Pastor Ralph Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is “eating the Bread of Life” a metaphor of? What is “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” a metaphor of? How are these metaphors similar to each other? Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanMary Posted January 4, 2015 Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is “eating the Bread of Life” a metaphor of? The manna which came down in the wilderness only sustained them as long as they ate it every day. It was a "type and shadow" of the Living Bread, Jesus, which when "eaten" or taken in by invitation / decision, sustains and nourishes daily and for eternity. What is “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” a metaphor of? God taught Moses that "the life is in the blood"...they were not to drink blood, but to drain it before eating the meat. Now Jesus is saying we must drink His blood which alone is Holy, and which contains His Life, soon to be shed on our behalf, to cleanse us from sin and unrighteousness. Drinking His blood, and eating His flesh, is the metaphor for taking Him into our being by invitation....as our Life Force for now and eternity. The only nourishment which totally satisfies all our longings. Jesus said in V 57 Regarding eating His body..."This is not like the manna which was eaten and our forefathers died. I AM (God) the Bread that came down from Heaven. Whoever takes Me for His food and continues to feed on me and is nourished by Me shall in turn live through me and because of me...and will never die. He was speaking metaphorically about His Spirit which would indwell those who would "feed on Him". How are these metaphors similar to each other? They both require the act of "taking Him in"....not just a mental ascent that He is a good person, or a prophet, but that He is the Great I AM in the flesh, and in order to be nourished by Him, He must be believed and "eaten" or ingested, invited into the spirit in order to receive His Life. Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? He was "cutting to the chase"....removing all doubt as to Who He is....and declaring that one can't stand by and "know about Him" and receive Life, He must be believed and received using His gift of free will, in order to benefit from His gift of Life. The repugnant metaphor separated those who would not choose to be chosen, from those who would choose Him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarence Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is “eating the Bread of Life” a metaphor of? What is “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” a metaphor of? How are these metaphors similar to each other? Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? Eating the Bread of Life is a metaphor for believing in Jesus, putting faith and trust in him, partaking in a way of life which reflects believing in Jesus Christ, and the new position the believer is now in (Eph 2). Eating his flesh and drinking his blood is a metaphor for partaking in the "communion" or "Lord's supper", however in my opinion the Lord's supper is not a literal consumption of his flesh and blood, but is symbolic, and has spiritual significance. Partaking in the Lord's supper is also not essential for eternal life. As the notes state, the metaphors in the bread of life 'discourse' are all similar. Jesus used the consumption of his flesh and blood metaphor to provoke in order that people would listen to him and choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiKosum Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 (John 6:53-59) What is “eating the Bread of Life” a metaphor of? What is “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” a metaphor of? How are these metaphors similar to each other? Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? Both metaphors - "eating the Bread of Life" and "eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood" relate to believing and putting our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ. One reason Jesus uses such vivid metaphors could be to shock His audience in order to bring home His point. Another reason could be that the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, hence the reference to eating and drinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaMallinson Posted January 7, 2015 Report Share Posted January 7, 2015 As mentioned in Question 4, I don’t believe these are metaphors. I believe that we are truly asked to have faith in Christ’s presence in the bread and wine of Communion. I see a big similarity with a mother lovingly breastfeeding her child (with food from herself but prepared by God). The baby suckles to physically survive. We take Communion for our eternal survival but also to be close to Jesus in the most physical sense having internalised Him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royk Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is "eating the Bread of Life" a metaphor of? What is "eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood" a metaphor of? How are these metaphors similar to each other? Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? Jesus is/was God in the flesh. His flesh appeared like our but what He did was miracles. We should not try to equate this to canabalism. It is clear to me that when I take communion, I am strengthened by His bod and blood. He could not have been more clear. And taking His body and blood is just simply another mirale. Why not believe it, and get the power of HIS BLOOD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blezed Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 What is “eating the Bread of Life” a metaphor of? What is “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” a metaphor of? How are these metaphors similar to each other? Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? Eating the Bread of Life, eating Jesus flesh and drinking his blood are metaphors of uniting ourselves with Christ, believing in in his death and resurrection and living our lives as he requires. Metaphors are similar as the both require belief. This was a shocking message which got the people's attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar Jim Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is “eating the Bread of Life” a metaphor of? Believing that Jesus is the source of eternal life. Without Jesus' sacrifical death and subsequent resurrection we'd have no eternal life. The metaphor of eating the bread of life means to take into ourself Jesus' teachings. Just as physical bread sustains physical life, so does consuming the bread of life . . taking into our hearts and minds and accepting wholeheartedly Jesus' death on our behalf . . give us eternal spiritual life. What is “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” a metaphor of? This is a metaphor for absorbing into our hearts and minds Jesus' teachings and accepting his life, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, as our new source of life via spiritual nourishment. Of course while we're alive physically we still need physical food and drink to live. To live spiritually we need Jesus' spiritual nourishment. I believe also that Jesus was foretelling and preparing his hearers for the custom of Christian communion. To my way of thinking the Eucharist teaching is one of many that serve to diminish Jesus finished work of the Cross. I have no doubt that many Catholics, High Anglicans, and other ritualistic denominations have real hearts for God and have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The problems with those denominations are their insistence on all the extra bits that have come to be added on over the centuries . . the inclusion of patron saints worthy of worship, the worship of Mary, Jesus' mother, as a go-between to intercede for us with God the Father, the Eucharist actually magically becoming Jesus' very flesh and blood and the insistence that in this form it's necessary for eternal life, the sacrements taking on a role in a person's personal salvation . . These are all man-made teachings that are either not in the Bible (even the Catholic Bible), misinterpretations of the Bible's teachings, or simply made up in the same way the Pharisees made up rules for righteousness that cancelled out the Grace of God and His commandments, in favor of human wisdom. They have these doctrines of rites that almost supercede the work of Jesus in procuring our salvation at the cost of His own life, and His resurrection that guarantees our eternal life if we unite with Him and share in His baptism. Even physical baptism, although highly recommended in Scripture, isn't ultimately necessary for Salvatiom, as vividly illustrated at Jesus' crucifixion when He saved the thief on the cross next to Him. The repentant thief's faith in Jesus was sufficient unto salvation . . Praise God! When Jesus said "It is finished!" He didn't mean that we should find other things to do to ensure our salvation. He had done all that God the Father required to be done. All we have to do is believe and accept Jesus' finished work on our behalf and make up our minds and hearts to follow His teaching and example and invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts to help us do that. How are these metaphors similar to each other? They both require us to believe in Jesus as God the Son and as the source of eternal life. Those who do not have the Son do not have life. It's no coincidene that John wrote that too! Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? Jesus frequently used hyperbole to get His message across. Did He know that many would no longer follow Him after telling them to eat His flesh and drink His blood? I believe definitely that He certainly did. He already knew they'd bolt! Jesus wanted followers during His time on Earth who would stick with Him and not turn away when confronted with hard to accept teachings. Not wanting to pre-empt tomorrow's lesson, but read the next few verses and see Peter's reply to Jesus when asked if he he too would desert Him. THAT'S the kind of disciple Jesus wants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quilter Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 1.Being united with Christ, which means by believing in his death (the sacrifice of his flesh) and his resurrection. 2. He was saying that His life had to become their own. 3.They are the same in that if we don;t accept Christ as our Savior we will not have everlasting life. 4. Sometimes Jesus used repugnant words to see who stayed or left. Life with Jesus is not always take the good and flee when it is bad. I think Jesus used the words in a manner to see who could or could not handle them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteD Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 "Eating the Bread of Life" is a clarification or extension of what it means to have a believing faith). It's a way of saying we are united or dwell with Christ. Charles Williams, a friend of C.S. Lewis called this "coinherence". It certainly is a vivid metaphor. I think Jesus used this to teach that receiving and believing entail an eating (like seeing food, chewing food, digesting it, trusting its health producing properties). Jesus teaches that we have to just not know about Him but we have to receive Him. For years I was never quite clear what John was getting at when he said in John 1:12 that to those who received and believed in Jesus are given the right to be called the children of God. Now I have a better appreciation of what kind of faith is required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanks Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is "eating the Bread of Life" a metaphor of? What is "eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood" a metaphor of? How are these metaphors similar to each other? Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? “Eating the Bread of Life is a metaphor of living forever – having eternal life through our Lord. It is by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ that we receive life that goes on forever. “Eating His flesh and drinking His Blood” is a metaphor of believing on Him. We must believe on Him, receive Him, trust Him, and make Him our very own. All who believe on Him will be raised up at the last day. These metaphors were used to emphasize the point He was making and to help us remember them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haar Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is "eating the Bread of Life" a metaphor of? What is "eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood" a metaphor of? How are these metaphors similar to each other? Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? Both "eating of the Bread of Life" and "eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood are metaphor. They mean having faith in Jesus and his name for resulting in new life- eternal life. He used such strong metaphor to show the need to be united with him, to have strong faith and to abide in him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouse2014 Posted January 10, 2015 Report Share Posted January 10, 2015 Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is “eating the Bread of Life” a metaphor of? What is “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” a metaphor of? How are these metaphors similar to each other? Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? "Eating the bread of life" is a metaphor of bring us to eternal life with Christ. "Eating Jesus flesh and drinking His blood" is receiving eternal life. He is the bread that came down from heaven, and his blood is real drink, it sustains us spiritually. These metaphors are similar because his flesh is real food and his blood real drink, those who eat and drink do so in remembrance of him and have eternal life. Jesus used such a vivid repugnant metaphor because he was illustrating how the Lord had fed the Israelites with manna in the wilderness for 40 years and he alone sustained them. Those who believe in him and partake of the last supper do so in remembrance of him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted January 10, 2015 Report Share Posted January 10, 2015 Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is “eating the Bread of Life” a metaphor of? What is “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” a metaphor of? How are these metaphors similar to each other? Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? I find putting thoughts into words to be difficult. I understand inside however to put into words is no easy thing. I liken the eating the Bread of Life to when we are born physically and eagerly take nourishment offered to us. In the same way when we are born spiritually we feed on the Word (Jesus) as spiritual nourishment. The more we feed on this health food the stronger we grow. If we only feed on the television junk then it is like eating junk food. It harms us and we do not have spiritual growth. The same with the blood, it is the life force in us and Christ shed His blood for us so that we might have His life. Therefore as we meditate on what He did for us on the cross or take communion in memory of what He did for us we sustain His life in us. We become more like Him. He used images in the words bread and blood that we could relate to. We need bread to eat and the shedding of blood has never been anything but graphic and yet we needed His blood shed for us, as we watched blood shed from animals to provide food for us, so His blood provided life for us. The carnal have a hard time with these images , however to the spiritually minded they are life itself. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickledilly Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 “Eating the Bread of Life” is a metaphor of taking and believing in Jesus as the One sent from heaven by God to be the “food that endures to eternal life” (vs.27, 33). He is the spiritual “food” that gives us spiritual life. “Eating the flesh of the Son of Man” is a metaphor of taking in and believing the truth that the literal flesh of Jesus’ own physical body would be given as the sacrifice that would provide the resurrection and eternal life that God promised. They couldn’t just agree that Jesus was this Living Bread from heaven; they also had to believe in His death – a Messiah who would die. That concept was contrary to the Jewish expectation. The metaphors are similar in that they both dealt with how God would establish eternal life for humanity through sending His Anointed One, the Living Bread of Life. The first metaphor identifies Jesus as that One; the second identifies how that One must be received. These metaphors were directly linked to what the Jews already knew and honored about the manna given in the wilderness. But the Jews were blind and resistant to what Jesus was revealing about His identity as the True Bread of Life and about God’s ultimate plan for their deliverance to eternal life. As they grumbled and debated and disputed in the synagogue about what they’d heard, there is no telling what distorted ideas they were coming up with. Jesus went hard-core with this very intense metaphor to emphasize the necessity of His death with the giving of His body and blood that would secure eternal life. His gruesome death given for our redemption is the only thing we can take and receive within that will ensure that we belong to the Father and won't ever be cast out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty10 Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is "eating the Bread of Life" a metaphor of? What is "eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood" a metaphor of? How are these metaphors similar to each other? Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? Eating the Bread of Life is a metaphor of believing in Jesus as the Son of God who gives eternal life and the bread of life feeds the spiritual life. The eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood is believing in Jesus's sacrifice on the cross for our sins and giving eternal life if we believe. The metaphor is symbolic in that the Lord supper and the breaking of the bread and partaking of the cup is his flesh and blood. Jesus used this type of vivid words to drive home the relationship of his coming sacrifice and the remembrance of him during communion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parkerslope Posted January 13, 2015 Report Share Posted January 13, 2015 What is "eating the Bread of Life" a metaphor of? Believing in Jesus as Savior. Participating in His life with your life. Living each day with Jesus as your mediator and guide in doing the Master's will. What is "eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood" a metaphor of? To me, as of first importance, is to be fully engulfed in the "Christian lifestyle". Next, I believe He is talking about the event we call, "the Lord's Supper". Participation in the Lord's Supper is essential to obedience. The more we do, the more our connection to God the Father. How are these metaphors similar to each other? God is a Spirit, and we must worship in the spirit. Jesus' physical body bore our sins and the shedding of His blood washed away our sins and declared us to be righteous. "Eating the Bread" and "Eating Jesus' Flesh" are the same, in that they both point to our belief in Jesus as Savior. Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? He wanted to get their attention away from their bellies. We have to remember that about 20 years after the church began, there was a church conference in Jerusalem concerning what Gentile Christians should keep of the Law. One was, that of not eating (or drinking) blood. So how could the church think that the bread and juice should be literally the body and blood of Jesus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace2free Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is “eating the Bread of Life” a metaphor of? Eating = Believing Bread of Life = Son of Man Believing in Jesus What is “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” a metaphor of? Believe in Jesus and have eternal life. How are these metaphors similar to each other? They are both similar about believing or faith in Jesus and having a eternal life. Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? Because he knows the people will urgue first before they believe and many also don't believe at all. But God already chose those who are to believe and to have eternal life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vl1157 Posted February 22, 2015 Report Share Posted February 22, 2015 It looks to me like Jesus was testing their hearts. He almost had to use a shocking metaphor in order to repel those who had only come to Him for food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Tavaziva Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 How can Jesus give us his flesh as bread to eat? To eat living bread means to accept Christ into our lives and become united with him. We are united with Christ in two ways: (1) by believing in his death (the sacrifice of his flesh) and resurrection and (2) by devoting ourselves to living as he requires, depending on his teaching for guidance and trusting in the Holy Spirit for power. If anyone knew where to get food, it would have been Philip because he was from Bethsaida, a town about nine miles away (1:44). Jesus was testing Philip to strengthen his faith. By asking for a human solution (knowing that there was none), Jesus highlighted the powerful and miraculous act that he was about to perform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoanG Posted May 24, 2015 Report Share Posted May 24, 2015 I feel that the eating of the Bread of Life is actually learning, studying and living the words given to us in the bible. Eating the flesh of Jesus and drinking his blood is the act of Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper. They are both meant to help us grow and live lives according to the spiritual nature of man versus the material or earthly nature of man. I feel that Jesus was trying to make a statement that would stick with people throughout all of history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Applegarth Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 1) Eating the bread of life is metaphorically the belief in and putting our complete trust in Christ Jesus as the source of our lives and ultimate salvation. “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:40). 2) Eating Jesus' flesh and blood is to believe what He says is true and right and to become totally dependent upon him for spiritual nourishment and life itself. I believe that, on some level, Jesus’ discourse was setting the stage for what was to come and when we participate in the Lord's Supper we do so in remembrance of the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made so that our sins might be forgiven. The Lord's Supper is a ritual act (eating His flesh and drinking His blood) of remembrance of that sacrifice. Communion is a time set aside to remember not only that He died for us, it’s also a time for personal reflection and renewal of our own belief and trust in Him. The bread, of course, representing his body and our faith; the cup representing the precious blood that was shed to wash away our sin. 3) Jesus obviously wanted to create a very powerful image that would get the listener’s attention. We all need food to nourish and sustain our physical bodies and, obviously we can’t go long without a drink because it’s necessary for survival. Using this kind of extreme metaphor, Jesus is making it clear that, just like we need physical food and drink to nourish our earthly bodies, we need to allow ourselves to become totally dependent on Him for spiritual nourishment and well-being. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtredo Posted September 30, 2015 Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 What is “eating the Bread of Life” a metaphor of? The bread of life appears to refer to 'belief' in Jesus. This is not just an intellectual assent, but a wholehearted surrender and trust in Him. In order to believe, there must be a certain degree of understanding (which I believe is called 'light' in the Bible). So there's a close association between life and light. When God gives us the 'light' of understanding and we believe in Jesus, we are born again and receive eternal life. At that moment, God justifies us and we are made righteous in His eyes. I also think eating the bread of life is for our life in the here and now too. God desires us to continually feast on Jesus (His Word) through study, meditation, and prayer each day so that we can become more 'like Him'. Once we have 'eternal life' through believing in Jesus, that life starts NOW while we are still in our physical bodies. The Scriptures tell us to be 'conformed' to His image while we are here on earth. What is “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” a metaphor of? I think these phrases are a continuation of what I described above. Jesus is a Master Teacher and He uses both metaphors and hyperbole to make unforgettable impressions on his audience. He is concerned with impressing upon His listeners the gravity of the truths He teaches. His method seems to be one of 'escalation'. He starts with metaphors (manna, bread of life) and then escalates to hyperbole (eating flesh, drinking blood) to really make an emotional appeal to the heart. How are these metaphors similar to each other? They are similar in that they all point to the same truth - that believing in Jesus is the only way to eternal life. And living His life in us is the only way to living a God-honoring life here on earth. Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? First, I think Jesus wanted these word-pictures to be unforgettable and memorable in the minds of his audience. We are so dull and flaky as humans - we forget about God at the drop of a hat. Remember how the people of Israel kept forgetting about how God freed them from bondage in Egypt? God kept reminding them about that as they constantly grumbled and complained. And it's easy for us today to forget about God too, especially when life becomes hard and disappointing. Second, I think Jesus was showing us today how impossible it is to discern spiritual truth without the help of the Holy Spirit (prevenient grace as we discussed earlier). The Jews kept misunderstanding His teachings - but so did the disciples! None of them could understand as they did not have the gift of the Holy Spirit yet (except for Jesus). Jesus would say later that 'The Counselor' would be given (the Holy Spirit) and would make them all remember these words (and comprehend them). But that was for a little later. As for now, Jesus speaks out the truth using colorful and profound language (metaphor and hyperbole), and then lets the crowd react as they may. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthRW Posted July 21, 2017 Report Share Posted July 21, 2017 Jesus being the bread of life is not just live eternal because of His sacrifice on the cross but if we feed on Him also new life here on earth. Jesus giving His flesh and blood to us to eat speaks of Him wanting to totally impart His life to us. It speaks of His desire to be at one with us and we with Him which never ever ceases to amaze me. When I pondered about Jesus giving His flesh and blood to eat and drink, it made me think that God ordained it that we eat and drink several times a day! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Jerry Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 I think that “eating the Bread of Life” and “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” is about the same metaphor. I think that Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor because he was trying to get his point that we need to be living for him. If we are living for him then we are “eating the Bread of Life” and “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood. We do those things in remembrance of Him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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