John 6:54a
” Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…”
In this passage from John 6, we are with Jesus and his disciples when the crowds who had wanted to make him king by force finally catch up with them. Having fed the 5,000 with all the bread they could eat, Jesus is now using the fact that they all ate as much as they wanted as a metaphor for the “real bread” of life which is Jesus himself.
Jesus restates his theme about eating his flesh and then adds the phrase, “… and drinks my blood…” This had to rattle the people there. Being Jews, they would all be familiar with the law concerning the eating of blood, “And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. Anyone who eats blood must be cut off from their people.” (Leviticus 7: 26-27) Later, Jesus will explain to his disciples the meaning of his metaphor.
Q: So why would Jesus use such a provocative metaphor now without any explanation?
Our life flows in our blood, through our veins. Every portion if our living flesh is supplied by our life giving blood. When we accept Christ, He joins with our spirits through the Holy Spirit and we who were dead receive eternal life.
Ron,
Good to hear from you! Thanks for the comment! 🙂