John 6:56-60

 

John 6:56 (KJB)

He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

 

Dwelleth - Be permanent, endure, abide, or remain

 

The words “eateth” and “drinketh’ are in the present tense which means that it is a continual abiding in Christ. This points to the fact of a person’s salvation. (Col 3:3 KJV) For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3 speaks to the fact that as Christians we are dead to the world but alive unto Christ and our lives are hidden in Christ, that is, we are secure in Christ and we live the life of Christ on earth through His abiding presence. As Christ indwells us through the Holy Spirit, we are also placed into Christ and this means we will never lose our salvation and we will abide with Christ forever. It must also be restated that there is no cannibalism or transubstantiation in view here.

 

John 6:57 (KJB)

As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

 

Whenever we eat any food, it becomes a very intimate part of our body. Our bodies extract all the nutrients from the food we eat and those nutrients go to different parts of our body thus strengthening them. On the other hand if we eat bad food, we can get food poisoning and if it is not checked, it can lead to serious consequences, even death. So just as the Lord Jesus lives because the Father lives. This is the only place in Scripture where the term “living Father” is used. This does not mean that Jesus is less than God but it means through the counsel of God the Father, Jesus was set as the mediator of the new Covenant which He will ratify with His own blood on Calvary. The relationship Jesus had with His Father was so intimate, that they were inseparable. Jesus, as the Son of Man, was obedient to His Father’s will in all situations. That relationship principle is carried over between the believer and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 22:8 KJV) And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. Paul was not persecuting Jesus personally but was persecuting Christians and Jesus takes that as if he was persecuting Him personally like many did while He was here on earth. Since Christians “eat” Jesus, that is, have the most permeating, intimate relationship with Him, we live because of the indwelling of the Son of God. That life which Christ gives us is one which is everlasting. As the Father and the Son are eternal in nature, Christ has made His children to be everlasting.

 

John 6:58 (KJB)

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.

 

Jesus now sums up His entire discourse by stating that He is the everlasting bread which came down from Heaven and it is not to be compared to the manna which Israel received while in the desert because that bread was only able to sustain them for a temporary time and eventually their bodies got old and died, so even with good nutrition, the body cannot escape age. However, the regenerated soul of man is always getting stronger. (2 Cor 4:16 KJV) For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. This is because we are daily renewed in Christ and no matter how old or feeble our bodies are, the inward man will always be renewed by Christ. This renewing is a perpetual thing and a gift as part of our salvation. The physical manna gave temporal strength to the body but could not renew the soul.

 

John 6:59 (KJB)

These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

 

The method of teaching in the Synagogue was after the teaching, there was permitted a time of questions and counter questions. One can see an example of a Synagogue service from Luke 4:16-30. I am definitely sure that after this service, there was much table talk in the homes of those who heard the message. Capernaum was on the northwestern part of the Sea of Galilee and the place where Jesus did miracles.

 

John 6:60 (KJB)

Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

 

Hard - Rough, strong, stern, or offensive

Hear - To hear with understanding

 

There were probably many in the Synagogue that morning when they knew that Jesus would be there and probably many of these disciples were the ones who followed Him from the time of the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus was now getting down to the rudiments of what it was to be a true disciple and not just a curiosity seeker. It is like someone visiting a church and they hear the organ music, the choir, and all the nice worship elements, and then the preacher gets up and starts preaching that a person must take up their cross and die to self if they are going to be a true disciple of Christ. The reality that Christianity is more than just a fellowship religion begins to surface. When the “fair weather” disciples heard Jesus talking about an intimate relationship with Him along with total commitment, it was considered offensive or a hard saying. They could not understand what the meaning of these sayings were. Up to this time, they had enjoyed the church picnic in Galilee, but the picnic was now over and the time of separation had come, that is, who will be a true disciple and who will not? This is the difference between the called and the chosen. (Mat 22:14 KJV) For many are called, but few are chosen. This is still a hard saying among Christians when total commitment is required of the Christian.

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