From the desk of Pastor Ben
What About Eating Jesus’ Flesh?

Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”         (John 6:52)

As we have already seen, Jesus used the Bread of Life and flesh as metaphors to illustrate a vital point. Simply stated, those who consumed the Bread, or His flesh, were those who appropriated spiritual truth about salvation through Him. But the Jews, because of the ignorance of their unbelief, totally missed the spiritual significance of Messiah’s teaching (John 3:4, 9; 4:11-12).

Also, for hundreds of years now, Catholics and other spiritual communities have misunderstood Jesus’ teaching about receiving His flesh. Catholics point to these, as well as other verses, to support their doctrine of transubstantiation, the false teaching that Christ’s body and blood are literally present in the elements of Communion. But this verse does not even refer to Communion — Jesus used a different Greek word for “flesh” than the word He used for “body” in referring to Communion (Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22).

Furthermore, two additional considerations tell us Jesus’ words here don’t refer to Communion. First, the Lord’s Table had not yet been instituted; otherwise, the people would have understood Jesus’ meaning. Second, the Lord said anyone who partook of His flesh received eternal life, but we know He did not say the same regarding Communion. The Bible teaches that those who properly receive Communion are already believers (1 Corinthians 11:27-32) and that salvation comes by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). When you eat the bread at Communion, you solemnly remember Christ’s flesh wounded for you.

Ask Yourself:
What are the proper responses to the Communion table, and how has God met you with His grace and refreshment through the partaking of the elements? When we talk about “remembering” Christ’s death, what are some of the most tender, worshipful ways to do that?