Bread of Life

gregorytheSinner

Today's Gospel, dealt with Christ explaining to the Jews the concept of the 'Bread of Life'

John 6:47-71

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."

Our church tends to use this passage alot, to refer to the Holy Eucharistic Sacrament.  I'm just wondering, should this passage really be taken literally, or can it be taken figuratively, like the water in the story of the Samaritan woman.

g2here

Wasn't the living water in the Samaritan woman literal as well?

mabsoota

yes, believing in Jesus was living water for her.
the bread of life passage is meant to be taken literally, referring to the Holy Communion. some protestants take it figuratively, but when Jesus emphasised that 'my body is food INDEED and my blood is drink INDEED, that referred to the literal nature of his statements.