But JESUS said ...
I am the Bread of Life.
... as opposed to (your interpretation) ...
This bread is ME.
Please cross-reference the Last Supper, where Jesus fills in the details about the Bread being His Body.
Also, in John 6, Jesus tells us that the Bread that He will give is His Flesh for the life of the world.
It's not that hard to put the pieces together.
SD
You hyper-literalist puritans are something else. :-)
That must be why all those people stomped off not getting the parable that Jesus was conveying...
Please cross-reference the Last Supper, where Jesus fills in the details about the Bread being His Body.
Also, in John 6, Jesus tells us that the Bread that He will give is His Flesh for the life of the world.
It's not that hard to put the pieces together.
My point is that it is clear that JESUS did use figurative language in this discussion (i.e. I am the Bread of Life).
Obviously, JESUS is not physical bread (i.e. composed of ground cereal grains, moistened, and baked). But JESUS is saying in this passage that, in some way, He is the Bread of Life.
When, later in this same discussion, JESUS says that one must eat His flesh and drink His blood, in order to have everlasting life, the question again arises. Is JESUS using figurative language here also, as He did earlier in the dialogue.
I would agree that this is a valid discussion, however, I would argue that the case for JESUS' use of figurative language, in this instance, is more compelling.
I believe this because ...a.) JESUS' usage of figurative language in this instance would be consistent with His similar usages throughout His ministry (as testified to by the disciple John), as well as earlier in this particular passage.
b.) If the issue of a valid Transustantiation was correct and was central to the issue of Christianity, I would have expected that the Apostles would have been much clearer in their writings that this was so.
c.) Certainly, I would expect that JESUS own words (as recorded by the Apostles), would have been more reflective of the centrality of the teaching (like, say His words were on the issue of belief).