“Ewww. This is so gross! Here, try it!” Have you ever been in this situation? With a friend? A spouse? My immediate response is, “Absolutely not!” (Hopefully, you’ve never been the one to do this to someone!)

Jesus uses a repulsive metaphor to describe life in him. Why would he do this? This certainly isn’t the way to gain more followers or increase his influence. Why describe following him in such an offensive way?

Thinking through this, is it any less repulsive to be asked to limit ourselves for our faith, for the weaker brother or sister, for life in Christ than it is to be asked to eat flesh and drink blood? Not to our American sensibilities. In fact, we would probably come nearer to cannibalism than to the possibility of diminishing ourselves for someone else.

The way of Jesus can be repulsive to us because of what it asks of us. This isn’t a call to a picnic at the beach or tiptoeing through the tulips. It’s a complete surrender to King Jesus, a picking up of our cross daily, laying down of my rights, my way, my life, my everything.

I recoil at the thought of eating Jesus’s flesh and drinking his blood. I recoil no less at the thought of giving up my life in total surrender to him.