August 10, 2003
Ephesians 4:25-5:2; John 6:35,41-51
The Gospel of John indicates the difficulty of understanding the value of the spiritual as compared to the value of the physical. Jesus is quoted as saying that he was the bread of life and that those who came to him would not hunger or thirst. His listeners failed to understand that he was using physical terminology to explain a spiritual truth. They began to discuss how Jesus could give them his flesh to eat. But Jesus was speaking of a spiritual diet! He was speaking of learning how to nurture the spirit in a manner which make both the physical and spiritual aspects of life more meaningful and valuable. The "real" person to Jesus was the spirit, not the body.
Paul, in speaking to the young church at Ephesus gave an interpretation of the results of good "spiritual food". Spiritual health, i.e. the results of a good spiritual diet bring about the following results: Speaking truth; Anger control; Avoidance of thievery; Honest work; Cessation of evil talk; Speaking that works with, rather than against God; Putting aside all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor slander and malice; and Becoming kind, tenderhearted and forgiving in relationships with one another.
In so doing the author indicates that we become imitators of God, as children of God, and that we walk in love as Christ loved everyone and gave up his life rather than turn his back on the principles he taught concerning the importance of nurturing the spirit. One might say that the more perfect our spiritual diet, the more perfect our spiritual expressions in life become, and the more nearly we come to expressing the values in our life which Jesus expressed in his.