Thoughts on John 6:51-59?

gordRedeemed said:

Hello

Just curious what your thoughts are on John 6:51 to 59 where Jesus really goes into how eating his flesh and drinking his blood will give life.

I imagine this is supposed to be spiritualized some way? I will confess my favourite Bible I own is my old Eastern Orthodox NKJV Study Bible. I am not Orthodox nor do I want to be. But I like all the icons, etc and I like the NKJV so I use it.

Of course in this Bible the editor really pushes this is all about the importance of the Eucharist. Now I don't really agree with the priestly order the EO and RCC have so I disagree with that, but communion or 'The Lord's Supper' as some call it I can clearly see in these texts.

How do you folks see it? I know many churches don't do communion every week or even every month. What are we to make of these words? As I said, I am guessing we are to take them spiritually? Not literally flesh (bread) and blood (wine)? Jesus seems pretty adamant that this is important.

Thanks old chaps. I ask in this forum as I know some of you and I know you know that I know that you know your Bibles

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The context is clear that the Lord Jesus isn't teaching about the Lord's Supper here but teaching about the manna that pictured Him that God fed the Hebrews with in the wilderness. The Lord's Supper is a picture of the Passover.

The key to understanding what He is teaching is in verses 53-56:
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
(Joh 6:53-56)

He is talking about faith. Faith takes Christ and lives by Him. He is our food and our life.

Don't forget Jesus just fed 5000 people and they kept following Him wanting more food. They even ask "what can we do to work the works of God?" Or "if you're not going to feed us what must we do to feed ourselves?" Christ explains God alone provides and He is the spiritual food they needed reproving their carnal ideas outright.

Yours in The Lord,

jm

I agree with JM's answer and would add a possible motivation for Jesus saying this in such a shocking fashion without a clear explanation to the masses. Jesus wanted to turn the crowds away. While not lying, by not explaining that He was not speaking of actual cannibalism, He caused the crowds to leave. Jesus did not come to be crowned King 2,000 years ago as He will in the future. He came to be rejected and die horribly deserted by just about everybody. To have continued amasing crowds of followers as all other religious leaders long for would have defeated the purpose of being the Suffering Servant.

Jesus Christ deliberately said this so that people would come to the wrong conclusion and leave. Notice the following effect even on those most close to Him:

John 6:66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

We have the benefit of the rest of the last chapters of the Gospels, the indwelling Holy Spirit and the New Testament epistles that explain to us what JM has well written. However, at the time He said this Jesus wanted to leave people confused. He did not want many Jews to come to saving Faith until AFTER the crucifixion, so that there would be few or none in the crowd to ask Pilate to free Jesus and not Barrabas.

It is interesting to compare His much plainer words to the Samaritans, because they were NOT in a position to interfere with His crucifixion.

JR