Absurd, and not any more than the Lord insisted on a literal interpretation of being the lamb of God, and living water, or of destroying the temple, and is no more literal than Jesus bread and living by the Father meaning by actually consuming and ignores what I already showed you. So here it is again for stubborn possessed provocative prevaricating propagandists.
Had those carnally-minded Jews in John 6, who were looking for physical food, continued on in seeking the spiritual meaning, then they would understood, "As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me," (John 6:57) And "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)
For just how did Christ "live by the Father"? The answer is that the manner by which the Lord lived by the Father was as per Mt. 4:4: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Thus for the Lord Jesus who lived by every word of God and said were are to, (Mt. 4:4) the doing of His will was "meat."
For once again using metaphor, the Lord stated to disciples who thought He was referring to physical bread, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. (John 4:34) And likewise the Lord revealed that He would not even be with them physically in the future (which the lost Jews presumed would be needed under a literal meaning), but that His words which transcendent time and space are Spirit and life: “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:62-63) Indeed, "hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness." (Isaiah 55:2)
For as with the rest of John and Scripture, it is faith which obtains spiritual life by believing the gospel. As John esp. makes clear, contrary to consuming flesh. Thus as Peter affirmed, "thou hast the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)
For the Holy Spirit only and always taught that that spiritual life was obtained by receiving the word of the gospel, and never shows this was by actual physical ingestion of anything, and that one "lives by" (upon) God's word as well, having first by repentant faith in the gospel and then by effectually feeding upon the word of God and thus obeying it. For while the Lord's supper is nowhere referred to as spiritual food anywhere interpretive of John 6 (Acts thru Rev.), the word of God is what is taught as being spiritual nourishment, being that which is called "milk" and "meat" (1Co. 3:2; Heb. 5:13; 1Pt. 2:2) by which believers are "nourished" (1Tim. 4:6) and built up, and with the preaching of which being the primary active function of pastors. (Acts 20:32) Thanks be to God.
you are calling Jesus Absurd??
Jesus very, very clearly in John 6:30-36 says “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'
People start murmuring
Jesus repeats 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.”
NOW the crowd of disbelievers like you are OPENLY REBELLING against Jesus - “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
What does Jesus do?
Jesus TRIPLES down that the Eucharist is His flesh
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.Jesus doesn't clear up the Metaphor - he TRIPLES down on it55 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
And people like you leave Jesus because of what He says
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.
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.
Wrong - the Body of Christ present in the Eucharist is confirmed in Paul's writings to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 10:16)
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.
A lot of the debate here is literal vs metaphorical. Yes Jesus spoke both. Wisdom is knowing ..............
Mat_13:34 Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, He never spoke to them without using such parables.
God destroyed the temple, priestly system and sacrificial system and established the New Covenant. What exactly is the New Covenant? God explains it clearly in the OT and NT. I will let the reader do his own reasearch. But the essence of the New Covenant is a direct relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. “You must be born again.”
Psa_78:2 for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
who will teach? God. The primary teacher is God, through the Holy Spirit and his Word. God will still use others but they are to be tested.
A personal illustration:
When I was young, in circumstances you might well guess, My father said to me, “Can’t died in the cornfield and Couldn’t and Wouldn’t are lost out there.”
I clearly remember stopping dead in my tracks and thinking: “There is a dead guy out in the cornfield? I play in that cornfield. Those other two guys don’t sound so nice either. I don’t think I want to play in the cornfield anymore.” And I didn’t for the rest of the summer.
Age, reflection and wisdom has changed my perspective.
CHILDREN TAKE ALL THINGS LITERALLY. Many Christians are still children, still milk drinkers. They never grow into mature Christians. Does it mean they are saved or not? I don’t know, that is God’s domain.
Me? I like to metaphorically gnaw on the bone of God’s word and his work on the cross. I love to chew on gristle (hard sayings) to get the good flavor and believe me bone marrow and gristle does have good flavor both literally (worldly)and figuratively (spiritually) But the spiritual flavor is eternal.
Folks, listen to what the Spirit says, not the world. Become mature Christians, don’t remain a child.
Rev_2:7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
Rev_2:11 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.
Rev_2:17 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.
Rev_2:29 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches.
Rev_3:6 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches.
Rev_3:13 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches.
Rev_3:22 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches.”
Do you get the theme? Is the Spirit talking to you?