They asked Him for a sign, saying that Moses gave them manna in the desert. If Jesus (according to them) was aspiring to the level of Moses, He should do something as big as that.
30 So they asked him, What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?
31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32 Jesus said to them, Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
34 Sir, they said, always give us this bread.
35 Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.
And now the crowd is openly rebellious saying How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.
50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Note -- Jesus doesn't clear up the Metaphor, like he did in Matt. 16:512
53 Jesus said to 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.
54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.
56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.
5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread.So, Jesus DOES indicate when it is a metaphor and when it isn't.
6 Be careful, Jesus said to them. Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
7 They discussed this among themselves and said, It is because we didnt bring any bread.
8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?
9 Do you still not understand? Dont you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?
10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?
11 How is it you dont understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
You cannot say that this was just bread and wine of that this is a metphor for coming and having faith in the Lord or some kind of metphor for believing in Christ because of the reaction of the Jews and the very language -- to eat one's flesh and drink the blood means to do violence on some one. You see it even in Hindi where a threat is "Mein tera Khoon pie jaongaa" or "I will drink your blood" -- and this is among vegetarians! To drink a persons blood means a serious threat of injury.So, if you believe that this was just a metphor, you mean to say that Christ is rewarding people for crucifying Him?!! That's nonsensical, sorry.
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?...
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
Even in the literal sense -- Christ says he is the gateway to heaven and the vine such that we get nourishment with him as the connecting path. But John 6 is much much more than mere symbolism as He categorically states that "For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed" (John 6:55).
Even at the end of John 6, Jesus rebukes those who think of what He has said as a metaphor by emphasising that
Jesus repeats the rebuke against just thinking in terms of human logic (Calvin's main problem) by saying
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, Does this offend you?
62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!
63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to youthey are full of the Spirit[e] and life.
64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.
Just using human logic as Calvinist thought does, without God's blessings behind it fails in grace.John 6:63 does not refer to Jesus's statement of his own flesh, if you read in context but refers to using human logic instead of dwelling on God's words.
John 8:15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one.
16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.
and also 1 Cor 11:27-29
6 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
How clear can Paul get? "The bread IS a participation in the body of Christ" and "who eats the bread... will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord" This is not just mere bread and wine anymore. This is the body and blood of Christ.
27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.
29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.
as our Protestant Lutheran brethren say From the Lutheran LCMS.org website
All three accounts of the institution of the Lord's Supper in the Gospels (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-23) explicitly state that Jesus took BREAD, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, "Take, eat; this [i.e., this BREAD, which I have just blessed and broken and am now giving to you] is my body." Jesus uses similar language in referring to "the cup" (of wine) as "his blood."... Perhaps the most explicit expression of this truth, however, is found in 1 Cor. 10:16-17, where Paul writes: "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread." Paul clearly says here that we all "partake" of "BREAD" when we receive the Lord's Supper--even as we also partake of and "participate in" the true body of Christ. And he says that we all "partake" of the wine (the cup), even as we also partake of the true blood of Christ. Similarly, in 1 Cor. 11:26, Paul says: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Paul expressly states here ........................that those who eat this bread and drink this cup are also partaking of the true body and blood of Christ. So "real" is this participation in Christ's body and blood, in fact, that (according to Paul) those who partake of the bread and wine "in an unworthy manner" are actually guilty of "profaning the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:27). (Partaking of the Lord's Supper "in a worthy manner," of course, is not something that we "do" or "accomplish" on the basis of our "personal holiness" or "good works." It means receiving God's free and gracious gifts of life and forgiveness offered in the Lord's Supper in true repentance produced by the work of the Spirit through God's Law and in true faith in Christ and his promises produced by God's Spirit through the Gospel).
Jesus Himself said otherwise. Jn 6:53) unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you
THE SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR,
OR, THE LORD’S SUPPER.
In the plain form in which it is to be taught by the head of a family.
What is the Sacrament of the Altar?
Ans. It is the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, given unto us Christians to eat and to drink, as it was instituted by Christ Himself.
Where is it so written?
Ans. The Holy Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, together with St. Paul, write thus:
“Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread: and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and gave it to His disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my Body, which is given for you: this do, in remembrance of Me.
“After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it: this cup is the new testament in my Blood, which is shed for you, for the remission of sins: this do, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
What benefits are derived from such eating and drinking?
Ans. They are pointed out in these words; “given and shed for you, for the remission of sins.” Namely, through these words, the remission of sins, life and salvation are granted unto us in the Sacrament. For where there is remission of sins, there are also life and salvation.
How can the bodily eating and drinking produce such great effects?
Ans. The eating and the drinking, indeed, do not produce them, but the words which stand here, namely: “given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins.” These words are, besides the bodily eating and drinking, the chief things in the Sacrament; and he who believes these words, has that which they declare and set forth, namely, the remission of sins.
Who is it, then, that receives this Sacrament worthily?
Ans. Fasting and bodily preparation are indeed a good external discipline; but he is truly worthy and well prepared who believes these words, “given and shed for you, for the remission of sins.” But he who does not believe these words, or who doubts, is unworthy and unfit: for the words: “FOR YOU,” require truly believing hearts.
Just finished watching Avengers: End Game.
Spoiler alert!
At every turn, as in nearly every science-fiction/mythology movie, the heroes have to sacrifice themselves to be worthy to fight for goodness. From the soul stone, to wielding Thor’s hammer. This is because we demand to see such sacrifice from heroes to believe in them. That’s why Jesus died.
We also believe worthiness comes from blood. Why should Simba be the Lion King?
It wasn’t enough for Jesus to die... because he knew he would be raised from the dead. Harry Potter didn’t know he’d live to see Voldemort dead. And [WHOOPS! Spoiler alert] really did die for the soul stone, and [WHOOPS! Spoiler Alert] really did die to snap to save the universe. Time and time and time again, various avengers THOUGHT they were sacrificing their lives. On the other hand, Doctor Who literally died a billion times over, and not once did anyone count it as the ultimate sacrifice. It’s the belief in the finality of death that makes it effective.
No, Jesus had to do more than die. He had to be consumed in the flesh. And he said so. Several times throughout the bible. It’s shocking, the hardest thing in the universe to understand. And the bible made quite plain, it’s what drove away all of his followers. He never said, “No! You don’t get it... it’s just a metaphor!” And he certainly didn’t mean to con us into putting out faith in him.
I don’t mean to say our stupid, primitive superstitions are why Jesus died and demanded he be eaten in the flesh. But I’m guessing you’ve explored many of the more abstract theological reasons offered, and need something more tangible, something more innate. He offered himself to be eaten, because it’s what we demanded on a most instinctive level.
Well, you aren’t in the Catholic caucus so I can answer from the Protestant perspective.
Jesus does talk in scripture about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Some turned away from Him for saying that. Protestants don’t deny He said it.
“ 41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”. John 6
If this were all there were about it in the Bible I might be of the RC view! But it’s not. We use scripture to interpret scripture and we use the whole thing. We see often Jesus speaks in metaphors, for example, “I am the vine and you are the branches,”. “I am the door.” This does not mean He is made of wood or swings in a hinge. These are metaphors.
So we know He uses metaphors. We also see the institution of the first communion at Passover:
“ 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22 and elsewhere, also referenced by Paul).
Here we see Jesus standing there and handing our bread and wine and saying it is His body and blood test He is standing there intact. So obviously He is using metaphor.
So we Protestants do indeed take communion as He instructed, in remembrance of Him, not believing that the bread or wine physically turns into something else but that they are a metaphor that He instituted for us to use until He returns.
Millions of Protestants say Yes we are saved by grace
By the way, this isn't a "Roman Catholic" [sic] distinctive. All non-Protestant Christians accept it. Nobody within the church even questioned it for the first 800 years of Christian history.
To better understand chapter 6 in John’s Gospel, there are a couple of Greek words for the English word “eat” that may help you.
When Jesus first says that you must eat My body, verse 51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (NIV translation from biblegateway.com)
The Greek word used here to describe eating is “phago,” which describes regular eating of food.
After the Jews push back on this, Jesus replies verse 53 Jesus said to 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. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
Starting with verse 53, the Greek word used for eating is “trogo,” which describes eating in a more graphic way, like the gnawing and crunching that an animal would do.
So Jesus doesn’t tell the Jews that they misunderstood Him or that He was being symbolic, Jesus doubles down and gets more graphic.
This results in verse 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
At this point Jesus again does not tell them they misunderstood Him, continuing with 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
I hope this helps, this was a stumbling block for me as well until I was guided to look beyond the English and learn some of the key Greek words and phrases used in the New Testament writings.
“Background: I grew up in a ...”
We don’t need your background.
Are you really grappling with this for 50 years, or are you trolling?
At Mass, Catholics stand at the foot of the cross and offer our continuing(small) sacrifice (throughout the world) with Jesus to God the Almighty Father.
We consume the Body an Blood of Christ our Savior as He requested us for our salvation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist as He established at the Last Supper.
Let me repeat, we consume the Body and Blood of Jesus in the form of a host consecrated and changed during Mass by Christ through the presiding priest. We witness a miracle at every Mass by the transubstantiation of the Bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.
Jesus told us that “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate (manna) and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.” John 6:58
As Catholics, we believe that the Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ.
Are you aware of Eucharistic miracles?
https://dowym.com/voices/5-incredible-eucharistic-miracles-from-the-last-25-years/
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/eucharistic-miracles-evidence-of-the-real-presence-0
Reported scientific exam as Human cardiac tissue Type AB blood with normal protein levels of living blood
What IS a human body?
The human body conceals and reveals the mystery of the self. It is not the self but the “locus” of the self, so that when I see your body, I say, “There you are!”
When I kiss you, my lips touch your cheek. We are, perhaps, aware of the contact, the physicality. But yet YOU allow ME, so I kiss you.
We do not eat what the body is made of.
And, to work “by the numbers,” so to speak, it is the risen body of which we partake, a “spiritual body,” says St. Paul. I don't know how to think of this, but I'm pretty sure it's not cannibalism.
When I kiss you on a summer day, I may momentarily be aware of your perspiration, of the salt on your cheek. But we don't say, “He went to taste her salt, “ but “HE kissed HER.” The touch is the vehicle, the incident, of what was in fact a contact of selves, of persons.
The eating of the Sacramental Body is physical, but it is not confined to physicality. As love makes the kiss far more IN ESSENCE than tasting salt, so Grace makes receiving the Body far more than eating.
That's the best I can do.
Second, "In my Father's house are many mansions..." Think about what He is sayin'.
He reiterates: "I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself."
There is much confusion with a declaration that some in Him, alive at the time of His return, will not die but will have their bodies transformed and join Him in the "clouds," or a realm of reality we don't understand or can comprehend. Many confuse these scriptures, which allude to the above, with actual salvation of the soul, IMO, a new and significant Christianity characteristic. Several before Christ also earned their wings without dying (e.g., Enoch, Elijah, Moses).
There is much about the world around us we don't understand, though, in our arrogant ignorance, we assume we know everything worth knowing. We don't. Things are a little more complicated than we like to imagine or can imagine.
Start studying the Holy Bible, at least by yourself every day. Noting that Luke 24:45 teaches us that Jesus had to open the minds of his apostles to the scriptures, ask G-d to open your mind to the scriptures in the name of Jesus. Concentrate on the New Testament which borrows from the Old Testament.
To more directly address your question, consider that Luke 23:40-43 tells us that the repentant criminal that died with Jesus, the criminal probably never baptized and certainly had never received communion, Jesus telling the criminal that he would be with Him that day in paradise.
Insights welcome.
if you adhere to Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation -it really does make sense
It makes little sense otherwise
It’s a religious thing. Doesn’t fit for you, ignore it.
If you want to discuss theology, study some first.
It might not make sense to us humans, but it is in his Word.
A lot of Bible does not make sense to people who believe it all their lives.
I am no expert but take the verses about eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Christ as symbolic to his sacrifice. Bread of life is a metaphor. Bread from heaven is a metaphor. Living bread is a metaphor. Bread of God is a metaphor. Jesus extends the bread metaphor to his actual, soon-to-come sacrifice on the cross. Drinking of his blood was just to emphasize his point. Blood and bread are a metaphors for life, in this case Christ’s, who indwells believers.