John 6:52–59 - Gnaw on This

The Set-Up

As the crowd continues to “converse” with Jesus, they move from angry to disgusted. “The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’” They are taking it literally.

And Jesus does what He does best. He doubles down and makes it even more graphic.

In Greek, Jesus switches verbs, from phagein (to eat) to trogein, which translates closer to "gnaw," "munch," or "chew," telling them: “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”

To the first-century Jewish audience, this is repulsive. Leviticus Law strictly forbade consuming blood. 

Jesus is smashing tradition. He is saying: You want the Life of God? You have to break the rules and consume the very essence of who I am.

He is offering a blood transfusion via ingestion.

“For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.” We live in a world of processed spiritual junk food. It might fill you up for an hour, but it can’t sustain you.

“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” 

For many, this is where it gets difficult: It’s not just about believing in Jesus, it’s about metabolism. When you eat something, it becomes your cells, your energy, your blood. Jesus wants to be so integrated into your life that you can’t tell where you end and He begins.

The Takeaways

Chew on This. Jesus isn't a wafer you consume politely. He is a reality you have to "gnaw" on: wrestle with, internalize, and consume fully.

Smash the Taboo. Jesus used language that offended the religious elite to prove that the Kingdom is about life, not purity codes.

No Life Without It. "Unless you eat... you have no life." You can't survive on the idea of Jesus, you need the substance.

You Are What You Eat. If you consume the world (greed, fear), you become the world. If you consume Christ (love, sacrifice), you become Christ.

Real Food. Stop snacking on spiritual junk food. The Eucharist is the only meal that sticks with you.

The Good News…

Is that God doesn't want to be a distant observer - God wants to be internal. 

The Good News is that Jesus offers Himself completely - body and blood - so that He can live inside us. He wants to be the fuel that powers your being. It’s an invitation to the deepest, most radical kind of intimacy: mutual indwelling. He in you, and you in Him.