How does John 6:55 connect to the Last Supper in Matthew 26:26-28? Setting the Scene: Two Key Moments with One Voice John 6:55 – “For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink.” “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” John 6:55 in Its Own Setting • Spoken in the synagogue at Capernaum after the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:26-59) • “Real food…real drink” underscores substance: what Jesus gives is not illusion; it truly sustains eternal life (John 6:51, 54). • The crowd wrestles with the thought of eating His flesh and drinking His blood (John 6:60-66), revealing that a future act will clarify His meaning. Matthew 26:26-28: The Clarifying Act • Passover meal, hours before the cross. • Bread and cup re-defined: “this is My body…this is My blood of the covenant.” • Links to Exodus 24:8 where Moses said, “Behold the blood of the covenant.” • Establishes the ordinance believers will repeat (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). How the Two Passages Interlock • Same language of flesh/body and blood: – John 6:55 – “real food…real drink.” – Matthew 26 – “this is My body…My blood.” • Forward-looking promise (John 6) meets literal institution (Matthew 26). • Both stress participation: – “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me” (John 6:56). – “Drink from it, all of you” (Matthew 26:27). • Covenant fulfillment: Jesus presents Himself as the Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7; Exodus 12). • Sacrifice applied: John 19:34 shows blood and water flowing, confirming what the Supper anticipated. A Literal, Redemptive Thread • Jesus truly gives His body and blood on the cross; the Supper embodies that once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 9:26-28). • The elements are physical symbols, yet the union and life they signify are real (1 Corinthians 10:16, “the cup of blessing…a participation in the blood of Christ”). • John 6 is not hyperbole but prophetic preview: the cross makes His flesh and blood available; the table makes them continually remembered and received. Living Out the Connection • Regular communion keeps believers anchored in the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice. • Faith “feeds” on Him daily (Galatians 2:20); the Supper visibly re-affirms that dependence. • Assurance flows from His promise: the one who eats and drinks in faith “has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:54). |
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