How Can Jesus Give Us His Flesh To Eat?

A Study of John 6:52-59

“The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So 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 you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.”

John 6:52–59 ESV

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-Disputed: “Ἐμάχοντο”, “Emachonto”; verb, imperfect, either middle or passive, indicative, third person, plural | finite verb – to fight, argue; of those who engage in a war of words, to quarrel, wrangle, dispute.

-This Man: “οὗτος”, “houtos”; pronoun, demonstrative, nominative, singular, masculine | demonstrative pronoun – this one; according to the nature and character of the person or thing mentioned, it is used with a suggestion — either of contempt (as in John 6:42, 52) or in admiration (as in Matthew 21:11, Acts 9:21).

-Flesh: “σάρκα”, “sarka”; noun, accusative, singular, feminine | direct object – properly, flesh (the soft substance of the living body, which covers the bones and is permeated with blood); in figurative discourse, to appropriate to oneself the saving results of the violent death endured by Christ.

-To Eat: “φαγεῖν”, “phagein”; verb, aorist, active, infinitive | purposive subordinate clause – to eat; figuratively, to receive into the soul what serves to refresh, strengthen, nourish it unto life eternal.

-Jesus: “Ἰησοῦς”, “Iēsous”; noun, nominative, singular, masculine | proper name – Jesus, Jehoshua; Jesus = “Yahweh is salvation”; Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind, God incarnate.

-Son of Man: “Υἱοῦ ἀνθρώπου”, “Huiou anthrōpou”; noun, genitive, singular, masculine – used by Christ himself, doubtless in order that he might intimate his Messiahship and also that he might designate himself as the head of the human family, the man, the one who both furnished the pattern of the perfect man and acted on behalf of all mankind. Christ seems to have preferred this to the other Messianic titles, because by its lowliness it was least suited to foster the expectation of an earthly Messiah in royal splendor.

-Drink: “πίητε”, “piēte”; verb, aorist, active, subjunctive, second person, plural | finite verb – to drink; figuratively, to receive into the soul what serves to refresh, strengthen, nourish it unto life eternal.

-Blood: “αἷμα”, “haima”; noun, accusative, singular, neuter | direct object of the dependent clause – Frequent mention is made in the N. T. of the blood of Christ shed to achieve the saving results of His death.

-Whoever Feeds On: “ὁ τρώγων”, “ho trōgōn”; verb, present, active, participle, singular, nominative, masculine | substantival participle – to gnaw, crunch, chew raw vegetables or fruits; used figuratively in John 6:54, 58 to speak of “feeding” on the flesh of Christ.

-Eternal: “αἰώνιον”, “aiōnion”; adjective, accusative, singular, feminine | attributive adjective – eternal, without end, never to cease, everlasting.

-Life: “ζωὴν”, “zōēn”; noun, accusative, singular, feminine | direct object – life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last forever.

-Will Raise Up: “ἀναστήσω”, “anastēsō”; verb, future, active, indicative, first person, singular | finite verb – rise, get up, rise up; in John 6:54: to raise up from death.

-Last: “ἐσχάτῃ”, “eschatē”; adjective, dative, singular, feminine | attributive adjective – last in time or place; coupled with the word “day,”, “the last day” of this age refers to the glorious return of Christ.

-Day: “ἡμέρᾳ”, “hēmera”; noun, dative, singular, feminine | temporal dative – day, period, age; in John 6:54, used in the phrase “the last day”, it refers to the last day of this present age, the day Christ will return from heaven, raise the dead, hold the final judgment, and perfect his kingdom.

-True [Food & Drink]: “ἀληθής”, “alēthēs”; adjective, nominative, singular, feminine | attributive adjective – true, truthful.

-Abides: “μένει”, “menei”; verb, present, active, indicative, third person, singular | finite verb – remain, stay, reside; In the mystic phraseology of John, God is said μένειν in Christ, i.e. to dwell as it were within him, to be continually operative in him by his divine influence and energy, (John 14:10); Christians are said μένειν ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, to be rooted as it were in him, knit to him by the spirit they have received from him, (1 John 2:6, 24, 27; 1 John 3:6); hence, one is said μένει (abide) in Christ or in God, and conversely Christ or God is said μένειν in one (John 6:56).

-Father (v.57): “πατὴρ”, “patēr”; noun, nominative, singular, masculine | subject of the dependent clause – God is called the Father; the Father of Jesus Christ, as one whom God has united to himself in the closest bond of love and intimacy, made acquainted with his purposes, appointed to explain and carry out among men the plan of salvation, and made to share also in his own divine nature. Also, of Christians who have been born again as children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

-Fathers (v.58): “πατέρες”, “pateres”; noun, nominative, plural, masculine | subject of the dependent clause – a more remote ancestor, fathers i.e. ancestors, forefathers, founders of a nation.

-The Synagogue: “συναγωγῇ”, “synagōgē”; noun, dative, singular, feminine | prepositional object – i.e. “the house of assembly”; Synagogues seem to date their origin from the Babylonian exile. In the time of Jesus and the apostles every town, not only in Palestine but also among the Gentiles if it contained a considerable number of Jewish inhabitants, had at least one synagogue, the larger towns several or even many. They were more than just a place for religious gatherings. The Jews also conducted trials and inflicted punishments in the synagogue, as is seen in passages such as: Matthew 10:17; Matthew 23:34; Mark 13:9; Luke 12:11; Luke 21:12; Acts 9:2; Acts 22:19; Acts 26:11.

-Capernaum: “Καφαρναούμ”, “Kapharnaoum”; noun, dative, singular, feminine | proper name – Capernaum = “”village of comfort”; a flourishing city of Galilee situated on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee a.k.a. the Lake of Gennesaret, near the place where the Jordan flows into the lake.

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

As Jesus’ audience of Jewish leaders and Galileans in the synagogue of Capernaum continued to misunderstand Him, as well as argue and grumble about what He said, they asked, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”. In response, Jesus made His metaphorical statement to them one more time. And He told them unless they ate the flesh of the Son of Man, and drank His blood, they had no life in them. He also said He would raise up everyone who eats His flesh and drinks His blood on the last day. Jesus went on to say His flesh is true food and His blood is true drink, and He will abide in all, and they in Him, that feed on His flesh and drink His blood. For, as the living Father sent Him, and He lives because of the Father, all who feed on Jesus will also live because of Him. Lastly, Jesus stated again that He is the bread that came down from heaven. He is not like the manna their ancestors ate in the wilderness and still died. Whoever feeds on this bread (Jesus) will live forever.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

It is important to begin by saying Jesus is not advocating cannibalism here. At the beginning of John chapter 6, Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 men plus thousands more women and children with only 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. That night, Jesus and His disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum (this is when Jesus walked on water) and miraculously healed people before He went to the synagogue to teach. Having seen and experienced all this, the people began to draw comparisons between Jesus and the miraculous provision of bread, or manna, from heaven for their ancestors in the wilderness journey recorded in Exodus. As Jesus explained to them that God the Father had sent Him from heaven, and they must believe in Him to receive eternal life, they questioned Him for more and greater signs. But they did this because they wanted a Messiah of their own making. They wanted a Messiah who would continue to satisfy their physical appetites at their beck and call, and also who would establish an earthly kingdom at that very moment and overthrow the Romans. They were not humbly seeking God on His terms.

So, Jesus continued with the comparison they made to His miraculous signs and the manna from heaven centuries prior by telling them He was the greater sign. They asked for a sign greater than what Yahweh had done through Moses and they were looking at it, or more specifically, at Him. While God had sent manna in the wilderness to satisfy the physical, temporary appetites of their ancestors, those people still died. But Jesus is the living bread that the Father sent from heaven to satisfy eternal, spiritual appetites and to give eternal life. This is the metaphor Jesus used to describe Himself when He referred to the sacrifice of His own body (flesh and blood) to pay the debt for the sin of the whole world. Just as a person must consume food by taking it into themself for temporary, physical life, we must, in an even greater sense, take Jesus into ourselves in believing faith, trusting in Him as Lord and Savior, and in the sufficiency of His redemptive work on the cross to pay the debt we owe for our sin.

At this point in the passage, in verse 52,  Jesus’ audience, not for the first time, disputed and grumbled among themselves saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”. The Greek word used here for “disputed” is “emachonto,” and this is a strong verb that describes a sharp, or fierce argument. It is possible some people willfully misunderstood Jesus and twisted His words, implying that he was speaking of cannibalism. And I do think, for some of the people there it was a wilful misunderstanding, because given the full context of this discourse, as D.A. Carson puts it, speaking of the people in the synagogue who heard Jesus speak, “Any dullard could see that Jesus was not speaking literally: no-one would suppose Jesus was seriously advocating cannibalism and offering himself as the first meal.”

Now, reading this today, and especially hearing it out of context, Jesus’ meaning is not so obvious to us. But if we take the time to consider these statements from Jesus within the context of the entire discourse from Him we will see that Jesus’ language here was clearly metaphorical. That said, the questions of the Jews listening to Him and what they argued about must have been: “What could he possibly mean by this figurative language?”, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”. But whatever their misunderstanding was exactly, the point is they still did not understand Him or accept what He said.

But Jesus said what He meant, and He meant what He said. In verses 53-54 and on, instead of pulling back from this metaphor that was causing offense and discord, Jesus pressed the metaphor further by telling them in even more forceful terms that unless they ate the flesh of the Son of Man and drank His blood, they had no life in them, and that He would raise everyone up on the last day who feeds on His flesh and drinks His blood. Notice the addition of the phrases “drinks my blood” and “feeds on my flesh.” As He pressed the metaphor further, Jesus promised that the one who does these things will have eternal life and be raised up on the last day.

The One whose flesh must be fed on and whose blood must be drunk is the “Son of Man.” This title has already been used by Jesus to describe Himself and it tells us He is both human, and the divine One on whom God the Father has set his seal of approval (John 6:27, Daniel 7:13-14). It is important for us to notice the parallel between verse 40 and verses 53-54 in this chapter in order to make sense of this metaphor. In verse 40 Jesus said everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life, and in verses 53-54 Jesus uses the metaphor of eating His flesh and drinking His blood to describe those who will receive eternal life. This helps make it clear that He is using figurative language to describe believing faith in Him, and not literal cannibalism or anything like it. The flesh and blood metaphor points to the sacrifice of His own body on the cross and our inability to save ourselves. We need to trust in the sufficiency of His redemptive work for our salvation. Just as food must be received, or taken into the body for temporary, physical life, we must receive the eternal, spiritual life (and physical life in the new earth) given to us by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. And we receive this life, purchased for us with His own flesh and blood, by believing in Him.

A final note on verses 53-54: Some have taken this metaphor of feeding on the flesh and drinking the blood to point to the need to take “communion” or the “eucharist” to receive salvation. However, I must respectfully disagree with my brothers and sisters who believe this. Salvation is received by grace alone, through faith alone (John 6:29, Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-10). And again, Jesus is using this metaphor to explain what He said in verse 40, which is that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. Furthermore, as Jesus also says in verse 63 of this chapter, “It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh is no help at all.” The eucharist points to the sacrifice of Jesus and our need to believe and rely on Him. It is an obedient act of remembrance of the sacrifice our Lord made for us, and that we can only be saved by believing in Him. Augustine of Hippo (4th-5th century AD) explained this well when he wrote, “Believe and you have eaten.”

Next, in verses 55-56 Jesus says His flesh is true food, and His blood is true drink, and He abides in those who feed on Him and He in them. Physical food and drink that provide temporary sustenance have some value, but the loving, selfless sacrifice of Jesus’ own body (flesh and blood) to pay the penalty for the sin of the whole world (1 John 2:2) is true food and drink for the hungry and thirsty soul. It is only by believing in Him and the sufficiency of His redemptive work on the cross that our souls will find true, lasting satisfaction and life. And everyone who believes in Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection will abide in Him and He in them.

This word “abide” is “menō” in the original Greek. John the gospel writer uses it often in His inspired writings to describe how Christians continue to be faithful to Jesus with believing faith and how Jesus remains in and with Christians by His indwelling Spirit who continually transforms the Christian day by day to be more like Christ (this is at least a good introduction to the concept). Importantly, we learn from Jesus’ statement that we can’t save ourselves. We can’t accomplish our own salvation. Like helpless baby birds, we must open our mouths in faith and receive eternal life from Jesus made available to us through His sacrifice on the cross.

In verse 57 Jesus says, “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.” It is the “living Father” who sent Jesus. This description of God the Father tells us God is living and He is the source of all life. Also, this tells us God the Father sent Jesus, God the Son, to give life to all of us. In this verse Jesus also switched from the “flesh and blood” language to say, “feeds on me.” This shows that Jesus’ whole person, all that He is, is what He is speaking about. He is not merely speaking about the elements of the eucharist, i.e. the bread and the wine. The elements of the eucharist are a reminder of the One who saves us and how He accomplished our salvation. In addition to being an obedient act of remembrance, taking part in the eucharist, or the act of communion, is a declaration that we believe in the sufficiency of Jesus’ sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sin.

Jesus also says again that the one who feeds on Him, meaning, the one who believes in Him, will live because of Him. While Jesus is fully God and fully human, and therefore has life within Himself, as Christians we do not possess life within ourselves. We are not divine; we are simply human. It is Jesus who mediates this life to us, and it is only by believing in and relying on Him that we receive this gift of life. Jesus is the only way, truth and life. There is no life apart from Him, but all who do believe in Him will have life for eternity. Though we will die on this earth, we will immediately be with Jesus in spirit, and will also receive new, perfected, resurrected bodies on the last day of this age when Jesus makes all things new.

Lastly for this passage, in verse 58-59, Jesus says, “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”, and John the gospel writer also adds that Jesus said these things in the synagogue at Capernaum. The people had compared Jesus to the manna sent from heaven in the wilderness at the beginning of this discourse, and to end His teaching Jesus says again that He is the true heavenly bread. Unlike the physical bread their ancestors ate in wilderness, whoever feeds on this heavenly bread (Jesus) will live forever. It is not enough to merely taste or admire Jesus. We must feed our very souls with Him. We must take Him into ourselves in believing faith, and everyone who does so will live forever.

“Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

– John 6:29 ESV

“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

– Romans 10:9–10 ESV

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

– Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

Response (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

This passage should help us understand Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was absolutely necessary to secure our salvation. God is perfectly just and if He ignored sin He would no longer be just. But, because He is also infinitely loving, He came to earth as fully God and fully human to live the life perfect life we never could, and to die the death we deserve.

Jesus, God incarnate, paid the penalty for our sin Himself by willingly dying on the cross. But the story does not end there. Jesus rose back to life three days later, was seen, touched and heard by at least hundreds of witnesses, and then He ascended back to heaven where He now sits at the right hand of God the Father.

This is what we must believe to be saved. This truth is what we must feed and satisfy our souls with each and every day. We must believe in the sufficiency of Jesus’ death to pay for our sin, and in the power of His resurrection and ascension as proof that our debt has been fully paid. Also, by this we have certainty that He is able to raise us up with Him as well. 

We must “feed on His flesh” and drink His blood,” meaning, we must nourish our very souls by believing in Him. This is why we take the eucharist as followers of Jesus. It is because we believe this, and we remind ourselves of, and declare our belief in this beautiful truth when we take the eucharist.

Self Reflection:

1. The difficulties of life in a fallen world can wear a person down. Am I nourishing my soul each day with the truth of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection?

2. This good news, this gospel, changes everything. How does the gospel of Jesus nourish my spirit each day and affect how I live?

3. Practically speaking, how can I feed on the selfless sacrifice of Jesus in my daily life? What are some practical steps I can take to reflect on Jesus’ loving, life-giving sacrifice for me and the whole world each day?