What did Jesus mean?

[justaname]

John 6:53-58
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.
54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
55 “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.
56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
57 “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.
58 “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

Some believe this to be metaphorical. Some believe this to be more literal in the sense of the Eucharist. What do you believe? Do you have scripture to support?

Personally I think to keep the scripture in context we need to look at the previous verses. I feel the answer to be here.
John 6:45
45 “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.

 

[prism]

I think He explains it near the beginning of this long discourse.
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
(Joh 6:35)

 

[Redeemed86]

Matthew 4:4
[sup]4[/sup] Jesus answered, “It is written: [Deuteronomy 8:2-3] ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[sup][a][/sup]”

I think this scripture from His temptation (and reference to Deuteronomy) sums up what Jesus meant. While Food alone is temporarily a means of sustaining life, sole reliance on the Word of God is an eternal means; and it includes food.

"Bread alone" representing reliance on self and creation for provision, in place of The Creator.

Though you'd technically be alive, you'd actually be walking dead, because:

John 14:6
[sup]6[/sup] Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 

[JohnDB]

Just as when in Adam all sinned and died because Adam ate the forbidden fruit and internalized it...

When we internalize Jesus' sacrifice of his works and his life spent in the most humiliating form imaginable we will gain eternal life.

and if you need scripture...you have my sympathies.

 

[justaname]

I think He explains it near the beginning of this long discourse.
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
(Joh 6:35)

Yeah I think you nail it here.

 

[NicholasMarks]

Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus Christ can only mean one thing...We do this when we follow him accurately. We are incorporating in our lives an active science which offers us the rewards that Jesus lived, died and was resurrected showing us. It is very complicated science and even today we would have difficulty in understanding it but it overpowers all evil and delivers us to a new place...a place owned by Almighty God...where evil and evil thinking is not allowed. It is a spiritual oasis in a desolate wilderness.