John 6:53-59 (HCSB): So Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna your fathers ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Jesus was speaking spiritual truths, heavenly wonders. But these people were listening with earthly ears, so they couldn’t understand Him. Like Nicodemus before them (cf. John 3:1-21), their minds were so set on things of this world that things of the heavenly realms were a complete mystery, a closed book to their hearts.
To eat and drink in the spiritual sense is to partake of, to participate in, to receive into oneself. To eat Jesus’ flesh is to receive Jesus’ sufferings on our behalf; to not only believe that Jesus’ sufferings were to pay for our sins, but to take up our own crosses and follow Him each day.
To drink Jesus’ blood is to receive salvation by owning the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. Before a lamb was sacrificed in the temple for sins, the one presenting it would lay his hands on the head of the animal, acknowledging that the blood that was about to be poured out was payment for his own sins. When we “drink Jesus’ blood” we are, in effect, laying our hands on His head, acknowledging that His poured-out blood was for our sins.
The body and blood of Jesus are real food and real drink in the sense that they give life to our spirits; life that will last forever. The manna that God gave the Israelites was to feed their bodies, but their souls died. Jesus, the true bread from heaven, was given to all men to feed our souls so that, even if our bodies die, our souls will live forever.
Father, forgive us for hearing You with only our physical ears and understanding with only our flesh-bound minds. Your words were designed to speak to our hearts. Lord Jesus, thank You for the very real privilege of being able to eat your flesh, to drink Your blood, and to live. Thank You for giving Yourself so unstintingly to us, even while we were still sinners. Amen.