“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life…” John 6:54
After Jesus feeds 5000, the same multitude continued to follow Him, seeking another meal. Jesus attempts to turn their perspective away from physical food to their true need, the spiritual food that leads to eternal life by revealing Himself as Bread of life and ‘Whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood has eternal life.' Here flesh and blood are mentioned separately. When blood is separated from the flesh, it indicates death. Hence, here the Lord clearly indicated His death. He gave His body and shed His blood for us that we might have eternal life. To eat His flesh is to receive by faith all that He did by giving His body for us, and to drink His blood is to receive by faith all that He has accomplished by shedding His blood for us. To eat the Lord’s flesh and drink His blood is equal to believing in Him because to believe is to receive.
Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19,20) saying, the bread broken is His body and the cup they drink is the new covenant in His blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins so that we Remember the core meaning of what we believe. Just as physical food gives earthly life, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross gives us heavenly life.