1. How might some feel about living forever?

 MANY people watch what they eat and try to exercise regularly in order to stay healthy. Still, they do not expect to live forever. Hoping for that could seem unrealistic and undesirable because of the distress that comes with old age. Nevertheless, Jesus spoke in a positive way about “everlasting life,” as indicated at John 3:16 and 5:24.

2. What does John chapter 6 say about everlasting life? (John 6:39, 40)

² One day, Jesus miraculously fed bread and fish to a crowd of thousands. a That was amazing, but what he said the next day was even more astounding. The crowd had followed him to Capernaum, near the shore of Galilee, where he told them that people could be resurrected and enjoy everlasting life. (Read John 6:39, 40.) In view of that, think of your friends and loved ones who have died. Jesus’ words indicate that many who have died can be resurrected and that both you and your loved ones can enjoy everlasting life. However, Jesus’ further words in John chapter 6 have been hard for  many to understand. Let us take a closer look at them.

3. According to John 6:51, what did Jesus reveal about himself?

³ The crowd in Capernaum saw a connection between the loaves Jesus had recently fed them and the manna that Jehovah had provided for their ancestors. In fact, the Scriptures call that manna “bread from heaven.” (Ps. 105:40; John 6:31) Jesus used the manna as the basis for what he taught next. Though the manna was a miraculous provision from God, those who ate it eventually died. (John 6:49) In contrast, Jesus called himself “the true bread from heaven,” “the bread of God,” and “the bread of life.” (John 6:32, 33, 35) Jesus pointed to a key difference between the manna and himself. He said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever.” (Read John 6:51.) Those Jews were puzzled. How could Jesus claim to have come down from heaven as “the bread” superior to the miraculous manna that God gave their forefathers? Jesus provided an interesting clue when he said: “The bread that I will give is my flesh.” What could he have meant? We should want to understand because the answer shows how everlasting life is possible for us and our loved ones. Let us see what Jesus meant.

LIVING BREAD AND HIS FLESH

4. Why were some shocked by what Jesus said?

⁴ Some of those hearing Jesus were shocked when he spoke of giving his “flesh in behalf of the life of the world.” Did they think that he was going to give them his literal flesh to eat, which would be a form of cannibalism? (John 6:52) Note this startling detail that Jesus added: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.”​—John 6:53.

5. Why can we be sure that Jesus did not mean that people would have to drink his literal blood?

⁵ Back in Noah’s day, God prohibited humans from consuming blood. (Gen. 9:3, 4) Jehovah repeated that restriction in his Law to Israel. Anyone eating blood was to “be put to death.” (Lev. 7:27, ftn.) Jesus upheld that Law. (Matt. 5:17-19) So it is unthinkable that he would urge a crowd of Jews to consume his actual flesh or drink the blood in his veins. Nonetheless, with this striking statement, Jesus was, in fact, teaching the people how to gain life​—“everlasting life.”​—John 6:54.

6. In what sense are we to understand Jesus’ words about eating his flesh and drinking his blood?

⁶ What was Jesus’ point? Clearly, Jesus was speaking in a figurative sense, as he had done earlier when he told a Samaritan woman: “Whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty at all, but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water bubbling up to impart everlasting life.” (John 4:7, 14) b Jesus was not suggesting that the Samaritan woman would get everlasting life simply by drinking certain literal  water. Similarly, he was not saying that the crowds he spoke to in Capernaum would live forever if they ate his literal flesh and drank his literal blood.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO OCCASIONS

7. What do some claim about Jesus’ statement found at John 6:53?

⁷ Some religious people claim that Jesus’ words found at John 6:53 about eating his flesh and drinking his blood set a pattern for the Lord’s Evening Meal because on that later occasion, he used wording that was somewhat similar. (Matt. 26:26-28) They claim that everyone who attends the Lord’s Evening Meal should partake of the bread and the wine that are passed among those in attendance. Is that correct? It is important that we investigate the validity of that claim because each year millions around the globe gather with us for that event. We will note a number of differences between what is stated at John 6:53 and what Jesus said at the Lord’s Evening Meal.

8. What are some differences between the two occasions? (See also pictures.)

⁸ Let us note two differences between these occasions. First, when and where did Jesus speak the words recorded at John 6:53-56? He did so to a crowd  of Jews in Galilee in 32 C.E. That was about a year before he instituted the Lord’s Evening Meal in Jerusalem. Second, to whom were his words addressed? Most of his listeners in Galilee were more interested in satisfying their temporary physical needs than in satisfying their spiritual needs. (John 6:26) In fact, when Jesus said something that they found hard to understand, they quickly lost their faith in him. Even some of his disciples stopped following him. (John 6:14, 36, 42, 60, 64, 66) Contrast that event with what happened about a year later in 33 C.E. when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Evening Meal. On that occasion, his 11 loyal apostles were with him even though they did not fully understand all that he was teaching. Still, unlike most of those in Galilee, his faithful apostles were convinced that Jesus was the Son of God who had come down from heaven. (Matt. 16:16) He commended them: “You are the ones who have stuck with me in my trials.” (Luke 22:28) These two differences alone undermine the claim that Jesus’ words found at John 6:53 set the pattern for the Lord’s Evening Meal. And there is further evidence.

YOU ARE INVOLVED

9. To what group do Jesus’ words spoken at the Lord’s Evening Meal apply?

⁹ During the Lord’s Evening Meal, Jesus offered unleavened bread to his apostles and told them that it represented his body. Then he gave them the wine and said that it stood for the “blood of the covenant.” (Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:24) That is significant. The new covenant is made with “the house of [spiritual] Israel”​—who will be “in the Kingdom of God”—​not with mankind in general. (Heb. 8:6, 10; 9:15) The apostles did not grasp that at the time, but they would soon be anointed with holy spirit and brought into the new covenant to have a place with Jesus in heaven.​—John 14:2, 3.

10. How was what Jesus said in Galilee different in scope from what he said during the Lord’s Evening Meal? (See also picture.)

¹⁰ Take note that during the Lord’s Evening Meal, Jesus focused on the “little flock.” That small group started with his faithful apostles who were physically present with him in the room. (Luke 12:32) They and others who would be in that group were expected to partake of the two emblems​—the bread and the wine. They are the ones who will receive a place in heaven with Jesus. What he said to his apostles on this occasion stands in contrast with what he said to the crowd in Galilee, where he was speaking in a way that was broader in scope. Those words apply to a vast number of people.

11. What did Jesus say in Galilee that shows that he was not referring to a limited group?

¹¹ When Jesus was in Galilee in 32 C.E., he was mainly addressing Jews who wanted bread from him. However, he called their attention to something much more beneficial than literal food. He identified a provision by which they could gain everlasting life. And Jesus said that those who died could be resurrected on the last day and live forever.  He was not referring to a chosen few, a limited number, as he did later during the Lord’s Evening Meal. Rather, in Galilee he focused on a blessing that would be available to all people. In fact, he said: “If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever . . . The bread that I will give is my flesh in behalf of the life of the world.”​—John 6:51. c

12. What is needed to gain the benefits Jesus spoke of?

¹² Jesus did not tell the Jews in Galilee that this blessing would come to every person who had ever lived or would ever be born. Only the ones who ‘eat of this bread,’ those who exercise faith, will benefit. Many nominal Christians feel that they will be saved if they merely “believe on [Jesus]” and view him as their personal savior. (John 6:29, King James Version) Yet, some in the crowd who initially believed in Jesus abandoned him. Why?

13. What is needed to be a true disciple of Jesus?

¹³ Most in the crowd whom Jesus fed were happy to follow him as long as he provided what they wanted. They were interested in miraculous cures, free food, or teachings that matched their expectations. However, Jesus showed that more would be required of his true disciples. He did not come to earth simply to satisfy people’s fleshly desires. They had to respond to his invitation to  “come to” him by accepting and obeying everything he taught.​—John 5:40; 6:44.

14. What must we do to benefit from Jesus’ flesh and blood?

¹⁴ Jesus emphasized to the crowd the need for them to exercise faith. In what? In the redeeming power of his flesh and blood that he would, in time, sacrifice. Such faith was essential for those Jews, and it is still essential today. (John 6:40) Yes, for us to benefit from Jesus’ flesh and blood, as mentioned at John 6:53, we need to exercise faith in the ransom. That possibility is available to a vast number of people.​—Eph. 1:7.

15-16. What benefits should John chapter 6 help us to keep in mind?

¹⁵ The Bible record in John chapter 6 holds great value for us and our loved ones. It makes plain Jesus’ kind feelings for people. While in Galilee, he healed the sick, taught about the Kingdom, and made sure that the basic human need for food was filled. (Luke 9:11; John 6:2, 11, 12) More important, he taught that he is “the bread of life.”​—John 6:35, 48.

¹⁶ Those he referred to as “other sheep” do not and should not partake of the bread and the wine at the annual Lord’s Evening Meal. (John 10:16) Nonetheless, they benefit from the flesh and the blood of Jesus Christ. They do so by exercising faith in the redeeming value of his sacrifice. (John 6:53) In contrast, those who should partake of the bread and the wine show that they have been brought into the new covenant as prospective heirs of the heavenly Kingdom. Consequently, whether we are of the anointed or of the other sheep, the account in John chapter 6 is rich in meaning for us. It highlights the vital need to exercise faith and thus gain everlasting life.