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NASB | John 6:53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 6:53 And Jesus said to them, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood [unless you believe in Me as Savior and believe in the saving power of My blood which will be shed for you], you do not have life in yourselves. |
Bible Question: In John 6 Jesus said we must eat His flesh and drink His blood. I studied the Greek word for flesh used here and it seems to be literal (not figuretive). What could be the proper interpretation? |
Bible Answer: Greetings kama17! Here is something that may help in interpreting what Jesus said about eating and drinking His flesh and blood. "Jesus' point was an analogy that has spiritual, rather than literal, significance: just as eating and drinking are necessary for physical life, so also is belief in His sacrificial death on the cross necessary for eternal life. The eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood metaphorically symbolize the need for accepting Jesus' cross work. For the Jews, however, a crucified Messiah was unthinkable (cf. Acts 17:1-3). Once again, the Jews, in their willful and judicial blindness, could not see the real spiritual significance and truth behind Jesus' statements. Moreoever, Jesus' reference here to eating and drinking was not referring to the ordinance of communion for two significant reasons: 1) communion had not been instituted yet, and 2) if Jesus was referring to communion, then the passage would teach that anyone partaking of communion would receive eternal life." [The MacArthur NKJV Study Bible, pgs. 1592-1593, 1997 Word Publishing] Grace to you! Nolan |