If you think Jesus is speaking symbolically here when He says that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood, then you must also conclude that Jesus’ death on the cross was symbolic...it wasn’t really Jesus hanging up there...it was symbolic flesh and symbolic blood.
“That’s hardly so. We mix idioms, metaphors, symbolic and actual in our speech, often in the same sentence. Example:
I could say, ‘It’s winter and the wolf is at the door.’, but no one would expect to see an animal on the door step.”
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Explain why Jesus didn’t say “This IS a SYMBOL of My body?”
Why did He not run after the disbelieving followers and correct them? Stating “no you are wrong, don’t go away, I was speaking symbolically, I was using a metaphor.”
Christians believed until the objection in the 16th century.
People who left the faith could not confect the Eucharist so they now called the Real Presence a “symbol” and/or a “remembrance” of Christ’s death on the Cross.
Why should he? He had said, “Take eat this is (estin) my body.”
“Why did He not run after the disbelieving followers and correct them? Stating “no you are wrong, don’t go away, I was speaking symbolically, I was using a metaphor.”
Again, why should he? He didn't go after the wealthy man that was keeping all the commandments but just couldn't part with his wealth. Jesus didn't go back to the ungrateful men he had cured of blindness, did he?
In each case those who went no further displayed their unwillingness to grow in faith.
All displayed a degree of hard heartedness so unlike the Samaritan women or the disciples that stayed with Jesus.
Groups like the Waldens that could not “confect” had murderous crusades launched against them by the Catholic Church.
And it was Jesus that called that last meal a remembrance, “Keeping do this in remembrance (not thanksgiving) of me”.