John 6:53 (WEB)
Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves.
As quoted in the map (KJV)
John 6:53 (KJV)
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Key words
- φάγητε τὴν σάρκαphagēte tēn sarka · Greek
- 'eat the flesh' — the same word sarx as 'the Word was made flesh' (1:14).
- πίητε αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμαpiēte autou to haima · Greek
- 'drink his blood' — the Eucharistic realism of the Bread of Life discourse.
Why it matters
Jesus, having called himself the true bread from heaven, insists that his flesh must be eaten. Pitre lines this up with the contents of the ark: the ark held the manna, and Mary held the Bread of Life, the true manna, in her womb. The ark's three treasures — word, bread, priesthood — are all fulfilled in the one Son she carried.