"I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

In today’s world, many biblical scholars believe that Jesus was referring to his death as the symbolic reenactment of the Jewish ritual….the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb at Passover. That the Paschal Lamb symbolically prefigured  Christ, "the Lamb of ", God, who redeemed the world by the shedding of His blood, and particularly the Eucharistic banquet, or new Passover , has remained the belief of Christian tradition. 

  When the church was still in its infancy, these words, which were taken literally, played a significant role in the persecutions of the Christians.  They were the cause of the rumor that Christians were cannibals.    

In the early days and still in present-day Catholicism the early Christians thought it necessary to consume the flesh and blood of Jesus in order to be saved….as with the Paschal Lamb.  For them, the Eucharist provides an opportunity to do this with the miracle of transubstantiation supplying the needed flesh and blood. 

Down through history, these beliefs have changed.  Some denominations believe communion to be only symbolic in nature.  Others believe that the spiritual presence of Jesus becomes present at the words of intinction during worship, and still others, as the early Christians, insist that Jesus’ words should be taken literally.  That is, the bread and wine becomes the actual body and blood of Jesus during the ceremony (transubstantiation). 

This is only one of many difficult teachings: 

Perhaps the most prominent  of difficult texts being: 

You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”  How many Christians follow this teaching?  How many Christian nations? 

Before the Iraqi war, I organized a group on the village green to pray for peace.  After requesting prayers for our leaders, I asked for prayers for Osama bin Laden, then for Saddham Hussein.   As the group began to dispense, I was questioned quite intently regarding this latter prayer appeal.  Quoting the scriptural text above did not appease some of them, claiming I was un-American.  Praying that these enemies of America might be converted to peaceful,  moral men does not seem to be a teaching familiar to many Christians.  A difficult teaching.

Another area of interpretational dispute, Jesus teachings on money.  See the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoi9IpXBliw

The New Testament is full of difficult teachings……How many of them are included in your sermons?

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