UNBLOCKING THE WELL OF THE LIVING WORD

John 6:52-71

Focus verse: ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.’ (John 6:53) 

Old Testament lens: ‘Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?’ (2 Samuel 23:17) 

Jesus makes a shocking statement: ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.’ Many of  His followers found this hard to accept and walked away. To understand this better, Tom Wright draws a helpful comparison with a story from the life of King David.(1) While in battle against the Philistines, David longed for water from his hometown of Bethlehem. Three of his loyal soldiers bravely broke through enemy lines and brought him water from the well. But David refused to drink it. He poured it out, saying it would be like drinking their blood, because they had risked their lives to get it (2 Samuel 23:17; 1 Chronicles 11:19). To him, it would be wrong to benefit from their sacrifice in such a personal way. 

This story sheds light on Jesus’ words. In Jewish law, drinking blood was strictly forbidden (see Leviticus 17:10–14). Blood represented life, and it belonged to God. So Jesus saying that we must drink His blood would have sounded outrageous to His listeners. But Jesus wasn’t encouraging disobedience to the Law. He was using strong, symbolic language to make a deeper point, just like David did. David refused to benefit from his soldiers’ sacrifice. But Jesus, as the true King and Messiah, goes even further. He gives Himself to be the sacrifice. He offers His own body and blood, and He wants His followers to benefit from it. ‘Eat my flesh and drink my blood,’ means, ‘take my life into yours. Let my death give you life. Let my sacrifice nourish you completely.’ 

Jesus wasn’t suggesting physical cannibalism, but revealing a new way God would give life through Jesus’ own death. Just as bread sustains the body, Jesus, the Bread of Life, would give spiritual and eternal life through His broken body and poured-out blood. This teaching connects deeply to the Lord’s Supper, or Communion. Tom Wright points out that the original Greek word for ‘eat’ in verses 54–58 is a very physical word — something like ‘chew’; (2) it’s earthy, real, and deliberate. This suggests that Jesus did mean a physical act, not just a spiritual idea. The Early Church understood this as Communion, a meal that mysteriously connects us to Jesus’ body and blood, not just a symbol but an invitation to receive Jesus’ life into our own, by faith. We don’t earn life; we receive it as a gift. 

The Early Church Fathers who inspired the Celtic Church 

St Ignatius of Antioch: a journey to martyrdom as a willing sacrifice 

‘I am God’s wheat, and I shall be ground by the teeth of beasts, that I may become the pure bread of Christ.’ (3) 

St Ignatius’ most famous saying comes from his Letter to the Romans, where he begs not to be rescued from martyrdom. He was an early martyr quoted by many later fathers. Aspects of his life and martyrdom would have resonated deeply with the Celtic Church, especially given its emphasis on asceticism, martyrdom and spiritual authority grounded in personal holiness. He was arrested during the reign of Emperor Trajan (early 2nd century) and was transported under guard from Syria to Rome to be executed , specifically, to be thrown to wild beasts in the Colosseum. Along the way, he wrote seven powerful letters to various Christian communities, encouraging them to remain united in faith, obey their bishops, and stand firm under persecution. 

The most inspiring aspect, especially for the Celtic Church, is Ignatius’ joyful embrace of martyrdom. He didn’t fear death; he longed for it. In his Letter to the Romans, he writes: ‘Let me be food for the wild beasts, through whom I can reach God. I am God’s wheat, and I shall be ground by the teeth of beasts so that I may become the pure bread of Christ.’ This vivid metaphor of becoming the bread of Christ by offering himself in death would have had deep eucharistic and spiritual meaning for the Celtic Christians, who valued symbolic language, poetic theology, and spiritual bravery. 

For the Early Church Fathers and the Celtic saints, the Eucharist was at the heart of their Christian practice. It was seen as a sacred mystery that connected them deeply with Christ. The heart of the eucharistic meal was that Jesus’ presence comes into the hearts, minds, even the bones of those celebrating, literally permeating their lives with His presence. The Eucharist wasn’t just a ritual — it was more than a spiritual encounter with the divine, where those celebrating received the very nature of Christ, of divinity into their fallen humanity, to feast on the Crucified and Resurrected One. Since Celtic Christianity was largely monastic, the Eucharist was celebrated in small communities, often with a strong sense of intimacy and sacred presence, emphasising a mystical, experiential relationship with God. It was part of the rhythm of daily worship. The Celtic Saints viewed the bread and wine as holy and transformative. 

REVIVAL

Lou Engel’s Communion America (4) in the USA and James Aladiran’s ‘Battle for Britain’ conference in August 2025 (5) both argue that we do not wage war against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities. The image of King David pouring out the water that his soldiers had sacrificed their life for, and the image of Jesus saying ‘eat my flesh and drink my blood’, powerfully highlight the seriousness of the spiritual battle we are fighting.

As we pray for our nation, it is helpful to engage in identificational repentance. Suzette Hattingh, who used to be the lead intercessor for the Reinhard Bonnke mission in Africa, believed that the spirit of murder was over the British Isles’ ancient monuments.(6) Nearly all are in memory of achievements in places where blood has been shed. Ed Silvoso in That None Should Perish documents the repentance by pastors in unity, repenting for sins of the past and a huge growth in the Church that followed.(7) Brian Mills and Roger Mitchell, in Sins of the Fathers, provide helpful identification of sins of the past in Britain to intercede for the nation.(8) We know that we are redeemed from the futile ways of our forefathers by the precious blood of the Lamb. Taking communion daily and declaration of the 12 statements about the blood of Jesus (see Appendix ) is a helpful starting point. 

PRAYER

Jeremiah 6:16 says, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.”’ Lord, teach us how to pray, how to stand in the gap for our nation, to repent and confess the sins of our spiritual forefathers. Lord, come and heal our nation we pray. 

True Drink ( CLICK ON KLINK TO LISTEN TO SONG)

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(1) Wright, N.T. John for everyone, Part 1 SPCK, (2002), 86.

(2) Wright, N.T. John for everyone, Part 1 SPCK, (2002), 86.

(3) Ignatius Letter to the Romans, chapter 4, verse 1 Rick Brannan Faithlife Corporation (2018)

(4) Engle.L. https://louengle.com/event/communion-america/

(5) Aladiran, J. Battle for Britain https://prayerstorm.org/event/122/prayer-storm-conference-2025

(6) Mills B and Mitchell, The Sins of the Fathers , Renew, (1999), 14.

(7) Silvoso, E. None shall perish Baker Publishing, (1995)

(8) Mills B and Mitchell, The Sins of the Fathers, Renew, (1999), 14.