Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.
John 6:53-58
BSB
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Real food
To Jewish ears this was shocking. The law forbade drinking blood, because the life is in the blood. Jesus doesn't say body here, but flesh, and both translations above keep that blunt word. From verse 54, John even switches to a verb for eating that originally meant to chew. He doesn't soften it.
From early on, Christians read these words with the Lord's Supper in mind. Churches understand them differently. But in any case it is about something bodily. Jesus doesn't only want to be admired. He wants to become part of you, the way food does.
Question for today
Is Jesus someone I think about, or someone I live on?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you give yourself as food. I don't understand it all, but I want to remain in you, and you in me. Amen.
My prayer
With your own thought · only on this deviceOne of the 491 words of Jesus on this site, from the temple to Revelation. See all the words in order →