John 6:52 Commentary and Bible Study

The Jews do not want this, they cannot hear this. ‘And they strove’, they argued vigorously among themselves, saying, ‘how can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ Now some people and some good commentators, they think that these Jewish leaders were just hopelessly literal in their interpretation of the word. They think that they just took him too literally, but that would not be correct, because they taught in metaphors and figures. They understood them, but they were thinking along different lines. ‘Is he saying that Isaiah 53, the suffering servant, who will suffer and die to make an atonement for sinners, is he saying he is going to do that? How can he give us his flesh to eat? Is he saying he is a fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah 53?’ And others would say, ‘No, that would not be applicable. We cannot stand for that.’ Maybe one of them or some of them said, ‘But John the Baptist said before his execution, “Behold, the Lamb of God”, the paschal lamb, the lamb that was offered, and his blood smeared on the doorposts so that the angel of justice passed that household by. And the people were delivered from Egypt. He is the fulfilment. He is going to be slain for us. He is, John the Baptist said, he is the Lamb of God.’ But others said, ‘No, we reject that. We cannot accept that.’ They were no doubt arguing about these great figures. Whatever it was, they were rejecting the possibility, which must have been in their minds from their knowledge of the Scriptures, that Christ was saying that he would give his flesh and his body for salvation, for redemption, and whoever believes in him will have the forgiveness of sin and everlasting life.