Why did Jesus tell people they couldn't have life unless they ate his body and drank his blood? This seems strange, as though it is coming out of nowhere. I know I would have been wide-eyed! Did the people of this time understand what he was saying? -- Jennifer Larsen
If it feels strange to you -- great! That means it is striking you exactly the way it struck the original audience (John 6). Why did Jesus use such colorful language? To make a point, and one that would be remembered.
As the record indicates, the majority probably did not understand. His insistence that he must be their sustenance, and that they would have true life only if they drew it from him, seemed too extreme for most. Accordingly, they walked away. Jesus leaves us with a choice. That's the way God is.
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