That is the spiritual “key” to discerning John 6 – that we are to consume the body and the blood of Christ. He, the living Word of God, is our food and our drink.
It is also a Spiritual Truth of Jesus’ testimony while He was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan, i.e. that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word the proceeds out of the mouth of God.
I do wish to clear up something though concerning the Hebrew word goy (plural, goyim.) It literally means “nation” and thus in Genesis 18:18, it refers to Abraham’s becoming a great and mighty nation (goy) and all the nations (goy) will be blessed in him. Likewise in Exodus 19:6 – God says “ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation [goy]”.
Then in Leviticus 20:23, God tells Israel to not walk in the ways of the nation [goy] He is removing in front of them. Thereafter for the most part, the term goy is understood to mean “heathen”, e.g. Psalms 106:47.
And to this day it means Gentile and is often used as a pejorative:
"Goy" [plural: goyim, adjective: goyishe] is the standard Hebrew term for non-Jew. Literally it is the Hebrew for "nation." Spoken aloud with a disgusted inflection, it's pejorative. So is the word 'Jew' in similar circumstances. Better to say "gentile" or "non-Jew" when writing in English for a multireligious audience, such as SCJ. In general, the use of judgemental or pejorative terms, even if no offense is intended, should be avoided. They only serve to incite anger and side-track the conversation. True conversation comes from being factual and appropriately neutral.
The most commonly used word for a non-Jew is goy. The word "goy" means "nation," and refers to the fact that goyim are members of other nations, that is, nations other than the Children of Israel.
There is nothing inherently insulting about the word "goy." In fact, the Torah occasionally refers to the Jewish people using the term "goy." Most notably, in Exodus 19:6, G-d says that the Children of Israel will be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation," that is, a goy kadosh. Because Jews have had so many bad experiences with anti-Semitic non-Jews over the centuries, the term "goy" has taken on some negative connotations, but in general the term is no more insulting than the word "gentile."
The more insulting terms for non-Jews are shiksa (feminine) and shkutz (masculine). I gather that these words are derived from the Hebrew root Shin-Qof-Tzadei, meaning loathsome or abomination. The word shiksa is most commonly used to refer to a non-Jewish woman who is dating or married to a Jewish man, which should give some indication of how strongly Jews are opposed to the idea of intermarriage. The term shkutz is most commonly used to refer to an anti-Semitic man. Both terms can be used in a less serious, more joking way, but in general they should be used with caution.
If you are offended to hear that Jewish culture has a negative term for non-Jews, I would recommend that you stop and think about the many negative terms and stereotypes that your culture has for Jews.
You: Sorry, AG. If they believed Christ was Jeremiah, they believed in reincarnation. Christianity doesn't believe in reincaration. Resurrection is not reincarnation, contrary to what you say.
Also if you do not wish to see resurrection as a reincarnation that is fine with me. I will continue to see a parallel, i.e. same spirit, different body. And I will continue to see re-animation (as in the two witnesses who were reincarnated, died and then reanimated and “taken up” --- and Lazarus et al) differently, i.e. same spirit, same body.
It is semantics.
It does not reconcile our differences, but it does dilute and even obfuscate the principle points we are making. If I responded in kind, we would be taking up the entire bandwidth with quotes and counter-quotes without affecting either position.
This doesn't mean that we can't learn from each other by simply pointing to sources in the general direction. It's up to us to seek or not to seek. But ours is to speak what's in our hearts, not try to "convince" someone through exhaustion.
I am all for learning from each other. All people know all things, as a saying goes. Everyone knows something we don't. If you get a chance, read Tolstoy's Coffee House. It is very pertinent to our discussion (and attitude). Or, if you don't want to, then read his last three paragraphs to get the gest (my emphases): "Therefore, let him who sees the sun's whole light filling the world, refrain from blaming or despising the superstitious man, who in his own idol sees one ray of that same light. Let him not despise even the unbeliever who is blind and cannot see the sun at all." So spoke the Chinaman, the student of Confucius; and all who were present in the coffee-house were silent, and disputed no more as to whose faith was the best. "The higher a man's conception of God, the better will he know Him. And the better he knows God, the nearer will he draw to Him, imitating His goodness, His mercy, and His love of man.
And I do read the Scriptures, all the time, except that I check my readings against the combined wisdom of the Church and not seek my own hidden leanings attributed to the HS. I would never wish to blaspheme His name by saying it is Him and not me speaking.
We must ever remember that God's Logos was spoken. It is a living Word, not words on paper. We can torture the written word all we want to make it give up meanings that are conducive to our understanding. But God's Logos surpasseth all human understanding. We must stand in His Grace to be One in His Truth.
Or so it seems to me.... FWIW!