Jesus’s flesh-and-blood

John’s Gospel notably omits any explicit account of the Last Supper’s institution[1], yet the connection between Jesus’s flesh-and-blood language and eucharistic practice runs deeper than a simple narrative gap. Rather than locating the Eucharist’s institution in a single final meal, John positions the theological foundation throughout Jesus’s entire life, with the Bread of Life discourse in chapter 6 serving as the primary locus for this teaching[1].

The relationship operates on two levels. First, the “I am” statements in John 6 identify Jesus as the manna—the life-giving food—and connect this identity to consuming his flesh and blood within the Eucharist[1]. Rather than commemorating a past event, participation in the eucharistic meal represents sharing in all of Jesus’s life, including ultimately his death[1]. This transforms the Eucharist from a memorial into an ongoing encounter.

However, interpreters have long debated whether John’s language is literal or metaphorical. Early church fathers disagreed sharply: Justin Martyr understood the discourse as affirming the Eucharist as a ritual marker of true belief, while Clement of Alexandria and Origen treated the eating and drinking language as metaphor for spiritual nourishment from Christ’s teachings[2]. Modern scholars like Oscar Cullmann propose a middle ground, arguing that while eating is meant literally, “my body” functions as a metaphor for bread, emphasizing Jesus’s real historical presence against docetic heresies[2].

The discourse ultimately frames eucharistic participation as creating relational union between Jesus and the believer, containing the promise of new life[1]—a vision that extends the sacrament’s significance beyond ritual commemoration to encompass continuous spiritual transformation.

[1] Gail R. O’Day and Susan E. Hylen, John, ed. Patrick D. Miller and David L. Bartlett, Westminster Bible Companion (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006), 79.
[2] Jo-Ann A. Brant, John, Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), 127–128.