John 6:48, 51-53 (ESV)
I am the bread of life. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 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.
This must have been terribly confusing to most of Jesus’ audience. Perhaps they had a general idea of what he had been talking about—Jesus as a metaphorical “bread” that offers spiritual satisfaction for those that hear and believe his teachings—but switching from metaphor to reality was a bridge too far for the Jews. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Once again, Jesus was communicating a greater truth, but the people missed it. Or worse. They twisted it.
Bread of life is a metaphor. Bread from heaven is a metaphor. Living bread is a metaphor. Bread of God is a metaphor. It should not surprise us that Jesus extends the bread metaphor to His actual, soon-to-come sacrifice on the cross. “He gave them a further statement which they, doctors of the Law well versed in the theory of sacrifices, would not fail to understand. The ‘eating of the flesh and drinking of the blood’ was a plain allusion to the Sacrificial idea.” (Trench)
Without the shedding of blood, there can be no atonement for sins (Heb. 9:22). That was the crux of the Jewish ceremonial law as laid out in the Old Testament. The sacrificial animal—once without spot or blemish—must be killed and then its blood used to “cover” the sins of the person seeking forgiveness. Jesus was speaking in Jewish terms, yet the Jewish leaders took his words and twisted them into a bizarre cannibalism. Like many who reject Christ today, they simply did not want to believe what they were hearing. It was not a matter of the head, but a matter of the heart.
It is important to note that when Jesus was pushed by those who did not like his message, he did not back down…he doubled down. If I may be so bold as to use a game of poker as an example, you would always be willing to double down on your bet if you knew that you had the superior hand. If you knew the Truth. Jesus is always willing to confront our questions head-on. He does not compromise the truth for the sake of his hearer’s feelings because eternal souls are on the line. He refused to back down from the truth: I am the bread of life, and the substance of that bread is His sacrifice on the cross, the giving of His flesh and blood. What He gave at the cross, we must receive. If we don’t “eat” we die. If we don’t “drink” we die. Have you received the offer of Jesus’ broken body and spilt blood given on your behalf?
