“Indeed, we are told five times of the need to eat his flesh and drink his blood, as opposed to “born again” only two or three (i forget which).”
Jesus also said, “26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” - Luke 14
Do you literally hate your family? Do you walk around with a cross on your shoulders? What would make anyone think this is supposed to be taken literally?
The presence or absence of authoritative Church teaching.
Perhaps even David believed in transubstantiation:
(2 Sam 23:15-17) “And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! {16} And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD. {17} And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.”
If Jn. 6:53 is the R.C. Eucharist, then that is what the apostles would have preached as a means of regeneration, rather than belief in Jesus words, which are “spirit and life.” Jesus “meat and drink” was to do His Father’s will,(Jn. 4:34) He lived by the father, as we are to live by Him, (see Jn. 6:57), and we are to live by His every word, (Mt. 4:4).
It is hardly conceivable the apostles, esp. “Protestant” Peter, who was kosher as late as Acts 10, would unquestionably eat Jesus corporeal flesh and blood (which one must believe it is, to be effectual, according to Rome). Peter did not even want Jesus to wash his feet, how much less would he simply submit to eating Jesus blood.
Jews and Greek were both heavy in symbolic language, eating is heavily used metaphorically, and Jeremiah said, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them;”(Jer. 15:16), but do not eat the fruit of lies, (Hos. 10:13) that misconstrue what is written.