Given the following assumptions, I ask & put forth for consideration:
What does it mean to chew on the Lord Jesus?
Given 1: It does not mean to chew on the literal body of Christ or to drink the literal blood of the Lord Jesus.
Given 2: It has nothing to do with the Lord's Supper (communion service, sacrament, eucharist).
I put out those two assumptions because I don't want to argue here with those who think that it refers to a sacrament or with those who think that priests do transubstantiation in a "mass." I wish to discuss with my brothers & sisters in Christ,
What does it mean to chew on the Lord Jesus?
What prompted this question was a quaint old hymn, perhaps going back to the 4th Century AD, available in many forms on YouTube, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence. Here are the important lines with my gloss:
ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων . . καὶ Κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων,
for the King of the ones who reign . . . . . and Lord of the ones who lord,
προσέρχεται σφαγιασθῆναι . . καὶ δοθῆναι . . . . εἰς βρῶσιν . . τοῖς . . . . . . πιστοῖς·
Comes to be slain . . . . . . . . . . . .and to be given . . for food . . . . . to/for the . . believers.
[video=youtube;fqA2O1c-WZg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqA2O1c-WZg&spfreload=10%20Message%3A%20JSON%20Parse%20err or%3A%20Unexpected%20EOF%20(url%3A%20https%3A%2F%2 Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DfqA2O1c-WZg)[/video]
The Bible passages to ponder are in John 6
Trōgōn (τρώγων, chewing) is the word to consider;
present participle of trōgō = I chew.
< BDAG:
τρώγω( Not found in LXX)
to bite or chew food, eat (audibly),
of animals (Homer et al. ‘chew, nibble, munch’) B 10:3.
—Of human beings τὶ someth.
ὁ τρώγων μου τὸν ἄρτον as a symbol of close comradeship J 13:18
(s. Ps 40:10 ὁ ἐσθίων ἄρτους μου [the one eating bread(s)], which is the basis for this passage).
With πίνειν [to drink]Mt 24:38.
ὁ τρώγων τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον John 6:58.
[the one chewing this bread]
ὁ τρώγων με vs. 57.
[the one chewing me]
ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα
[the one chewing my flesh]
(with πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα [= to drink my blood]) vss. 54, 56
"Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, It was not Moses that gave you the bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven For the bread of God is that which cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. They said therefore unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 36 But I said unto you, that ye have seen me, and yet believe not. 37 All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
41 The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven. 42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how doth he now say, I am come down out of heaven?
43 Jesus answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me. 46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he that is from God, he hath seen the Father. 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life.
48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove one with another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except
ye eat [φάγητε] the flesh of the Son of man
and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves.
54 He who is eating [τρώγων = chewing]
my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He who is eating eating [τρώγων = chewing] my flesh
and drinketh my blood abides in me, and I in him.
[Compare John 15 & 1 John on abiding]
57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father;
so he who is eating [τρώγων = chewing] me,
he also shall live because of me.
58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven:
not as the fathers ate, [ἔφαγον ] and died;
he who eats [τρώγων = chewing]this bread shall live forever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it? 61 But Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said unto them, Doth this cause you to stumble? 62 What then if ye should behold the Son of man ascending where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life.
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who it was that should betray him. 65 And he said, For this cause have I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it be given unto him of the Father.
What does it mean to chew on the Lord Jesus?
Given 1: It does not mean to chew on the literal body of Christ or to drink the literal blood of the Lord Jesus.
Given 2: It has nothing to do with the Lord's Supper (communion service, sacrament, eucharist).
I put out those two assumptions because I don't want to argue here with those who think that it refers to a sacrament or with those who think that priests do transubstantiation in a "mass." I wish to discuss with my brothers & sisters in Christ,
What does it mean to chew on the Lord Jesus?
What prompted this question was a quaint old hymn, perhaps going back to the 4th Century AD, available in many forms on YouTube, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence. Here are the important lines with my gloss:
ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων . . καὶ Κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων,
for the King of the ones who reign . . . . . and Lord of the ones who lord,
προσέρχεται σφαγιασθῆναι . . καὶ δοθῆναι . . . . εἰς βρῶσιν . . τοῖς . . . . . . πιστοῖς·
Comes to be slain . . . . . . . . . . . .and to be given . . for food . . . . . to/for the . . believers.
[video=youtube;fqA2O1c-WZg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqA2O1c-WZg&spfreload=10%20Message%3A%20JSON%20Parse%20err or%3A%20Unexpected%20EOF%20(url%3A%20https%3A%2F%2 Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DfqA2O1c-WZg)[/video]
The Bible passages to ponder are in John 6
Trōgōn (τρώγων, chewing) is the word to consider;
present participle of trōgō = I chew.
< BDAG:
τρώγω( Not found in LXX)
to bite or chew food, eat (audibly),
of animals (Homer et al. ‘chew, nibble, munch’) B 10:3.
—Of human beings τὶ someth.
ὁ τρώγων μου τὸν ἄρτον as a symbol of close comradeship J 13:18
(s. Ps 40:10 ὁ ἐσθίων ἄρτους μου [the one eating bread(s)], which is the basis for this passage).
With πίνειν [to drink]Mt 24:38.
ὁ τρώγων τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον John 6:58.
[the one chewing this bread]
ὁ τρώγων με vs. 57.
[the one chewing me]
ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα
[the one chewing my flesh]
(with πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα [= to drink my blood]) vss. 54, 56
"Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, It was not Moses that gave you the bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven For the bread of God is that which cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. They said therefore unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 36 But I said unto you, that ye have seen me, and yet believe not. 37 All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
41 The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said, I am the bread which came down out of heaven. 42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how doth he now say, I am come down out of heaven?
43 Jesus answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me. 46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he that is from God, he hath seen the Father. 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life.
48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove one with another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except
ye eat [φάγητε] the flesh of the Son of man
and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves.
54 He who is eating [τρώγων = chewing]
my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He who is eating eating [τρώγων = chewing] my flesh
and drinketh my blood abides in me, and I in him.
[Compare John 15 & 1 John on abiding]
57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father;
so he who is eating [τρώγων = chewing] me,
he also shall live because of me.
58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven:
not as the fathers ate, [ἔφαγον ] and died;
he who eats [τρώγων = chewing]this bread shall live forever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it? 61 But Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said unto them, Doth this cause you to stumble? 62 What then if ye should behold the Son of man ascending where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life.
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who it was that should betray him. 65 And he said, For this cause have I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it be given unto him of the Father.
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