Funny thing about the Eucharist, and those same verses it said you will thirst and hunger no more. But I don't see Catholics running around never eating or drinking
Explanation of John 6: *These people had just seen a stupendous miracle* when Jesus fed 5,000 from a handful of loaves and fishes. What was their reaction? Were they ready to believe in Jesus as the Messiah (Savior)? No! Instead, they followed Jesus across the lake _to ask for more food!_ Joh 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Joh 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Joh 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, _This is the work of God, that ye believe_ on him whom he hath sent. Joh 6:30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Joh 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. These people should have been falling on their faces before Jesus after seeing Him multiply the loaves and fishes. They should have been hailing Him as Messiah! Instead they want more free meals and they demand another miracle. They want Jesus to make bread-like manna fall from the sky, like God did in Moses' day! This is the unbelief Jesus is dealing with. Their hearts are hardened. Jesus tells them over and over the foundational truth that He wants to drive home: believe in Jesus. We already saw Him tell them in verse 29: "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." He keeps hammering on this: Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Joh 6:36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. Joh 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. Joh 6:40 *And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.* Jesus likens Himself to the manna, the bread from heaven. Jesus says, I am the bread of life. Does Jesus mean He is literal bread? No, He is drawing a parallel, a metaphor. But they still don't get it. They say, we know this dude. He's a home boy. How can he say he came down from heaven? Jesus replies, Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. Joh 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Joh 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Joh 6:47 *Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.* Joh 6:48 I am that bread of life. There it is a second time: “I am that bread;” did Jesus transform Himself into literal baked bread just then? Of course not! (Turning a body into bread is the precise opposite of turning bread into a body for Eucharist, by the way.) We do not take this statement literally; rather, we understand that Jesus is likening Himself metaphorically (figuratively) to the breadlike “manna.” So how do we "consume" Jesus and get eternal life? Jesus tells us in verse 47: we “eat” Him (so to speak) *by believing in Him: "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." When we have faith in Jesus, that is how we receive Him into ourselves. *When we believe in Jesus,* that is how we partake of His atoning sacrifice. To trust in Jesus is to receive the eternal sustenance of God that will cause us to never spiritually hunger or spiritually thirst ever again... not throug the digestive tract, but through faith in Christ. Jesus kept stressing to them, over and over (verses 28-29, 35-40, 47) that they needed to believe in Him, their Messiah! Jesus continued to identify Himself metaphorically and symbolically with the manna, the "bread from heaven" of Moses' day, because that manna foreshadowed His incarnation. In this rich symbolism, Jesus likens Himself to food one can eat. In a spiritual sense He is "bread from heaven" that is alive before them: Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, *which I will give* for the life of the world. Notice the key phrase in verse 51. Jesus has *likened* His mortal body to "living bread," and He said that this figurative "living bread" is the mortal flesh and blood He would (one year later) give up on the cross: "my flesh which I will (future tense) give..." Jesus is foretelling His self-sacrifice on the cross, where He would give or ‘feed’ Himself (so to speak) to the whole world for the remission of their sins. Jesus did not give His flesh for the world on Holy Thursday; He gave His flesh and His lifeblood on the cross, on Good Friday. How do they respond? They respond in more unbelief: Joh 6:52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? They just don't get it! They think Jesus is saying they should literally eat His physical body! Are they dumb, or what! They are beyond perceiving the spiritual truth Jesus is trying to impart. He's casting pearls before swine. So this is when He grosses them out by taking the symbolism to the extreme: Joh 6:53,56,58 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you... He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him...he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. If Jesus were speaking literally in v. 53-58, then He was commanding people to sin! No one is permitted to eat human flesh. No one is permitted to drink blood. Thus we must conclude that He was speaking figuratively. (St. Augustine specifically stated the same; if you want the exact quote and location, let me know). Those people were never going to receive the truth Jesus was saying: that everyone who believes in Him will receive eternal life. So He walks away with His disciples, and when they are alone He explains the crux of the matter to them: Joh 6:61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? Joh 6:62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. Joh 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not... Jesus chided them for their fleshly, physical-based understanding of His words. Eating physical flesh is not profitable spiritually. Jesus' words were spirit-based, not physical-based. His goal throughout the entire discussion was to convince them to have faith in Him as their Messiah (Savior). Since we interpret Jesus' statement (v. 35,48,51) that He is "bread" as a metaphor, we should continue to use the same interpretive principle of metaphor in the following verses, 53-58, or else we are interpreting inconsistently to obtain a pre-supposed result. Even today, Roman Catholics think they are getting salvation out of eating Jesus' flesh and drinking Jesus' blood in a physical, literal sense. Even today, RCs believe not that Jesus' words were spiritual, that only the Holy Spirit can quicken (give life) to a person through faith, and that literal eating of flesh "profiteth nothing." Look at what else Augustine wrote about the Eucharist: “Believe in Christ, and thou hast eaten Christ. For believing in Christ is the eating of the Bread of life.” We "consume" Christ, not with the mouth, but by the spirit with faith and thanksgiving.
I love you jesus ❤️
Funny thing about the Eucharist, and those same verses it said you will thirst and hunger no more. But I don't see Catholics running around never eating or drinking
Explanation of John 6: *These people had just seen a stupendous miracle* when Jesus fed 5,000 from a handful of loaves and fishes. What was their reaction? Were they ready to believe in Jesus as the Messiah (Savior)? No! Instead, they followed Jesus across the lake _to ask for more food!_
Joh 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
Joh 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Joh 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, _This is the work of God, that ye believe_ on him whom he hath sent.
Joh 6:30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
Joh 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
These people should have been falling on their faces before Jesus after seeing Him multiply the loaves and fishes. They should have been hailing Him as Messiah! Instead they want more free meals and they demand another miracle. They want Jesus to make bread-like manna fall from the sky, like God did in Moses' day!
This is the unbelief Jesus is dealing with. Their hearts are hardened. Jesus tells them over and over the foundational truth that He wants to drive home: believe in Jesus. We already saw Him tell them in verse 29: "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." He keeps hammering on this:
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Joh 6:36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Joh 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
Joh 6:40 *And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.*
Jesus likens Himself to the manna, the bread from heaven. Jesus says, I am the bread of life. Does Jesus mean He is literal bread? No, He is drawing a parallel, a metaphor.
But they still don't get it. They say, we know this dude. He's a home boy. How can he say he came down from heaven? Jesus replies,
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Joh 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
Joh 6:47 *Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.*
Joh 6:48 I am that bread of life.
There it is a second time: “I am that bread;” did Jesus transform Himself into literal baked bread just then? Of course not! (Turning a body into bread is the precise opposite of turning bread into a body for Eucharist, by the way.) We do not take this statement literally; rather, we understand that Jesus is likening Himself metaphorically (figuratively) to the breadlike “manna.” So how do we "consume" Jesus and get eternal life? Jesus tells us in verse 47: we “eat” Him (so to speak) *by believing in Him: "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." When we have faith in Jesus, that is how we receive Him into ourselves. *When we believe in Jesus,* that is how we partake of His atoning sacrifice. To trust in Jesus is to receive the eternal sustenance of God that will cause us to never spiritually hunger or spiritually thirst ever again... not throug the digestive tract, but through faith in Christ. Jesus kept stressing to them, over and over (verses 28-29, 35-40, 47) that they needed to believe in Him, their Messiah!
Jesus continued to identify Himself metaphorically and symbolically with the manna, the "bread from heaven" of Moses' day, because that manna foreshadowed His incarnation. In this rich symbolism, Jesus likens Himself to food one can eat. In a spiritual sense He is "bread from heaven" that is alive before them:
Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, *which I will give* for the life of the world.
Notice the key phrase in verse 51. Jesus has *likened* His mortal body to "living bread," and He said that this figurative "living bread" is the mortal flesh and blood He would (one year later) give up on the cross: "my flesh which I will (future tense) give..." Jesus is foretelling His self-sacrifice on the cross, where He would give or ‘feed’ Himself (so to speak) to the whole world for the remission of their sins. Jesus did not give His flesh for the world on Holy Thursday; He gave His flesh and His lifeblood on the cross, on Good Friday.
How do they respond? They respond in more unbelief:
Joh 6:52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
They just don't get it! They think Jesus is saying they should literally eat His physical body! Are they dumb, or what! They are beyond perceiving the spiritual truth Jesus is trying to impart. He's casting pearls before swine. So this is when He grosses them out by taking the symbolism to the extreme:
Joh 6:53,56,58 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you... He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him...he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
If Jesus were speaking literally in v. 53-58, then He was commanding people to sin! No one is permitted to eat human flesh. No one is permitted to drink blood. Thus we must conclude that He was speaking figuratively. (St. Augustine specifically stated the same; if you want the exact quote and location, let me know).
Those people were never going to receive the truth Jesus was saying: that everyone who believes in Him will receive eternal life. So He walks away with His disciples, and when they are alone He explains the crux of the matter to them:
Joh 6:61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
Joh 6:62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Joh 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not...
Jesus chided them for their fleshly, physical-based understanding of His words. Eating physical flesh is not profitable spiritually. Jesus' words were spirit-based, not physical-based. His goal throughout the entire discussion was to convince them to have faith in Him as their Messiah (Savior). Since we interpret Jesus' statement (v. 35,48,51) that He is "bread" as a metaphor, we should continue to use the same interpretive principle of metaphor in the following verses, 53-58, or else we are interpreting inconsistently to obtain a pre-supposed result.
Even today, Roman Catholics think they are getting salvation out of eating Jesus' flesh and drinking Jesus' blood in a physical, literal sense. Even today, RCs believe not that Jesus' words were spiritual, that only the Holy Spirit can quicken (give life) to a person through faith, and that literal eating of flesh "profiteth nothing."
Look at what else Augustine wrote about the Eucharist:
“Believe in Christ, and thou hast eaten Christ. For believing in Christ is the eating of the Bread of life.”
We "consume" Christ, not with the mouth, but by the spirit with faith and thanksgiving.