Jesus said what? John 6:51-58

John 6:51-58
New International Version (NIV)
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” What an honest question. The statements Jesus makes in this section are confusing to say the least. Eat my flesh, drink my blood. He seems to be suggesting cannibalism of a living man.

Obviously we don't read this passage as cannibalism. We must bridge the gap between the appeared what we read and the meaning of the passage. Our job as teachers is to bring this message to our current readers and students.

Jesus says that he is the living bread that came down from heaven. Just as manna came down from heaven to provide for the Israelites as they wandered in the desert, Jesus came to provide for us. The sustenance that came from manna lasted only for the day. They could gather enough to satisfy a daily hunger, but any extra would go bad over night. They had no way of providing beyond a daily need.

Our lives may seem so much better than this daily fight for survival. We have refrigeration and food preservation. We can buy something today and eat it months from now. But are we really providing for ourselves? Are our needs really being met? We must eat again every few hours if we wish to keep hunger at bay. We keep pictures of our families in our wallets or on our cell phones to remind us of the love that we share. We cannot fathom the idea of being separated from all other people for more than a few hours at a time.

What Jesus came to offer would last more than a few hours or even a day. Jesus came to offer a bread that would satisfy for eternity. How can bread satisfy for that long? This is a filling, wholesome, hearty bread that feeds our souls. This bread, Jesus himself, satisfies our soul's longings rather than a grumbling tummy.

The Israelites could not find something that would give them life beyond their alloted years. They ate the manna provided and still eventually died. We, too, eat and live for only a certain amount of time. Death is inevitable for us as well. The bread that Jesus offers feeds us for all of eternity, giving us life beyond these few mortal years.

Jesus uses images of bread and wine to connect with his hearers. They understood the importance of bread and wine in ceremonial meals and even in daily life. They understood, like we may, how important daily food is to those who are not sure how it will be provided. Jesus also understood how odd it would sound to be promised a food that would not make you hungry later or could keep you from dying.

This is the bread that Jesus provides, His own life – His body broken and His blood shed. His life for ours. Will we eat of this bread? Can we take up this offer? Nothing is more real than this.