Right around this time every year, Jehovah’s Witnesses host their annual Memorial. Well-meaning former JWs (both Christian and not) argue that unless JWs partake of the bread and wine, they do not have eternal life. John 6:54 is used as a proof text. I wrote this article a few years ago refuting that argument.
Ex Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christians alike make this mistake every year near Easter. Be sure to get a Bible so you can follow along. Before we get to the meat, we will take the context into consideration. This event happened near the time of Passover (v4). Jesus challenges his disciples about how to feed the crowd, but they have no idea how to accomplish this task (v5-9). Jesus feeds the 5,000 people *bread* and fish (vs10-13). Twelve baskets of *bread* were taken up as leftovers (v13).
That night Jesus walks on the water and the disciples cross the lake (vs16-24). The crowd, realizing that Jesus never got into the boat with the disciples, were confused how Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake (vs 22-25). Jesus confronts them and points out that the only reason they were looking for him was because he met their physical need for *bread* (v26).
That’s when Jesus flips the script and starts talking about how He fulfills their spiritual need. Don’t work for food which disappears, but for the food which remains to eternal life. Jesus is going to give them this food and God gives His seal of approval (v27). In verse 29 the crowd asks Jesus how to accomplish the deeds that God requires. Jesus again tells offers Himself as the solution for their spiritual need.
The crowd evidently understood Jesus’ comparison of Himself to *bread* so they ask for a sign. The crowds pointed back to Moses providing the sign of Manna or *bread* when they wandered in the wilderness, so they wanted to know how Jesus was going to validate His claim by performing a miracle (vs 30-31).
Jesus counters their argument and says that Moses isn’t providing *bread* from heaven, but the Father is providing true *bread* from heaven and that this *bread* gives life to the world, obviously referring to Himself providing for their spiritual needs (vs 32-33).
The crowd misunderstands and asks again for their physical needs to be met by this heavenly *bread*(v34). Jesus flips the script again and repeats that He is the *bread* of life. Notice the parallel between coming to Jesus in the first part of the verse and believing in Jesus in the second part of the verse. While the first part of the verse continues with the concept of eating, the second part of this verse brings up being thirsty. Jesus expands His illustration of being bread to include His ability to alleviate thirst. This is the first time thirst is mentioned in this whole discussion (v35).
In verses 36-40 Jesus argues with the crowd about their unbelief and contrasts that with being a true believer. This is important to note as I will point out later. The crowd mocks Jesus for claiming to be heavenly *bread* (vs 41-42). In verses 43-46 Jesus continues His argument about being their only means of getting to the Father. Jesus then explains that the one who believes has eternal life and that He is the *bread* of life (vs 47-48). Jesus then again contrasts manna with the *bread* of heaven. *Bread* is mentioned three times in verses 50-51. The *bread* that Jesus gives for life is obviously referring to His flesh, His sacrificial death on the cross. Does it make sense at this point for Jesus to be speaking of communion or memorial *bread* when the Lord’s supper had yet to be instituted? Besides, the Jews were going to celebrate the Passover and eat bread and drink wine soon anyway.
The hostile Jews missed the point again thinking He was speaking of cannibalism (v52). Jesus repeats that unless you eat His flesh and blood, you have no life in yourself (v53). This means trusting and believing. Having no life in yourselves is obviously talking about spiritual life. The crowd misunderstood that Jesus was referring to Himself and his work.
Next is the important part that I referred to when speaking of verse 40. Look at the similarities in verse 40 and verse 54. Verse 40- If you look to the Son and believe in him, Jesus will raise that person up on the last day. Verse 54- The ones who eat and drink the flesh and blood of Jesus are guaranteed eternal life and will be raised on the last day. Jesus equates the two. Eating and drinking His flesh is obviously an allusion to what He said in verse 40. The phrase “eat my flesh and drink my blood” is to be understood as, “everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him has eternal life.” Jesus is not speaking of physical, but of spiritual sustenance.
Note that what is said in verse 56 is addressed to the crowd of unbelievers. Did Jesus really mean that if unbelievers partake of the emblems at Passover that they would be His true disciples? Remember, they were going to eat and drink bread and wine soon anyway at Passover. Is this a way to earn salvation, eat Passover bread and drink wine?
In verse 58 Jesus again contrasts Himself, the heavenly bread which brings eternal life, to the physical bread of their ancestors who later died. Whoever eats the bread of Jesus, the heavenly bread, will live forever. Again, there is no reference here to eating and drinking Passover bread and wine.
When Jesus said these things, many disciples left Him (vs 64-66). Jesus said these hard things to separate false followers from His true ones. Jesus asks the 12 if they want to leave too. Then comes the culmination of John’s point when he quotes Peter in verse 68, “To Whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
The whole idea of this passage is that if you don’t trust Jesus as your substitutionary sacrifice, you have no part in him. It is not that you must eat the elements during the Passover meal or the Jehovah’s witness Memorial. Jesus is the heavenly bread which leads to eternal life. We must trust in Jesus alone for forgiveness of sin. If we add anything to that, including eating bread and wine, then we add works.
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