Drinking Jesus' Blood and Eating His Flesh

The meaning of Jesus' words in John 6 is something that has been contested over for centuries. While the Jews to whom Jesus was preaching reacted with shock and disgust when he told them to eat his flesh and drink his blood, today few people believe that Jesus meant these words literally. However, though it is certain that Jesus' words were meant to be symbolic, no one is certain what his flesh and blood are meant to symbolize. There are many different interpretations, but the general consensus of Johannine experts is that when believers drink Jesus' blood and eat his flesh, they are participating in an act that symbolizes their faith in Christ and their relationship with him.

Any attempt to determine the meaning of the Eucharistic discourse must start with a look at the feeding of the multitude. Most biblical scholars agree that the entirety of John six is part of the Eucharistic discourse, [1] and that the feeding of the multitude is meant to represent the Eucharistic discourse. [2] Verse five shows the reader that Jesus is the initiator of this miracle; he is concerned about the physical needs of the people who have followed him, just as he shows his concern for their spiritual needs in verse 27 and on. The five loaves of bread symbolize the bread of life, Jesus himself, given to all people in order to satisfy their needs. In verse 12, Jesus tells his disciples to pick up the leftover bread; MacGregor suggests that this request continues the Eucharistic symbolism by reminding the reader that the sacramental bread is sacred and should not be wasted. [3] However, this seems like rather weak reasoning, given that the reader is never told what eventually happens to the leftover bread.

Unfortunately, the people are only interested in food, not in having their spiritual needs fulfilled. Jesus makes this clear in verse 26 when he says, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves." As in other parts of the gospel, the phrase "very truly" emphasizes the fact that these words are ones that should be carefully paid attention to. [4] After Jesus tells the Israelites to believe in him, they ask him to give them a physical sign. They hope that the Messiah will give them bread to eat, just as God gave their ancestors manna from heaven. [5] Later in the chapter, after they realize that the bread that Jesus offers them is not physical bread, the crowd turns away. [6] They are only interested in satisfying their physical needs, not their spiritual ones. Ironically, they desire the symbol of the real "spiritual gift" that Jesus offers them, but they reject the gift itself.

When looking at Jesus' words, it is important to study the biblical text in order to determine how the people that he was speaking to reacted towards his words. Moore assumes that none of Jesus' followers believed that they were literally eating the flesh and blood of Jesus, since none of them were horrified at the idea in the Upper Room and in later years. [7] Despite this fact, however, it is clear from the text of John 6 that the Jews to whom Jesus preached were scandalized at his words. They thought that Jesus was speaking of his physical flesh and blood, and even Jesus' disciples found it difficult to believe that by eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood they could gain eternal life. John 6:66 states that after this, many of them turned away. These reactions are understandable; throughout history, the idea of eating human flesh and blood has been seen as repugnant. To the Israelites it must have seemed even worse because one name for the devil was the "eater of flesh," while drinking blood was prohibited by God's law. [8]

While the Israelites of Jesus' time believed that he was telling them to literally eat his flesh and drink his blood, modern-day readers understand that Jesus' terminology is a metaphor. This fact is made clear i n verse 53 when Jesus calls himself the "Son of Man," a title that emphasizes his divinity rather than his humanity. The usage of this name implies that Jesus does not want his followers to consume his physical flesh and blood, but rather his spiritual flesh and blood. [9] This symbolic idea continues in verse 56, which states "those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them." Though the idea of eating Jesus' flesh and drinking Jesus' blood is never mentioned again in the rest of the Gospel of John, the idea of abiding in Christ is discussed continuously. [10] Clearly, it is abiding in Christ that is important, not eating his flesh and drinking his blood. V erse 63 says, "It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless." This verse reveals that Jesus was speaking of deeper concepts than the Israelites could grasp; if he actually meant for his followers to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he would not have said that the flesh is useless. Jesus used the terminology of "flesh and blood" in order to foreshadow his own bloody death, which was his sacrifice to rid the world of its sins, as well as to allude to his life on earth. [11]

Though believers often participate in the Eucharist in order to remember Christ's death, there are many other meanings behind the Eucharist as well. The Eucharist is a reminder of Jesus' promise of eternal life, which he gives in verse 54, as well as the method of obtaining eternal life. The Eucharist also allows believers to communicate personally with God; [12] verse 56 and 57 say that those who partake in the Eucharist will become part of a personal, spiritual union with Jesus. Those who eat Jesus' flesh and drink his blood will become a part of Jesus just as Jesus is a part of God. Brown believes that these verses imply that the Eucharist is a renewal of the covenant given in Jeremiah 24:7: "They shall be my people and I will be their God." [13]

Interpretations of the meaning of the Eucharist have changed dramatically over the centuries. Origen believed that Jesus' flesh referred to doctrines, while Augustine believed that eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood meant being part of the Church. [14] Theodore of Heraclea thought that Jesus' usage of the word "flesh" symbolized to his teachings that everyone understood, and the term "blood" referred to the doctrines that very few people understood. [15] However, most people today understand that the Eucharist has many meanings; the most important one to remember, though, is that believers who partake in the Eucharist are indicating their faith in Christ as their savior, forming a personal union with him that will last for eternity.

Bibliography

Brown, Raymond E. The Gospel According to John. Vol. 29 Anchor Bible. Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday, 1966.

MacGregor, G.H.C. "The Eucharist in the Fourth Gospel." New Testament Studies 9 (1963) 111-119.

Moore, F. J. "Eating the Flesh and Drinking the Blood; A Reconsideration." Anglican Theological Review 48 (1966) 70-75.

Schnackenburg, Rudolph. The Gospel According to St. John. Vol. 2. New York: Crossroad Press, 1979.

Temple, P.J., "The Eucharist in St. John 6." Catholic Biblical Quarterly 9 (1947) 442-52.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible.

[1] F.J. Moore, "Eating the Flesh and Drinking the Blood; a Reconsideration," Anglican Theological Review 48 (1966) 70-75.

[2] G.H.C. MacGregor, "The Eucharist in the Fourth Gospel," New Testament Studies 9 (1963) 111-119.

[3] G.H.C. MacGregor, "The Eucharist in the Fourth Gospel," New Testament Studies 9 (1963) 111-119.

[4] See John 3:3, 3:5, and 3:11.

[5] P.J. Temple, "The Eucharist in John 6," Catholic Bible Quarterly 9 (1947) 442-452.

[6] G.H.C. MacGregor, "The Eucharist in the Fourth Gospel," New Testament Studies 9 (1963) 111-119.

[7] F.J. Moore, "Eating the Flesh and Drinking the Blood; a Reconsideration," Anglican Theological Review 48 (1966) 70-75.

[8] Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966), pp. 284-292; also see Genesis 4:4 and Leviticus 3:17

[9] Rudolph Schnackenburg, The Gospel According to St. John Volume 2 (New York, NY: Crossroad Press, 1979), pp. 60-69.

[10] F.J. Moore, "Eating the Flesh and Drinking the Blood; a Reconsideration," Anglican Theological Review 48 (1966) 70-75.

[11] Rudolph Schnackenburg, The Gospel According to St. John Volume 2 (New York, NY: Crossroad Press, 1979), pp. 60-69.

[12] Rudolph Schnackenburg, The Gospel According to St. John Volume 2 (New York, NY: Crossroad Press, 1979), pp. 60-69.

[13] Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966), pp. 284-292.

[14] G.H.C. MacGregor, "The Eucharist in the Fourth Gospel," New Testament Studies 9 (1963) 111-119.

[15] Rudolph Schnackenburg, The Gospel According to St. John Volume 2 (New York, NY: Crossroad Press, 1979), pp. 60-69.