John 6 Verses 52-58

John 6:52 “The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.”

“The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”  To understand spiritual things one must be born of the Spirit: 1 Cor. 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”  These Jews could not see past the natural to see the spiritual. 

“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”  One must have eternal life in order to eat the flesh of the Son of man, and to drink his blood.  We who have eternal life have been made to eat the flesh of the Son of man and to drink his blood, through His covenant work as we read in Rom. 8:29, 30: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”  Through this covenant work, we see that Jesus lived and died and shed his blood to justify us and present us blameless before God. 

“Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”  Again, we learn through the covenant of redemption that we have been given eternal life and that Jesus has died for us and that we will be raised up at the last day and glorified. 

“For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”  We dwell in Christ by covenant as stated above and he dwells in us by the indwelling of the Spirit of God through the spiritual birth. 

“As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.”  Notice in the procession of scriptures that we are given life by Him and that we live by Him and that we shall live by Him.  We both have eternal life and shall have eternal life.  We have eternal life through the new or spiritual birth.  This is eternal life in the inner man.  We have the hope and assurance of having eternal life in the flesh in the resurrection at the last day.   

“This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.”  We who have been made partakers of that spiritual bread through the miracle of the New Birth have the assurance that we shall live forever.

John 6 Verses 59-71

John 6:59 “These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. 70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.” 

“These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”  Why was this an hard saying to many of the disciples?  Remember what the Lord said in John 5:39: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”  The Jews had brought themselves into bondage by believing that they could obtain eternal life through observing and keeping the scriptures.  When someone believes in a works system of salvation and then is presented with the fact that salvation from sin is by the grace of God through the atoning blood of Jesus alone, then they must overcome their fleshly pride in order to believe the truth.  Pride in our own fleshly abilities is what makes the sayings of the Lord seem hard.  These sayings of the Lord completely destroys the work system of salvation and goes against man’s pride.   

“When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”  One only has to quote verse 63 and he will find that many will be offended as that goes completely contrary to the pride of the flesh and destroys the works systems of salvation in which they hold.  The phrase, “the flesh profiteth nothing” completely destroys men’s’ efforts to get eternal life.  It is completely by grace and through the covenant work of the Spirit in quickening one into eternal life. 

“But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.”  In order to come unto Jesus it must be given unto you by the Father.   

“From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”  These had started out as disciples of the Lord, but when their pride and false belief system was put to the test, they walked no more with the Lord.   

“Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.  And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Peter, no doubt, believed what he said that Christ is the Son of the living God and has the words of eternal life.  However, Peter did not have the authority to speak for all the twelve.  “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.”