John 6:50-53

50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”

53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 

“How Can This Man Give Us His Flesh To Eat?”

Remember in John 6:49 when Jesus said, “Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, but are dead.”? Well, He continues this thought process in these next verses tying it all together beautifully. He compares the physical bread that God provided for His people, to the spiritual bread that God sent to earth in the person of His Son. In verse 50, paraphrasing, He continues, (Your ancestors died in the wilderness after eating the manna), BUT, “this (meaning Himself) is the bread that has come down from heaven. If you eat this bread, you won’t die.” Then in verse 51, Jesus explains this in more detail. Paraphrasing, “I am the living bread from heaven. If one eats this bread, he will live forever; the bread that I give is My flesh. I offer My flesh so that the world will live forever.” Jesus is going to give His body so the entire world can live forever. This statement throws the Jews for a loop. They had already been told by Jesus not to murmur earlier in this conversation. But at this point, they weren’t murmuring. They were actually fighting amongst themselves as they tried to figure out how “this Man” could give them His flesh to eat! (vs. 52) These are the people who have murmured against Jesus and questioned Him at every turn, just like the Israelites of old did to God in the wilderness. The apple doesn’t seem to fall far from the tree. The thing that is most bothersome about the attitude of these people is not that they don’t understand. Anyone can “not understand” and need more clarification about what is being said. It was normal that they didn’t understand everything Jesus was saying. It is that they don’t want to understand. They listen with no intention of believing anything He has to say. They didn’t ask Jesus questions with honest hearts wanting to know the truth. They questioned Him in a condescending way. They wanted to prove that Jesus was crazy and make Him look foolish. But Jesus never backed down. He didn’t try to make it easier to understand. He went even deeper in verse 53. In other words, Jesus dropped a spiritual bomb on them in verse 53. Paraphrasing, “Absolutely, listen to Me, unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you have no life in you. You are dead.” And why does Jesus not back down? Because of the great love that He had for those people’s souls. Oh, if they only knew! Jesus showed us the example of not backing down. We have to follow His example and not back down today. We get ridiculed by the world for what we believe…..sometimes by people we love the most. We have to continue to stand up for the truth for the same reason Jesus did…..because we love the souls of the lost, whether we know them personally or not. 

Now, interpreting verse 53 might be a bit confusing. The language in the verse sounds like He could be referring to the Lord’s Supper, but He isn’t. Here are some reasons that I found that support that this verse is not about the Lord’s Supper. First, the word “flesh” is not used where the Lord’s Supper is written about. The word “body” is used instead. They are two different Greek words. Second, the people listening would have no understanding of this memorial because it hadn’t been established yet. And third, if this verse were about the Lord’s Supper, then Jesus is saying that taking the Lord’s Supper is the only thing we need to do to gain eternal life. I can see how this could be confusing, but it just doesn’t make sense for this passage to be about the Lord’s Supper. 

What verse 53 actually means is that we symbolically partake of Jesus’ flesh and blood by giving our entire lives to Him. We are supposed to hunger and thirst for Jesus so much that we are continually “eating His flesh” and “drinking His blood” symbolically by the lives that we lead. Jesus is the Word, right? (John 1:1) The Word became flesh, right? (John 1:14) So…..God’s Word is Jesus’ flesh and blood! Don’t you just love connecting the dots of Scripture? It is amazing! When we study God’s Word, we are “eating His flesh” and “drinking His blood”. In fact, everything we do as Christians for the cause of Christ is “eating His flesh” and “drinking His blood”. It is obeying Him in repentance and baptism, and then living a faithful life in service to Him. Jesus is the all-consuming center of our very being. To symbolically “eat His flesh” and “drink His blood” means that we have consumed God’s Word so much, that we have it “hidden in our hearts” so that we carry Jesus (the Word) with us everywhere, and His Word helps us stay away from sin, and stay true to God. (Psalm 119:11) 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)