In John 6:53-56, Jesus makes a startling statement: “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.”
This passage has puzzled and disturbed many readers over the centuries. What did Jesus mean when He said we must eat His flesh and drink His blood? A surface reading makes it sound like Jesus is advocating for cannibalism. However, we know from the rest of Scripture that this is not the case. As we examine the context and meaning of Jesus’ words, we find that He was using shocking metaphorical language to underscore profound spiritual truths.
The Context of Jesus’ Statement
In John 6, Jesus had just fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish (John 6:1-15). The people were ready to forcefully make Jesus their king because of this miraculous sign (John 6:15). Jesus withdraws to the mountain alone, later joining His disciples who were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee (John 6:16-21). The next day in Capernaum, the people Jesus had fed came looking for Him again (John 6:22-25). Jesus confronts them for seeking Him out for the wrong reasons – because He filled their bellies, not because they saw the sign pointing to His identity as the Son of God (John 6:26-27).
Jesus then makes several “I am” statements, claiming to be the true bread from heaven that gives life to the world (John 6:28-51). The Jews argue among themselves, wondering how Jesus could give them His flesh to eat (John 6:52). Jesus responds to their confusion by making His even more shocking statement in verses 53-58. He is using graphic physical language to underscore a deep spiritual truth. His hearers would immediately recognize that Jesus was speaking symbolically and metaphorically, not literally advocating for cannibalism.
Old Testament Background
To unpack Jesus’ metaphorical language, we must understand the Old Testament background regarding food and the sustenance God provides. When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, God provided manna from heaven as bread to eat (Exodus 16:4). God told them to gather only what they needed for each day. On the day before the Sabbath, they were to gather a double portion and God would provide it miraculously overnight (Exodus 16:5). Some disobeyed and tried to hoard extra manna, only to find it rotten and full of maggots the next day (Exodus 16:20). God used the manna to teach the Israelites dependence on Him, the Bread from Heaven, for their daily sustenance.
Years later, God provided meat for the Israelites to eat in the form of quail that covered their whole camp (Exodus 16:13). God again provided for their physical needs supernaturally. The psalmist later reflected on how God had “rained down manna” and “given them bread from heaven” during the wilderness wandering (Psalm 78:23-24). When the people hungered in the desert, God satisfied them with manna and quail as physical signs of His faithful provision.
Centuries later, the prophet Isaiah looked forward to a day when God would abundantly feed His people again: “On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines” (Isaiah 25:6). Against the backdrop of God supernaturally providing bread from heaven and meat to eat, Jesus announces that He is the long-awaited “bread from heaven” who can eternally satisfy spiritual hunger.
Jesus as the Bread of Life
In declaring Himself to be the “bread of life” (John 6:35), Jesus set His own ministry in direct connection with God providing manna in the wilderness. Just as God had provided physical bread from heaven to sustain the Israelites physically, now Jesus provides Himself as spiritual bread from heaven to give eternal life to the whole world. But Jesus makes clear that the manna in the wilderness was merely a foreshadowing of the eternal spiritual nourishment He provides:
John 6:58 – 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.
The manna and quail in the days of Moses could only provide temporary, physical sustenance. All the Israelites who ate that bread died. But Jesus as the living Bread from Heaven gives eternal spiritual life to those who partake of Him by faith. While the manna was a miraculous provision from heaven, Jesus is the Miracle Himself – the true Bread from Heaven that imparts life to the world.
This fits in the context of how John especially emphasizes Jesus’ miracles as specific signs pointing to His true identity and purpose. The feeding of the five thousand, while meeting a physical need, was primarily intended to point the people to Jesus as the greater heavenly Bread who could meet their deeper spiritual needs.
Eating His Flesh and Drinking His Blood
It is against this backdrop that Jesus’ words in John 6 about eating His flesh and drinking His blood come into sharp focus. Jesus switches graphic physical language in order to jolt His listeners into realization of their deep spiritual needs. They cannot live without Jesus in the same way that they cannot live without literal food and drink. By consuming Jesus’ flesh and blood, they will receive eternal life.
Of course, Jesus is not speaking literally. He means we must internalize Him and His words. We must deeply trust, treasure, and build our lives around Jesus and His work on our behalf. Just as food and drink nourish us physically, so Jesus nourishes us spiritually. Feeding on Jesus by faith is essential for every believer.
The reaction of Jesus’ disciples demonstrates that they did not take His words literally but rather discerned the spiritual truth. When many turned away because of Jesus’ offensive language, He asked the Twelve if they would leave too. Peter responded:
John 6:68-69 – “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
Peter recognized that only Jesus had the words of eternal life. The Twelve knew Jesus was speaking figuratively about the need to be nourished by Him for spiritual life. Later, at the Last Supper, Jesus used similar language in instituting Communion, which surely would have reminded the disciples of His “flesh and blood” discourse:
Luke 22:19 – And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Jesus was not speaking literally that the bread was His physical body. Neither was He speaking literally in John 6 about eating His literal flesh and blood. Rather, He used arresting imagery to profoundly teach that He is the all-sufficient Bread from Heaven who alone can impart life to the world. All who desire eternal life must know and trust in Jesus, relying fully on His finished work upon the cross.
A Graphic Lesson on Faith
Jesus’ graphic language about eating His flesh and drinking His blood would have reminded the Jews of strict OT prohibitions against consuming blood (Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 7:26-27). His command to drink blood would have seemed especially offensive. Why did Jesus use such disturbing imagery? He spoke this way to emphasize the radical nature of faith required. Just like the offended disciples, many of Jesus’ listeners turned away because this call to faith was too extreme and offensive (John 6:66). But true believers whom the Father had drawn to Him stayed because they trusted in the life only He could provide (John 6:65).
Eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood point to the desperation in every believer’s faith. Because we are completely lost in sin and cannot help ourselves, we must totally, urgently depend on the atoning death of Another. We must daily nourish ourselves on Jesus Christ and His sacrifice that we may live eternally. We must hold fast to Him, take Jesus within, let Him fill our minds and hearts, and build our entire lives around Him. This graphic language underscores our utter reliance upon Jesus.
In summary, Jesus was not merely referring to participating in the Lord’s Supper, as some assume. Neither was He promoting literal cannibalism. The background context and the disciples’ reaction shows Jesus was speaking figuratively to jolt His listeners into realizing their desperate need for Him. They must entirely rely on His death and resurrection, just like completely depending on food and drink for physical life. Jesus alone is the all-sufficient Bread of Life who completely satisfies our souls.