Have you been desensitized? When you see a cross, what emotions stir in you?
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