John 6:52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.

It’s no wonder there were rumors that early Christians were cannibals, though they were not. In our passage Jesus was referring to the Lord’s Supper which he instituted before his eventual arrest, death, and resurrection. That said, you gotta admit Jesus could have done a better job of clarifying his remarks at the time.

“Christians are cannibals” is a good example of how easy it is to think the worst of people with whom we disagree. This happens all the time in our modern world, particularly in the political arena. It takes effort to really understand people with whom we are unfamiliar or don’t understand or with whom we disagree. Christians can do better. I can do better.

Lord, ignorance is easy. Understanding takes effort. Give us grace to actually get to know people, not just the rumors about people. Amen.