John 6:53-59
53 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 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
THINK ABOUT IT
This strange language could not have been taken seriously by Jesus’ audience if understood literally. The Torah and the book of Acts directly forbid the consumption of blood (see Genesis 9:4–6). But even if one reads Jesus’ words as mystical and symbolic, it’s difficult to be certain what his original audience would have understood Jesus to be saying. The allusions to the Eucharist, or communion, would have only been decipherable to a later Christian, a post-resurrection reader. Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, which are nearly identical to those here, do not appear to have been understood even by his own disciples. The radical nature of Jesus’ teachings, which were provocative and often misunderstood, is powerfully evident in this scene.
TALK ABOUT IT
Why is the Lord’s Supper important?
In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny
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New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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