John 6:60-66

Find a short reflection on the Gospel for Saturday in the Third Week of Eastertide, below.

John 6: 60-66

Jesus has just spoken to the Jewish people in the synagogue in Capernaum about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, so that they may have his life within them and live forever. They begin to grumble and make it quite clear that this is intolerable and scandalous. St John then goes on to tell us that because of this doctrine many followers leave Jesus,as they find this teaching unacceptable and Jesus asks the apostles if they wish to do the same.

Why are these people offended? Why such a reaction? In Leviticus 17: 10 it says “If any man of the house of Israel or of the strangers that sojourns among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it for you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life.”

There we have it. The people of Israel are forbidden to eat blood. For 400 years the people of Israel who were slaves in Egypt had been influenced by the Egyptians who had worshipped animals and drank their blood as they believed, they would have the power, strength and life of the animal (because the life of the flesh is in the blood)

To show God that they were no longer like the Egyptians and would worship him alone, after draining the blood from the animal on the altar of thetemple, they would offer it in sacrifice to atone for their sins.

Jesus now in anticipation of his death and of the collapse of the old sacrificial system (destruction of temple Ad 70) is stating he is the new sacrifice, his body the new temple and in him alone atonement is made for our sins to the Father. He is the true lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

But he says “eat my flesh and drink my blood” because as the life of Jesus is in it, Jesus will live in you and you in him. Now if Jesus was just speaking figuratively or symbolically and not literally, why did St John tells us that many left him, why be so offended.

Because St John uses the Greek words for flesh Sarx and to eat Trogon and not Soma and Phago, it is clear in St John’s mind and soul that Jesus was speaking literally and not figuratively. If Jesus had been speaking figuratively why did he not correct himselfand prevent many of his followers leaving him.  Jesus is offering us literally his body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist fulfilling his promise “ Know that I am with you always, to the end of time” .