John 6:55 kjv
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
John 6:55 nkjv
For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
John 6:55 niv
For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.
John 6:55 esv
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
John 6:55 nlt
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
John 6 55 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Eucharistic & Covenantal Themes | ||
| Matt 26:26-28 | While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it... said, "This is my body." ... "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." | Jesus institutes Communion, identifying bread and wine with His body and blood as new covenant sacrifice. |
| Mark 14:22-24 | And as they were eating, he took bread... and he said, "This is my body." And he took a cup... "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." | Parallel account of the Last Supper. |
| Luke 22:19-20 | And he took bread... and gave thanks and broke it... "This is my body, which is given for you... This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood." | Emphasis on Jesus's body "given" and blood as "new covenant." |
| 1 Cor 10:16 | The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? | Believers participate in Christ's body and blood through the Lord's Supper. |
| 1 Cor 11:23-26 | The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread... "This is my body, which is for you... This cup is the new covenant in my blood." | Paul recounts the institution of the Lord's Supper, stressing its meaning. |
| Heb 9:11-14 | But when Christ appeared as a high priest... he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. | Christ's blood as superior and perfect sacrifice for eternal redemption. |
| Heb 10:19-20 | Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, | Access to God is through the tearing of Christ's "flesh" (His sacrificial death). |
| Jesus as True Nourishment & Life-Giver | ||
| John 6:32-35 | Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven... I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." | Jesus introduces Himself as the true, heavenly bread of life, contrasting with Manna. |
| John 6:51 | I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. | Direct preceding statement to John 6:55, clearly stating His flesh given for life. |
| Deut 8:3 | ...that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. | Spiritual nourishment beyond physical food, prefiguring Christ as ultimate Word. |
| Jer 15:16 | Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts. | Metaphorical "eating" of God's word, signifying spiritual sustenance. |
| Spiritual & Life-Giving Aspects | ||
| John 4:10-14 | Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." ... "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again." | Jesus offers living water that quenches spiritual thirst permanently. |
| John 7:37-39 | On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" | Call to drink from Him for spiritual outpouring. |
| Col 2:6-7 | Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith... | Living "in" Christ implies deep connection and sustenance from Him. |
| Eph 5:2 | And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God. | Christ's giving of Himself (flesh/blood) is a sacrifice for believers. |
| Gal 2:20 | I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. | Experiential living by Christ who indwells, reflecting spiritual appropriation. |
| Phil 3:8-10 | Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... and be found in him... that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and participate in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. | Desire to know Christ experientially, including participation in His suffering. |
| Prohibitions & Fulfillment | ||
| Lev 17:10-14 | For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature. | Old Testament prohibition against consuming blood, as life is in the blood and used for atonement. |
| Acts 15:20 | but should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. | Apostolic injunction reiterating abstinence from blood for Gentile converts. |
| Rom 10:9-10 | If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. | Saving "eating" and "drinking" of Christ ultimately means believing in Him. |
| 1 John 4:2-3 | By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. | Acknowledging Jesus's true incarnation ("flesh") is vital. |
John 6 verses
John 6 55 Meaning
John 6:55 asserts the absolute and genuine necessity of Jesus's person and sacrificial work as the sole source of spiritual life and eternal nourishment. "Flesh" refers to His embodied humanity, offered in sacrifice, while "blood" represents His life poured out to establish the new covenant. This "eating" and "drinking" is not literal but a spiritual appropriation—a deep, personal identification with and assimilation of Christ's finished work on the cross, His very life, and His full saving provision. It is presented as the only true and effective means for eternal life and profound communion with God, in contrast to any temporary earthly provision or human effort.
John 6 55 Context
John 6:55 is a pivotal verse within Jesus's "Bread of Life" discourse (John 6:22-71), which occurred after Jesus miraculously fed the five thousand (John 6:1-15) and walked on water (John 6:16-21). The crowd, seeking another miraculous meal, followed Him to Capernaum. Jesus used this opportunity to teach them about true spiritual nourishment, contrasting Himself as the "true bread from heaven" (John 6:32) with the physical manna their ancestors ate (John 6:31, 49).
The discourse progressively intensifies, culminating in the provocative statements about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. This challenged His Jewish audience's understanding of both Messiahship (seeking earthly king, not a sacrificial Lamb) and Mosaic Law (which strictly prohibited consuming blood, Lev 17:10-14). Jesus's statements were highly offensive and appeared to advocate cannibalism, causing many of His disciples to desert Him (John 6:66). The historical context includes the deeply rooted Jewish dietary laws and purity codes, making Jesus's metaphor truly shocking, forcing a choice between a literal interpretation and a deeper, spiritual meaning regarding His life-giving sacrifice.
John 6 55 Word analysis
- For (Greek: Gar): This is a causal conjunction, explaining why eating Jesus's flesh and drinking His blood is necessary. It provides the reason for the emphatic declaration in the preceding verse (John 6:54) that those who do so "have eternal life."
- My flesh (Greek: hē sarx mou): Sarx (flesh) here refers to Jesus's embodied humanity, His physical body. In Johannine theology, sarx in this context is essential as it points to the Incarnation (John 1:14, "the Word became flesh") and particularly to His sacrifice on the cross. It is not about raw, literal human flesh for consumption, but His physical self offered for the life of the world (John 6:51), establishing the means of salvation. It points to the full reality of His human nature which allowed Him to die.
- is true food (Greek: alēthēs estin brōsis):
- true (Greek: alēthēs): This adjective means "genuine," "real," "veritable," or "authentic." It strongly contrasts Jesus's provision with anything else that might appear to be food but is ultimately inadequate or temporary, such as the manna in the wilderness (John 6:49). Jesus is the true and ultimately satisfying source of spiritual life.
- food (Greek: brōsis): Can mean the act of eating, or what is eaten. Here, it refers to spiritual nourishment. It emphasizes the genuine substance and efficacy of what Jesus provides, unlike any other sustenance which offers only temporary satisfaction.
- and my blood (Greek: kai to haima mou): Haima (blood) is profoundly significant in biblical understanding. It represents life itself (Lev 17:11) and, especially in the context of covenant and sacrifice, symbolizes the life poured out in death for atonement (Exod 24:8, Heb 9:14, 22). Jesus's blood signifies His sacrificial, atoning death that seals the new covenant, offering forgiveness and new life.
- is true drink (Greek: alēthēs estin posis):
- true (Greek: alēthēs): Again, "genuine," emphasizing that His "blood" (life poured out) is the only real and effective source of spiritual refreshment and cleansing.
- drink (Greek: posis): Refers to liquid consumed for nourishment. This further reinforces the metaphor of complete and satisfying spiritual provision from Jesus.
Words-group analysis:
- "My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink": This pairing explicitly links Jesus's full person—His incarnated life and His sacrificial death—as the complete and perfect spiritual nourishment for humanity. It underlines the concept of His physical human reality being fundamental to His saving work. The emphasis on "true" in both cases strongly differentiates His provision from any other source, asserting its absolute efficacy and divine origin. This statement encompasses His Incarnation (flesh) and His Atonement (blood), making His entire being and mission indispensable for eternal life. It represents His completed work on the cross and His continuing presence through the Holy Spirit.
John 6 55 Bonus section
The seemingly literal and cannibalistic nature of John 6:53-56 proved to be the ultimate test for many of Jesus's followers. The scandal of particularity – that salvation would come through this man's flesh and blood – was a major stumbling block, causing many disciples to turn away (John 6:66). This passage acts as a severe winnowing of the crowd, distinguishing those who sought earthly benefit from Jesus (like more bread) from those who sought eternal life and were willing to grasp the deeper, spiritual truth of His sacrificial Person. It underscores that understanding Christ's full saving work requires spiritual discernment beyond mere intellectual or literal interpretation. It is the life-giving work of the Spirit (John 6:63) that makes these words "spirit and life."
John 6 55 Commentary
John 6:55 encapsulates the heart of Jesus's controversial Bread of Life discourse. It's a shocking yet profound declaration designed to push His listeners beyond superficial understanding to a deep spiritual reality. Jesus emphatically states that His sarx (flesh, embodied humanity) and haima (blood, life poured out in sacrifice) are the genuine (alēthēs) source of sustenance. This isn't an endorsement of literal consumption, which would have been blasphemous and unthinkable to His Jewish audience due to prohibitions against blood, but a forceful metaphor.
To "eat His flesh" and "drink His blood" signifies a radical, intimate, and continuous spiritual union with Christ. It means to fully believe in Him, to appropriate His complete atoning sacrifice, to rely entirely on His death on the cross as the payment for sin, and to allow His very life and resurrected power to permeate and transform one's being. It's an internalizing of His redemptive work and identity, receiving Him as the unique and absolute Giver of eternal life. This spiritual consumption enables intimate communion, much as physical food and drink become part of the body, enabling life. This statement, while seemingly offensive, ensures that the focus remains on the centrality of Christ's cross-work and His embodied self, bridging the divine and human.
Examples of "eating" and "drinking" spiritually:
- Reading and meditating on God's Word (Jer 15:16, "Your words were found, and I ate them").
- Continually trusting in Jesus as savior and Lord (John 6:35, "whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst").
- Living out faith daily, allowing Christ to transform actions and desires (Gal 2:20, "Christ lives in me").