John 6:53

"The Jews therefore contended with one another, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”"

Key Reflection

In John 6:53, Jesus declares that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood will live in him, and he will dwell within them (John 6:56). This statement was met with confusion and disbelief from the Jews, who struggled to comprehend the metaphorical nature of Jesus' words. Their contention stemmed from a literal interpretation, which would have been shocking and impossible in their cultural context, as eating human flesh was not only taboo but also considered blasphemous. For them, such an idea was beyond comprehension, highlighting the profound spiritual depth that Jesus intended to convey about his role as the true bread of life.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verses 53-55. In these verses Jesus repeats what he had in substance said before. Except ye eat the flesh, &c. He did not mean that this should be understood literally, for it was never done, and it is absurd to suppose that it was intended to be so understood. Nothing can possibly be more absurd than to suppose that when he instituted the Supper, and gave the bread and wine to his disciples, they literally ate his flesh and drank his blood.

Related Verses

More from John 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72

Go deeper with Bible.talk - your AI Bible study companion