Every now and then we run across a passage that causes us to say, “What?!” Here’s such a passage that had that effect on its initial hearers as well as on some of us:

I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” (John 6.48 – 58, 60 ESV)

“This is a hard saying…” Indeed it is…unless you’re Roman Catholic. In that case, it’s easy. “No problem. I eat his flesh and drink his blood every time I go to Mass.” It’s not hard to see how this text supports their teaching of transubstantiation.

With all due respect, I don’t think Jesus is referring to the Eucharist, where transubstantiation occurs, and I’ll share with you my reasons why not. It might take a day or two! And these thoughts are mine, derived a few days ago during my daily reading. This might not be THE answer, but it certainly is AN answer. See what you think.

My main problem with the transubstantiation interpretation is that it requires a special person to make it happen. As I saw on a poster in a Catholic church recently, “Support our seminarians! No priests, no Eucharist.” That viewpoint seems to contradict the priesthood of all believers (see 1 Peter 2.9) So we move on to what Jesus said…

“I am the Bread of Life.” Jesus has already demonstrated his penchant for metaphor. I wrote about his use of metaphor just last week. In addition, he told Nicodemus, “You must be born again,” a metaphor, which Nicodemus interpreted literally. He told the Woman at the Well he would give her “living water,” which she interpreted literally.

What do we do with bread? We eat it? How do we eat this Bread of Life? It’s right there in the text:

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. (verse 56)

“Abides” – we have a whole chapter on that later on (See John 15.1 – 17). And how do we abide? Stay tuned…

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. (John 15.9, 10, ESV)