Jesus offended and turned away a lot of his supporters when he said the following: “…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 6:53-54).
Why would he say something so graphic, cryptic, and offensive? Why would he say something that could be so easily misunderstood, misconstrued, and misinterpreted?
There is an explanation. The reason he said this in such a harsh way is that the majority of those standing around him had stubbornly refused to hear the truth when he said it clearly, normally, and directly. Previously in the same conversation Jesus had said the following:
- “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (29)
- “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (35)
- “…everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life…” (40)
- “…the one who believes has eternal life.” (47)
- “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” (51)
Except for the last line, all the rest are quite clear, and even the last quotation makes sense in the context of the others (the word “eats” is clearly parallel in meaning to the word “believe” in all the other phrases). Jesus repeated this simple, straightforward message: Believe in me and you will have life. However, the people refused to hear, understand, and believe this simple message. Instead, they grumbled and complained about Jesus’ claims.
So, because the people refused to accept the straightforward message, Jesus rephrased the message. He restated his message in a way that was sure to offend and turn off those who refused to hear and understand his previous words. When Jesus talked about the necessity of eating his flesh and drinking his blood, he was saying nothing different than what he had repeatedly said earlier: believe in me.
To those who stuck with him, Jesus reassured them that his words were “spiritual” (63). In other words, he wasn’t talking about literally eating his flesh and drinking his blood. He was talking about putting our faith in him, who would give his body and spill his blood for us.
There are times when Jesus sounds offensive to people, even today. However, Jesus’ words are only offensive to those who refuse to accept his message of forgiveness through faith in him.
Later, Paul would talk about the knowledge of Christ as an “aroma.” To those who refuse to believe, it is “an aroma that brings death.” To those who believe, it is “an aroma that brings life.” In John 6 Jesus’ words have this very same separating effect.
“You have the words of eternal life,” Peter confesses, demonstrating that he understood the message. “We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
May we be like Peter, who because of his faith in Jesus had ears to hear him correctly.
Kip
