Open Our Eyes

"My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."1

This is the will of the Father to look to the Son for life, Jesus is the only way to the Father. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."2 Jesus is the food and drink that came from heaven, food is his flesh, drink is his blood. "For my flesh is food and my blood is drink indeed."3 Surely we must eat of this food for eternal life, but this flesh and blood is not earthly food, no, it is eating of heavenly food, the tree of life and living water.

The sword of God is the Word of God. In the beginning was the Word of God, who was with God and was God, who spoke everything into existence, let there be Light and there was Light. The Word became flesh and dwelt among man, he was the Light and life of men. In the beginning when Adam sinned and God put the flaming Sword as the guardian of the tree of life. If Jesus is the Word and the Word is the Sword of God and Jesus is Life then the guardian of the tree of life is Jesus. Now, the guardian has come to give life, access to the tree of life. His name is Jesus, who came in fullness of the Father, of Grace and Truth, He is the Son of God, the Word of God, the Sword of God, the sword is two edged Spirit and Truth, we must worship in Spirit and Truth.

Not earthly food. "Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For God the Father has placed His seal of approval on Him."5 This food comes from heaven, the food is His flesh, but Jesus reminds them, several times, it is not like the manna their fathers were fed in the wilderness, "your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died." The food your fathers ate doesn't bring eternal life, "Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.” True bread is not given by man.

"Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven."7 

Now, the people had whispered among themselves, is this the Prophet? The Prophet speaks of authority, if he were the Prophet he would have such authority, to question the Pharisees and Moses? to say he is bread from God? But the people were hung up on doctrines of Mosaic Law. Jesus said they must Repent, the Kingdom of God was at hand, they must change their thinking, the scriptures spoke of all these signs, and there they were and here was I Am. They saw the signs of the Prophet "Manna from Heaven" and healing of many sick, but they still did not believe.

The rich man in hades looked across the great divide, he begged that they would send someone to his brothers, but Abraham said, they had Moses and the prophets, but the man said, ‘if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will change their mind.’ Abraham responds, If not persuaded by Moses and the prophets why would they be persuaded though one return from the dead.8 Jesus would be a stumbling block for many under the Law. They labor for earthly food. Moses spoke of the gospel, like the serpent raised up in the wilderness, those who look to Jesus will have eternal life, they will be raised up. 

On the Road to Emmaus we see this revelation, the Words of Christ burn within the hearts of men. Jesus had asked them, what are you discussing? They thought they were speaking to a man, so they said, “This man was a prophet, powerful in speech and action before God and all the people. Our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death, and they crucified Him. But we were hoping He was the One who would redeem Israel. And besides all this, it is the third day since these things took place. Furthermore, some of our women amazed us. They were at the tomb early this morning, but they did not find His body..."8 They seem to be persuaded he is a prophet but what is this news?

The people thought Jesus the Prophet but he had been crucified, thus they thought him "touched by death" not their ideal of a Savior nor Messiah. But now, they have received word of Mary finding the tomb empty and having visions of angels, and they even sent people to investigate these rumors and found the tomb empty, so there is great debate. Jesus spoke to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.”

Hearing the Words of Jesus their eyes were opened and they believed. "Moreover of them were opened the eyes and they knew him and he vanished not to be seen by them. And they said to one another, did not our hearts burn within us as he spoke with us on the road as he was opening to us the scriptures."8 We see the food, the bread, the Word, now lets see the drink, the Spirit, as we must eat and drink this food and drink from heaven, this bread and living water from heaven. Before Jesus died he had told them to eat his flesh and drink his blood, but out of the thousands that had followed him, they turned away, a hard teaching they said.

Jesus is the guardian of the tree of life, he spoke in parables so they would not come to the tree of life, unless the mystery be revealed to them, There was a reason for this, for such a mystery, God, in his wisdom, chose for it to be revealed by His Church, which was founded on the apostles and prophets. Paul writes, this Dispensation of Grace was give to him, "to enlighten all of the dispensation of the mystery, having been hidden from the ages in God, the one who created all things. That might be made known now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God. according to the purpose of the ages which he accomplished in Christ Jesus the Lord of us."9

On the road to Emmaus their eyes were opened. But why now and not before? What could be said of the missing ingredient, which caused their eyes to be opened? surely these are the Church, people called out by God and faith is the substance of things not seen, and it is by faith comes righteousness. But here is Jesus, he doesn't appear like this to all? Jesus had said they must labor into Spiritual food, they heard his words before what is different now? Could one say it is communion with Christ? "He was reclining at the table with them, He took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to them."9 Surely it is but as Jesus said it is not earthly food and drink but heavenly. This food is His flesh and blood. You see? the missing ingredient was his blood. He is the mediator of a new covenant in His blood.

"To you the mystery has been given of the Kingdom of God, to those however, on the outside, in parables everything is done."9

Jesus said his words were Spirit and Truth and he had performed many miracles and signs, the people whispered, is this the Messiah, the Prophet, the Christ? but they did not believe the prophets, nor the signs and they ate earthly food as their fathers ate manna in the wilderness. Maybe thousands had turned away but what about the twelve disciples? But had he not already opened their eyes? yes, though one was a son of  perdition, To you the mystery has been given of the Kingdom of God.10 This mystery was to revealed through the Church, built on the apostles, their eyes saw what others did not. Peter had proclaimed, your words are eternal life, you are the Christ! Jesus had revealed to the apostles the mystery, so they would be enlightened. So we see the Word, the flesh given, and its importance in belief now we see the missing ingredient? 

"Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant."11

For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. "Whosoever drinks of the water that I will give will not thirst, for the age, and the water that I will give to him will become in him a spring of water welling up into life eternal."12 You see? yes, his blood is it not the living water? the missing ingredient of the requirement for eternal life, "unless you eat my flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man, you have no life."13 Paul writes, "In Him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, having heard and believed the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. The Spirit is the pledge of your inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory."14 We are sealed, a circumcision of the heart, cleansed by the blood, born from above in our inner being, by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the greatest testimony.

"Grace and Truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springs from the earth, And righteousness looks down from heaven."4

Righteousness and the fulfillment of the Promise came in Jesus, who came in the fullness of the Father, of Grace and Truth. His words were Spirit and Truth, his flesh we eat, the Word from heaven. The living water we drink, his blood he gave for us, by the Spirit of God we are born again, sealed. "in whom also you having heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation of you in whom also having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise."14 The Spirit came to us by the blood of Christ, for there to be a will, there must be a death, by his death came the will and the Promise of the inheritance, whereby we are sealed, we receive the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father!

As the food and drink we eat is not of this earth, the blessings we receive are too of the heavenly realms, Blessed is the Father who takes care of all our needs and "who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious Grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One." Spiritual blessings in heavenly places. 

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding."15

You are a chosen people, a holy priesthood, chosen as God's own people, the body of Christ, the Church! In which God chose to reveal his plan, "And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ." Such is according to the good pleasure of His will in Christ Jesus. 

"Being enlightened, the eyes of the heart of you, in order to know you what is the hope of the calling of him, what are the riches of the glory of the inheritance of him in the saints..."17

Be enlightened, phótizó, from phṓs, "light." Jesus is the Light of the world, the guardian of life, to have eternal life one must be enlightened, one must eat from the tree of life and drink from the living water that flows from his throne. To see the light, is to know the hope of His calling, the riches of his glorious inheritance, the greatness of his power to us who believe, it is to be empowered by the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead and to be seated in the heavenly places, as Christ is, far above every name and authority,

"And all things placed under the feet of him and him gave to be head over all things, to the Church." which is the body, the fullness of the One all things in all filling."17

Go Down, Moses

"Let my people go"