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. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:53-54 (ESV)
This is a challenging passage. Is Jesus telling us that we need to physically feed on his flesh and blood in order to have eternal life? That is certainly what many of those listening to him thought. And it caused many of his disciples to quit following him (Jn. 6:66).
Almost certainly, Jesus had something else in mind than literally eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Drinking blood was strictly forbidden in the law (Lev. 7:26-27), so to see Jesus advocating that here would be contrary to his support of the law (Mt. 5:18-19).
So, if we are not to take this literally, what is it that Jesus is saying? The answer to that is found earlier in the chapter. John 6:40 contains a parallel statement that will help us with this one.
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 6:40 (ESV)
Both passages come to the same conclusion: eternal life and resurrection on the last day. That would make eating the flesh of Jesus and drinking his blood parallel with looking to the Son and believing in him.
To eat Jesus’ flesh and drink his blood is to take his life into myself. It is finding my spiritual nourishment in him and trusting in him to care for me and lead me. It is what believing in him is all about. And the result is eternal life.
