{"id":54757,"date":"2024-01-26T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/?p=54757"},"modified":"2024-01-22T12:06:44","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T20:06:44","slug":"jesus-hard-saying-eating-his-flesh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/jesus-hard-saying-eating-his-flesh\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus\u2019 Hard Saying: Eating His Flesh"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>How does Jesus challenge our fickle faith? One way he does this is by speaking hard truths. Jesus knew that some of his followers were only there for the benefits they received from following him. They were wowed by his miracles and diligently sought him only to get their \u201cfill of the loaves\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jn+6%3A26&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jn. 6:26<\/a>). Jesus challenges their fixation on bread by providing a bread metaphor of his own, one that would leave most of them perplexed, hardened, and offended by his \u201chard saying\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jn+6%3A60&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jn. 6:60<\/a>). Let\u2019s look at this \u201chard saying\u201d of Jesus and see how he used this to draw out his loyal followers from among those who were only looking for another meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-background\" style=\"background-color:#dadada\">We adapted these notes on this hard saying for this article from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/store\/product.php?productid=77381\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Holman Commentary<\/a>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/store\/product.php?productid=77381\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Holman Commentary<\/a> is a 32-volume commentary covering every book of the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-hard-saying-1-eating-the-bread-of-life\"><strong>Hard Saying #1: Eating the Bread of Life<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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.\u201d<\/em> <\/p><cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jn+6%3A48-51&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John 6:48-51<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus offered the gospel of himself through the bread-eating metaphor. Israelites who ate the manna in the desert died; it was only physical bread designed to sustain their lives on earth a bit longer. But the living bread is not like that; it provides eternal life. And then the bombshell: <strong>This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.<\/strong> Certainly this is not a reference to the Lord\u2019s supper for there was no \u201cLord\u2019s Supper\u201d as yet. Furthermore, participating in any religious ritual does not produce eternal life; only faith in Jesus\u2019 death on the cross and his resurrection can accomplish that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus was speaking of spiritual appropriation, the voluntary and personal application of Christ\u2019s death to oneself. Yes, the manna came from God, but it was temporary, and those who ate of it still died. Spiritual appropriation of the life of Jesus leads to eternal life\u2014and that is what they should have been seeking, not another free lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>The constant repetition of the concept of bread as life seems to roll upon the shores of our minds like breakers from the sea. Surely the Holy Spirit intends John to repeat in print what Jesus emphasized in word. We need constant reminders that an eternal relationship with God surpasses any food necessary for physical life.<\/em>&#8220;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>This Bread is My Flesh<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine the shock <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jn+6%3A51&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">verse 51<\/a> must have had on the ears and minds of the hearers that day in Capernaum. One can talk in general terms about eating the bread of life; it is quite another matter to say, this bread is my flesh. The word for flesh is different from body or self because it focuses on physical death and clearly points to the cross. There the bread of life was offered by Jesus universally\u2014for the life of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus claimed that his death and its atonement for sin are effective only when people reach out and apply that substitutionary sacrifice to themselves in a spiritual sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is interesting that a short verse like this can consist of three complete sentences. And there is an order or design to the sentences. The first states the source of the living bread; the second discusses the manner in which the life is received when one eats the living bread; and the third focuses on how that eating is available through the vicarious death of Christ on the cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>It is a strong word and one bound to attract attention. It\u2019s almost crude forcefulness rivets attention on the historical fact that Christ did give Himself for man. He is not speaking simply of a moving idea. . . The last words of the verse bring before us once more the truth that the mission of Jesus is universal. He had not come to minister to the Jews only. When he gave his flesh it would be \u2018for the life of the world.\u2019\u201d<\/em> <\/p><cite>Leon Morris<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-background\" style=\"background-color:#dadada\"><strong>SUPPORTING IDEA:<\/strong> <strong>The eternal life which is in us who believe comes from the appropriation of the death of Jesus for our salvation. Those who feed on Christ will live forever.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hard Saying #2: Eating My Flesh, Drinking My Blood<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, \u201cHow can this man give us his flesh to eat?\u201d So Jesus said to them, \u201cTruly, 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. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.<\/em>&#8220;<\/p><cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jn+6%3A52-55&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John 6:52-55<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Still focused on earthly interpretations of spiritual realities (the same problem that troubled Nicodemus in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jn+3&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chapter 3<\/a>), the crowd pondered a very human and earthbound question: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? The word translated argue sharply is <em>emachonto,<\/em> which describes a debate. The indication seems to be that some favored what Jesus was saying while others opposed him. What follows is a paragraph which must be understood spiritually. It tells us first that spiritual appropriation provides initial life. Without the careful textual approach, we can end up with some kind of theological cannibalism. Jesus was talking about the cross\u2014the spiritual act whereby we accept his death on our behalf in order to gain access to his offer of eternal life. In the spiritual sense, that is the real food and the real drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Jesus\u2019 Death is True Food and Drink<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These verses focus on the exclusive character of the atonement. The Jews were divided over the process of receiving the gift of Christ\u2019s death on man\u2019s behalf. But rather than tone down his language, Jesus issued a fourth double amen. Then to the eating of his flesh, he added the drinking of his blood\u2014an idea especially abhorrent to the Jews when taken in its literal and physical sense (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Gen+9%3A4&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gen. 9:4<\/a>). Both verbs appear in the Greek aorist tense, indicating that spiritual appropriation is done only once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Law of Moses had forbidden any drinking of blood on penalty of being cut off from the nation (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Lev+17%3A10-14&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lev. 17:10-14<\/a>). Yet no fewer than three times in the context of this passage our Lord spoke of eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Some interpreters believe the Lord referred to participating in what we call \u201ccommunion\u201d when he told people to do these things. But there was no such ordinance before the night before his crucifixion. Furthermore, partaking of the elements in the Lord\u2019s Supper does not provide eternal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Feeding, Drinking, and Abiding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.<\/em>&#8221; <\/p><cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jn+6%3A56-57&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John 6:56-57<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The Lord emphasized that spiritual appropriation provides abiding life. These verses sound like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jn+15&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John 15<\/a> with their emphasis on remaining in the Lord after initial faith. We eat by trusting the Savior for regeneration; we abide by feeding on him on a regular basis. Eating becomes a metaphor of faith. Greene says, \u201cWe know that food and drink keep the physical body alive and cause it to grow, and our food and drink become part of the body. The same is true in the spiritual sense: when we receive the Word of God, the living word, we are appropriating Christ and he becomes part of us, the new creation (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=2+Cor+5%3A17&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">II Cor. 5:17<\/a>)\u201d (Greene).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus began talking about the Father in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jn+15&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">verse 27<\/a> and he continued throughout this entire discourse. John would not allow his readers to forget that Jesus had a mission and was, therefore, a \u201cmissionary.\u201d He was sent by the Father to the world. The terminology of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jn+6%3A57&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">verse 57<\/a> changes just a bit to speak no longer of flesh and blood, but just of eating Christ\u2014the present tense feel of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jn+15&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chapter 15<\/a>. We might paraphrase Jesus\u2019 words as, \u201cThe one who keeps on feeding on me will live because I live within him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Summary of the Hard Saying: True Bread and Living Forever<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.\u201d Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.<\/em>&#8221; <\/p><cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/bible\/?query=Jn+6%3A58-59&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John 6:58-59<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The real bread that came down from heaven was not manna but the life of God\u2019s Son given on our behalf. Eating the physical bread of the Old Testament ultimately led to death. But eating the spiritual bread of the New Testament, participating in Christ\u2019s death at Calvary, provides eternal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The invitation has been open from that day to this. The spiritual appropriation of the life of Christ is available to everyone who trusts him, who believes that Christ\u2019s death on the cross paid the penalty for the sin of humankind. Boice sums it up with great clarity: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Do you understand the illustration? That is what faith is. That is what it means to eat Christ\u2019s flesh and drink his blood. It is to commit yourself to him. It is to accept his promise and pledge on your behalf and to repeat his promise, vowing to be his for eternity. If you have done that, you have done the most important thing there is to be done in this life, regardless of what you may already have accomplished or may yet accomplish. If you have not, you should know that today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of your union with Christ, if you will have it so.&#8221;<\/p><cite>James Boice<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Keep Reading the Holman Commentary Series<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.olivetree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/HolmanCommentaryBookSetSocial-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52944\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/HolmanCommentaryBookSetSocial-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/HolmanCommentaryBookSetSocial-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/HolmanCommentaryBookSetSocial-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/HolmanCommentaryBookSetSocial-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/store\/product.php?productid=77381\">Holman Commentary<\/a> covers every book in the Old and New Testaments. Each of these commentary volumes includes everything you need to understand and apply the text, even the hard sayings! Check out all the volumes and authors in this series through the button below!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background\" href=\"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/store\/product.php?productid=77381\" style=\"background-color:#77aa3c\">HOLMAN COMMENTARY<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How does Jesus challenge our fickle faith? One way he does this is by speaking hard truths. Jesus knew that some of his followers were only there for the benefits they received from following him. They were wowed by his miracles and diligently sought him only to get their \u201cfill of the loaves\u201d (Jn. 6:26).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":54760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7849],"tags":[5966],"class_list":{"0":"post-54757","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-commentaries","8":"tag-holman-old-and-new-testament-commentary-set"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Jesus\u2019 Hard Saying: Eating His Flesh - Olive Tree Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging-blog.olivetree.com\/jesus-hard-saying-eating-his-flesh\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jesus\u2019 Hard Saying: Eating His Flesh\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How does Jesus challenge our fickle faith? 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