At the Table | Satisfaction That Lasts

54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in them.

John 6:54-56 (Common English Bible)

We live in a world obsessed with quick fixes and instant satisfaction. We want fast food, fast internet, and fast results. When something takes time or effort, we get impatient. When transformation isn't immediate, we wonder if it's working.

But Jesus talks about something different in John 6. Jesus talks about something that leads to eternal transformation...not instant satisfaction. He calls himself "true food" and "true drink," suggesting that everything else we try to fill ourselves with is somehow less than what we really need.

What does it mean for Jesus to be true food? Physical food gives us temporary energy. We eat breakfast, but we're hungry again by lunch. We drink coffee in the morning, but we need another cup a few hours later. Even our best meals only satisfy us for so long.

But when Jesus becomes our spiritual nourishment, something different happens. We find a satisfaction that lasts. Not because our circumstances become perfect, but because we discover that God's love is enough to sustain us through whatever life brings.

The phrase "remains in me and I in them" describes what happens when we truly feed on Christ – when we allow his words to shape our thoughts, his example to guide our actions, his love to fill our hearts – he becomes part of who we are. And we become part of his ongoing work in the world.

This isn't about religious performance or checking off spiritual to-do lists. It's about finding in Jesus what our souls have been hungry for all along. Real peace that doesn't depend on our circumstances. Real love that doesn't depend on our performance. Real hope that doesn't depend on our ability to fix everything.

Personal Application: What are you trying to feed your soul with that isn't really satisfying you? Career success? Other people's approval? Entertainment? Shopping? How might you create more space in your life to be nourished by Jesus instead?

Prayer: Jesus, you call yourself true food and true drink. Help me stop trying to satisfy my deepest hungers with things that can't really fill me. Teach me to find in you the nourishment my soul truly needs. Help me remain in you and you in me, so that my life becomes a reflection of your love. Amen.