John 6: 53-58 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.”
When doubted, the change of the Greek word in John 6 to a form of eat which means to gnaw or chew was as emphatic as Jesus could get. Jesus speaks plainly and truly, no trickery involved. His flesh is food indeed, and His blood is drink indeed. A High Priest forever, of the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was king of Salem (later called Jerusalem). Melchizedek offered mere bread and wine. Jesus, the Lamb of God, fulfilled what had come before and was both High Priest and sacrifice. Jesus gives us His Body and Blood under the appearance of bread and wine. I know the three leaders of the reformation all had there own ideas of the Holy Eucharist, but look how far away so many have come as time has passed.
Lord Jesus spoke that "hard saying" because they first hardened their hearts toward him. However, before he said "
John 6:53-58," Lord Jesus previously plainly revealed to them how they may have eternal life - which they would not accept - as follows:
John 6:32-47 (WEB)
32 Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, it wasn’t Moses who gave you the
bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven.
33 For the
bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”
34 They said therefore to him, “Lord,
always give us this bread.”
35 Jesus said to them, “
I am the bread of life. Whoever
comes to me will
not be hungry, and
whoever believes in me will
never be thirsty. 36
But I told you that you have seen me, and
yet you don’t believe.
37 All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.
39 This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day. 40
For this is the will of the one who sent me, that
everyone who sees the Son, and
believes in 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 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he say, ‘I have come down out of heaven?’”
43
Therefore Jesus answered them, “Don’t murmur among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ [
Isaiah 54:13] Therefore everyone who hears from the Father and has learned, comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God. He has seen the Father. 47 Most certainly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life.
Notice that, to these hard-hearted Jews who refused to believe what he stated, he made this hard saying to condemn them in "
John 6:53-58."
If Lord Jesus had truly meant that we have to drink his blood and eat his flesh to have eternal life, then such would be taught all through the New Testament. But that is not what is taught. Rather, the Gospel is all about coming to Lord Jesus and believing in Him as Lord and Savior to be possess eternal life just as Lord Jesus plainly taught in "
John 6:32-47."
John 6:35 (WEB)
35 Jesus said to them, “
I am the bread of life. Whoever
comes to me will
not be hungry, and
whoever believes in me will
never be thirsty.
John 5:24 (WEB) 24 “Most certainly I tell you, he who
hears my word and
believes him who sent me
has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has
passed out of death into life.
How do we possess Eternal Life, according to the Gospel?
John 3:16 (WEB) 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish, but
may have eternal life.
John 3:36 (WEB) 36 One
who believes in the Son
has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Either eternal life is by eating drinking his blood and eating his flesh to have eternal life
OR
Eternal life is by hearing the Gospel and believing in Lord Jesus.
The New Testament bears testimony throughout that it is by hearing the Gospel and believing in Lord Jesus that we possess Eternal Life.
Acts 20:20-21 … 20 I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, teaching you
publicly and from
house to house, 21 testifying both to
Jews and to
Greeks repentance toward God, and
faith toward our Lord Jesus.
You canot benefit spiritually by eating flesh and drinking blood; rather, salvation is by coming to Lord Jesus and believing in him. This is Spiritual.
John 6:63 (WEB) It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.