Bible Discussion Thread

 
  • Edna on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Why were the disciples offended to the point of abandoning Jesus when he said "eat my flesh and drink my blood" ,if it was only a symbol? When Jesus says it again he says it more strongly not less. He doesn't say it's a symbol. He says "Eat/gnaw on my flesh". Seems like the Jews/disciples were completely grossed out and scandalized and though they had seen all Jesus's miracles ,chose to abandon him.
  • Rick - In Reply on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Hi Edna This is an indication of how far out Israel or Judean beliefs got away from the scripture and how blinded the adversary had them, many times we read in the gospels it is written by the prophets or Jesus Christ himself. Now the scribes and pharisees and sadducees new the scripture but used to there advantage corrupt.
  • Jesse - In Reply on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Edna, here is (Part 2)

    John chapter 6 is all a picture from God of symbolism, or metaphorical use if you will, about the salvation message. It is not just about believing that Jesus died for you, and shed His blood for you, but you must take Him in, spiritually. You must feed on Christ spiritually. He is the bread of life!

    How we chase after things in the human, we think "Oh I am missing out in life because I don't have these things?" Do you have Christ? Oh yeah. Then we are pursuing the things in the flesh, because in the spirit, we will never hunger and never thirst because we are fellowshipping with and feeding on the bread of life constantly.

    So Jesus is presenting Himself as that Lamb, Jewish symbolism! It is not something that you just believe about. It is someone that you take in. So He says no more physical miracles of feeding you with physical food.

    Now it's all spiritual. Now you must be satisfied with me. I am the bread of life, not the physical bread, but the spiritual bread. And from now on you must feed on me and if you feed on me you will live.

    Verse 63 is key. It says "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

    The word quickeneth means make alive. It is the spirit that makes alive, the flesh profits nothing: Did you catch that? There is no spiritual benefit in the flesh. Zero! The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

    They are not physical. It is spirit. It is not physical life, it is spiritual life. So He says everything that I just told you about my flesh, and my blood, take that and change it into spiritual metaphors and you'll have what it means.

    I hope what I've shared helps.
  • Patricia - In Reply on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Thank you for your explanation as it helped me to finally understand the verse(s). Thank you very much for taking the time to explain...to me it's a super-important learning curve. Great explanation. Thanks again.
  • Jesse - In Reply on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Patricia,

    All glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
  • Earl Bowman - In Reply on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Amen and Amen, Brother Jesse!
  • Jesse - In Reply on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Thanks Earl. The Lord is good!
  • S Spencer - In Reply on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Great reply Brother Jesse.

    God bless you and all you do.
  • Jesse - In Reply on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Brother Spencer, thank you. may the Lord continue to bless you also!
  • David - In Reply on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Hi Jesse It always amuses me that they still didn't get it, but then I ask would I have. By the way good stuff!
  • Jesse - In Reply on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Thanks David. Yes, it is sort of amusing. And these were religious leaders!
  • Jesse - In Reply on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Hello Edna,

    Something to keep in mind is that it wasn't the miracles they came to see. They came because their bellies were being fed and they wanted more. In John 6:48, Jesus calls Himself the bread of life. But go back to verse 31. They say to Jesus "Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat." You see, they wanted more physical food.

    Then in Verse 49, Jesus says "Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead." So do you want to bring in the manna gift thing again? God provided physical food for them but they are dead!" In verse 50, Jesus says "This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die." Jesus is not referring to His physical body. He's speaking about spiritual nourishment.

    But the Jews are really perplexed by this. In fact, that's the reason and the teaching why multitudes of these people left. Remember, these are the 15,000 to 20,000 people that were fed the day before. And now they are listening and they think He's talking about cannibalism.

    What does He mean? He goes on to explain it to the disciples, but He doesn't explain it to the public. His words are spirit and they are life. It is not flesh. When He says "Eat of my flesh and drink of my blood," we have to think about it from a Jewish perspective.

    Remember when Jesus was introduced to Israel, He was introduced as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world? In the book of Exodus, it wasn't just the blood over the door posts that saved a household from the Angel of death, in order for the Angel of death to Passover. Yes, there had to be blood on the door posts. But one of the requirements was that the lamb from whom the blood came, you had to eat that lamb, and eat every bit of it that night, nothing left over. You had to actually participate with the lamb whose blood is on your door post.

    I'm running out of space and will have to send a part 2.
  • David - In Reply on John 6:53 - 2 years ago
    Hi Edna It's amazing to me that 12 stuck around of course God knew, this guy spoke and did more miraculous things in a day then perhaps we'll see in a lifetime, they didn't know it was figurative that's why some left because they thought he lost it. But as peter said thou hast taught us the words of life and all Jesus Christ actions and works were life giving just like His Father's. At that time he was talking about the future holy communion, and after they were born again they understood.



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