Here’s some rational thought.
Either the bread and wine are literally turned into the actual flesh and blood of Jesus. Or they are not and they are a symbolic representation of the spiritual reality.
Now, throughout Scripture God forbids the eating of blood. The life is in the blood. It is for atonement. It was NEVER eaten as part of the sacrifice but rather poured out. That command to not eat blood was reiterated by the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15.
So the situation is this......
Either the interpretation of John 6 is literal, which violates and contradicts the weight of Scripture which preceded it thousands or years before.
Or the interpretation is that the eating and drinking is symbolic, which does not contradict any commands of God given in Scripture.
Jesus came to fulfill the Law, not violate it.
He could not have partook of the cup Himself if it was blood, as it would have made Him unclean by sinning and He could not have commanded the disciples to do something which would break the Law, thus making them unclean and unable to celebrate the Passover.
Jesus blood was poured out. It’s gone.
Nor is there any record of the whole ceremony and incantation which the priests utter which is allegedly supposed to change the host and wine into the literal body and blood of Jesus.
The system of sacrifices is over with the death of Jesus. They never saved anyone anyway. All they did was foreshadow the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
The eating literal flesh and drinking literal blood of the gods goes back to paganism and is a not so subtle lie of Satan that Christ was talking about His literal blood and flesh. The Jewish followers that left thought Jesus actually meant the literal flesh and blood. That’s why they left. They didn’t understand that He was talking spiritually not literally just like the Catholics do today.
“Either the bread and wine are literally turned into the actual flesh and blood of Jesus. Or they are not and they are a symbolic representation of the spiritual reality.”
If Jesus Christ instructs us to “...eat this...this is my Body.”
I will do as HE instructs.
“Or the interpretation is that the eating and drinking is symbolic”
Scripture is clear that it is not symbolic and the Early Christians believed in the Real Presence as seen through Scripture and the Early Church Fathers.
“Jesus blood was poured out. It’s gone.”
If Jesus desired it so, he would appear before us in full Divinity, flesh and blood. He makes the rules, not us.
“Nor is there any record of the whole ceremony...to change the host and wine into the literal body and blood of Jesus.”
He said it so. Thus, it is so.
We have an all powerful God.
Sadly, for some, it's "literal" in a "symbolic" way. Though the bread and wine do not literally change - meaning there is no physical evidence that a change happened - they insist that they still DO change, but only in a spiritual/philosophical sense - which is the same thing as "symbolically" to most people. It's all really quite simple! /sarc