Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 6:52

"The Jews therefore strove one with another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" — John 6:52 (ASV)

The last reaction of Jesus’ opponents was prompted by the apparent impossibility of his statement. They took literally the figure of eating his flesh. Jesus responded by making himself perfectly clear. He repeated the statement with this added emphasis: “I tell you the truth.” And with that, he added another aspect that was even more repulsive to the Jews: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood” (italics mine). If what Jesus said before was nonsense, this latter statement bordered on gross sin, for the law of Moses expressly forbade any drinking of blood (Leviticus 17:10–14).

Three times in vv.51–54 Jesus refers to the importance of eating his flesh and drinking his blood. His progression in thought is significant. First, Christ said he gives his flesh “for the life of the world” (v.51). Then he says whoever has not partaken of his flesh and blood has “no life” in him (v.53). And then whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood does have “eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (v.54). There could be no mistaking what he meant now.