John 6:52-54 52The Jews then fought among themselves, saying, “How this man able to give us his flesh to eat?” 53Therefore, 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 yourselves. 54The one who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Obviously, Jesus was not talking in the previous passage about eating his literal flesh but figuratively in referring to finding the source of life in him. The Jews listening to Jesus were confused because they were thinking on an earthly level in reference to their selfish thoughts of getting more bread or experiencing another miracle. They were in it all for themselves with their narrow worldview. Jesus was challenging this by offering a greater view of what really matters in life. The Jews started arguing among themselves about the meaning of what Jesus said. For those with faith, his words are clear; for those who cannot break out of their unbelief, his words are confusing. Even today, people cannot understand the significance of Jesus’ death on the cross because they cannot trust the truth of the claims about him.
Once again, Jesus lays out the fundamental choice. The negative is given first and marked with the condition unless. Jesus uses the title Son of Man for himself again, emphasizing his humanity. He has real flesh and blood, which some later heretics known as Docetists denied. Yet, he is not talking literally about being cannibals but figuratively about the meaning of his coming death for the salvation of the world. Put in a positive way, life can only come through Jesus’ flesh and blood. The life here is obviously eternal life, but it is also inclusive of meaningful life here on earth. Any and all life comes through Jesus as the creative Word from God.
Verse 53 is the first mention of Jesus’ blood and adds the image of drinking his blood. This image would have been confusing to the Jews and disciples. It would only make sense later after the Last Supper and Jesus’ death and resurrection. The eucharistic overtones in this verse are significant. As the author, John may intentionally make reference to Jesus flesh and blood to help his readers understand the meaning of the early Christian practice of remembering the Lord’s sacrifice through the sharing of bread and wine. How much this practice became standardized within John’s lifetime is unknown, but it did not take long for the early church to make the Lord’s Supper a ritual in worship.
Verse 54 puts the choice in a positive way and extends the metaphor of flesh and blood. Jesus makes it clear once again that he is the source of eternal life and the hope of resurrection. Jews did not drink blood or even eat meat with blood in it. Jesus’ claims in these two verses would have been scandalous and confusing to them. In essence, Jesus began with a simple connection to their context but increased the commitment and depth of theology as he progressed. Many of the points in this dialogue are preparations his death on the cross. On the literary level, the reader is being prepared for the conclusion of the story. This passage highlights the significance of believing in Jesus’ death on the cross: it is a matter of eternal life.
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