John 6:56 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

NIV: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.

NASB: The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him.

CSB: The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

NLT: Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

KJV: He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

NKJV: He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

Jesus has greatly offended the people who came to find Him in Capernaum (John 6:52). Christ explained that He was the "true bread from Heaven" (John 6:32–33). This meant that only those who believed in Him, as the One sent from God, could see eternal life (John 6:40). This was part of Jesus' teaching to focus less on material things and more on heavenly things. The people were unhappy with the idea that belief, and not good works, were the real key to salvation (John 6:27–29). When Jesus expands the analogy to say that His flesh is this Bread of Life, they are outraged (John 6:52).

Jesus uses the term "abide" here, from the Greek root word meno, meaning "to continue, to dwell, or to endure." This sense of "abiding" is used in reference to the relationship between God the Father and God the Son (John 14:10), God the Son and God the Spirit (John 1:32), as well as to the relationship between Jesus and those who are saved (John 15:4).

Most of the people present in Capernaum mistake Jesus' claim in a crass, physical way: they think this is a reference to cannibalism (Genesis 9:3–4; Leviticus 17:10–16). Others grasp that He is speaking in some form of parable or metaphor, but still find it hard to accept (John 6:50). Many of those who were following Jesus to this point will react by abandoning Him (John 6:66). However, Jesus is tying this idea together with the comments He has already made about eternal life. He pointed out that it was belief in Him which granted a person life. Later, Jesus will explicitly say that His use of these words is symbolic, and not a reference to eating His literal, physical flesh and blood (John 6:63).

John 6:52–59 describes Jesus' closing remarks during this public discussion of His ministry and mission. In prior passages, He has declared Himself to be the ''Bread of Life,'' resulting in no small controversy. The people have gone from seeking, to complaining, to fighting. During this discourse, Christ clarified the symbolic ''Bread of Life'' by pointing to Himself, foreshadowing His own crucifixion. Since the people are resistant to the idea of Jesus as a spiritual Messiah, they are hung up on the physical idea of Jesus' ''flesh.'' As Jesus continues to explain His role in salvation, most of those following Him will choose to walk away, as shown in the last verses of chapter 6.

In chapter 6, Jesus feeds thousands of people who had been following Him. He does this by miraculously dividing the contents of a small lunch, leaving more left over than He had to begin with. At first, the crowd is amazed and they enthusiastically praise Jesus. After sending the disciples across the Sea of Galilee, and rescuing them from a storm by walking on the water, Jesus once again addresses the crowd. This time, He emphasizes the spiritual lesson behind His prior miracle. In response, most of those who had been praising Jesus turn away from Him in disappointment.

John chapter 6 occurs some months after the events of chapter 5, bringing the narrative to about one year prior to Jesus' crucifixion. As with the rest of the Gospel of John, the purpose is not to repeat information from the other three Gospels, but to focus on Jesus' status as God incarnate. This chapter continues to expand the list of Jesus' miraculous signs and the witnesses to His divine nature. Here, Jesus also gives the first of seven ''I AM'' statements found in this Gospel. Chapter 7 will once again skip ahead to a major public step in Jesus' path to the cross.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.