John 6: 52
‘Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”’
This is a good question! How can this man give us his flesh to eat? How, indeed?!
Let’s look at this as a metaphorical equation of sorts (from verse 51):
Jesus = living bread
Jesus comes from heaven
Eating the living bread = eternal life
Living bread = Jesus’ flesh
Jesus gives his flesh for “the life of the world.”
So the first mistake that the Jews make in trying to understand Jesus is referring to him as a “man.” If Jesus were just a man, none of this would make any sense.
Also, the definition of life and death only makes sense from a spiritual perspective. Jesus was going to “die” and nobody thought Jesus was promising that people would live forever in bodies of flesh and blood.
Somehow in Jesus logic, life and death are very different than what we perceive on earth. Eating is different than munching on a fig. Nothing is what it seems to be. Yet there is a logic here.
Jesus is something we need to have eternal life
Jesus comes from heaven, a spiritual place
Having Jesus in you (eating the bread) is a spiritual necessity
Jesus’ flesh (his body) is the living bread
Somehow all of this is tied up with Jesus giving his earthly flesh somehow.
Q: The Jews understood that God is Spirit, that the penalty for sin is death, and that substitutionary sacrifice was a means of being at one with God (atonement). What were they missing that kept them from understanding what Jesus meant?
The Jews were focused on the national aspects of the messiah rather than the his role of suffering for the sins of the people. They also lacked faith.