Did Jesus say, "he who eats My flesh and drinks My blood shall have eternal life"?

Question

well, i read in the Bible He did, but what do you think that means?

and why, when people left in disgust after hearing that, Jesus didn't ask His disciples to make those people stay so that He can explain that He only meant it to be symbolical, if He only meant it to be symbolic?

is it really symbolic or not?

Answer 1

Peace!
He meant it literally. That's why many of his disciples left him because they could accept the teaching.

Answer 2

Well asked. As you note, many did not take it symbolically and left. Sacramental churches, Orthodox, Coptic, Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran believe in the "Literal Presence" of Jesus in communion. Lutherans for instance say Jesus is physically present "in, around, and through" the bread in a way we cannot define any closer. Roman Catholics believe the bread and wine actually change - hence the paten or plate held under the wafer when it is served.
Other churches consider the meal a memorial meal, focusing on the "reminder of me" aspect.

Answer 3

At the end of His discourse He (Jesus) explained: "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." (John 6:63)

I know there was a time I was spiritually dead - cut off from the life of God. Then I became spiritually alive one day, when God spoke to my heart that Jesus died for my sins, and I believed, and experienced what the Bible calls being born again.
It was at that time I "ate His flesh, and drank His blood",
when I appropriated by faith, the Bread come down from heaven, who died that I may have life. Just as bread is destroyed in the eating, and drink consumed in the drinking, to the benefit of the one partaking; so I became alive, spiritually, when I became a partaker of the sacrifice of Christ.

Answer 4

yes it is symbolic. Jesus' blood was representative of the blood sacrifice. Jesus' blood doesn't sit around down here in cups any longer to drink so that is one indication that it is symbolic.

Jesus flesh was and is represented by bread. It is the "manna from heaven" spoken of in the Bible and represents His provision for our salvation.

Eating his flesh and drinking His blood together as celebrated in the Lords Supper otherwise known as communion is a symbol of the endwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Each took a sip of wing and broke off a bit of bread....each christian has a peice of Christ in them....
They had it outside of themselves in their hand.....then they ate it..placing it in their body and it becomes a part of them...
The Holy Spirit comes in and becomes a part of us within our spirit. It is a word picture lesson of the endwelling of the Holy Spirit for the body of believers.

Answer 5

Some of those listening to Jesus took his words literally and were shocked. (John 6:60) But we might ask, Did Jesus transform his flesh into bread on that occasion? Certainly not! He was speaking figuratively. He compared himself to bread because through his sacrifice he would impart life to mankind. John 6:35, 40 clearly indicates that the eating and drinking would be done by exercising faith in Jesus Christ.

Answer 6

The simple fact is ... all the apostles, all the disciples, and all the Christians up until about the 15th century knew without a doubt that Jesus spoke literally when he commanded us to commemorate his sacrifice by eating his flesh and drinking his blood.

The writings of the early church fathers are unanimous on the subject, and even the early Roman historians speak of the curious Christian practice of eating the body and drinking the blood of the man Jesus, who is also their God.

Looking backward, real animals with real flesh and real blood were always required for the sacrifices of the old testament.

And while the patriarchs, the priests, and the people later ate the sacrifical animal, the blood was reserved, as animal blood had no power to wash away sins.

At the first Passover, If any of the first born of Egypt failed to apply the blood of a real lamb to their doorpost, and failed to eat the roasted flesh of that same lamb, they would not have survived the night.

Nothing less would stay the hand of the angel of death.

The Last Supper was the eternal fulfillment of the Jewish Passover in Christ, who is the "Lamb slain before the foundations of the world" and "the Lamb of God".

When God, the one who spoke the universe into existence by the power of his Word, unequivocally states "This is my body." and "This is my blood." it most certainly is!

And when he commands, in order to obtain eternal life, that we partake of his body and his blood in memory of him, we do exactly as he asks.

It's also interesting to note that now, in these new covenant times, the blood is no longer kept from us, as we need the authentic blood of Christ to wash away our sins.

A close analysis of the original biblical languages also reveals absolutely no symbolic meanings.

Jesus was deathly serious about everything he said and did at the Last Supper, because he knew precisely what was to come.

When the late day Protestant reformers chose to break away from the unique, God-given authority of the Catholic Church, they knew they would no longer be able to partake of the authentic holy eucharist.

As a result, they gradually developed a number of interesting theological innovations to deal with the matter.

Some claimed that they could still consecrate the eucharist, because all Christians were now part of the royal priesthood of all believers in Christ.

Realizing that wouldn't hold up, others reinterpreted scripture in their own image, and began to teach about a merely symbolic remembrance.

Still others surmised that if theirs was merely symbolic, than all eucharistic celbrations must be, as well.

And here we are, today!

In truth, the Catholic Church has always known, first hand, exactly what Jesus intended at the Last Supper.

Jesus intended to provide his church with a sacramental way to celebrate his one time, once for all, definitive new covenant sacrifice for sin (and his resurrection) in his real and substantial presence, now and forever, until he comes again.

The Catholic Church has always done exactly as Jesus requested, even so far as celebrating Mass on the first day of every week, thereby making Sunday, Resurrection Day, the holiest and most essential religious feast day of all time.

When Jesus becomes truly and substantially present for us on the altar at every Mass, he becomes the perfect and spotless offering for sin that enables us to worship God in a way that is both wholly acceptable, as well as truly practical.

Doing so, he serves as the one mediator between God and man, as our heavenly high priest, as our brother, and our king.

Faced with a perfect sacrifice such as this, God the Father is inclined to look, not on our sins, but on our faith in his divine son, granting us both grace and mercy.

This is where the work of salvation continues to be accomplished for us, and for the whole world.

Without the real presence of Christ in the authentic holy Eucharist, the world would be a very lonely place, as even spiritual communion is no substitute for the intense, personal, and physical experience of becoming one with Jesus Christ, our savior, the immortal king of the ages.

And just as it was during the first Passover, nothing less than the authentic flesh and blood of the Lamb of God will do.

Symbolic? Absolutely NOT!

Answer 7

maybe a little of both

the fellowship is real
making Jesus part of your life is real

like the question of communion,
saying communion represents a bald symbolism might be understating it
saying communion turns into Jesus body and blood might be overstating it
There is a real fellowship
where 2 or 3 are gathered there I am in their midst

Answer 8

He meant it only in a metaphorical sense ... to think it were in a literal sense would be repulsive to the "Jews" and many others who do not believe in cannibalism.

It was meaning that they needed to be totally identified with Him and Him with them ... the people didn't want to be that totally identified, so they went away. They knew He meant they needed to be totally committed to him.

It was not literal; but the meaning which they clearly understood was a call to total commitment.

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{perhaps you have heard about the barnyard and the Church men. The church men were planning a bacon and eggs breakfast. The hen said she'd contribute to it, then asked the pig what he was going to do. He grunted and said "for you, eggs would be a donation; for me providing bacon would be total commitment".

Answer 9

Jesus said the Words He speaks are Spirit and they are truth. We are nourished in our bodies by eating and drinking and would become weak and die without. So it is in the Christian life Christ is our life. Unless we feed on Him we can not live. Our spiritual lives depend on His body and blood which were shed for us. You might say its the original soul food.

Answer 10

He didn't take the time to explain to those people who left what He meant because He was testing their devotion to Him. Notice that after some of the disciples left He turned to the rest and asked them if they were going to leave too.

John 6:61-69 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? (62) Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? (63) It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (64) But there are some of you who do not believe." (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) (65) And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." (66) After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. (67) So Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?"

(68) Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, (69) and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

Jesus had already explained that the words that He was speaking were spiritual (symbolic) and that the actual flesh was of no avail. By letting these people depart, He was thinning the ranks of people who really trusted and believed in Him from those who were just following a popular miracle working prophet. Those disciples who had been called by his Father and who had been given "ears to hear" stayed with Him while those who were just people getting hooked up to what to them was like a popular fad went away.

Matthew 13:10 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

(11) And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. (12) For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. (13) This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. (14) Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. (15) For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.'

(16) But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.