spoke of His death, and of the oflfering of His whole body in sacrifice on the cross. The body of the sin-offering was just aa essential a part of the sacrifice as the blood. (See Lev. iv. 1 — 12.) So also the body of the passover Iamb had to be eaten, as well aa the blood sprinkled. The " flesh and blood " are both mentioned here because our Lord had in view the oflering of Himself as a sin-offering, — and because he would make it sure that He meant the " death " of His body to be the hfe of man's soul. It is not Christ incarnate merely, but Christ crucifiied as our atonement and sin-offering, that man must feed upon if he would have life.
54. — {^Whoso €ateih...drm]ceth... eternal life.] This verse is just the converse of the preceding one. As it had been said that with- out eating and drinking there was no hfe, so it is now said that he who eats and drinks has life. These words, as I have already remarked, appear to me to make it impossible to interpret the passage of the Lord's supper. Myriads are Communicants who have no spiritual hfe whatever. Every one, on the other hand, who by faith feeds his soul on Christ's sacrifice for sin, has even now everlasting hfe. " He that beheveth on Him is not con- demned."— "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." (John iii. 18 ; vi. 47.)
The word " whoso " would have been more simply and literally rendered " he that."
The " presentness " of a true Christian's privileges should be remarked here again : — '' He hath eternal life."
The Greek word for " eateth," in this verse and 56th, is quite a different word from that used in the 53rd verse. The reason of the difference is not very clear, and no commentator has hitherto explained it. Leigh, Parkhurst, and Schleusner, all agree that the G-reek word used in this verse ordinarily denotes the eating of an animal, in contradistinction to that of a man. Leigh ob'Eerves that the word "noteth a continuance of eating, as brute beasts will eat all day, and some part of the night." I venture to suggest that the word is purposely used, in order to show that our Lord meant the habit of continually feeding on Him all day long by faith. He did not mean the occasional eat- ing of material food in an ordinance.
The word is only used in this and the 56th, 57th, and 58th verses, and in Matt. xxiv. 38, and John xiii. 18.
[I will raise him up at the last day.] These words are a fourth time repeated, and purposely, in my judgment, to show who they are of whom Christ is speaking. He is not speaking of all who receive the Lord's supper, but of those persons who are " given to him by the Father," — " who see the Son and believe on him,"
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— who " are drawn by the Father and come to Christ." (John vi. 39, 40, 4i.) These are the same persons who eat His flesh and drink His blood by faith. To them belongs the privilege of a part in that first and glorious resurrection, when Christ shall call aU His people from the grave at His second coming.
55. — [For my flesh is meat indeed, and my hlood is drink indeed.'] The word "indeed " here would be more literally rendered "truly ; " and the word " meat" answers to our word "food." The mean- ing is, " My flesh is more truly food, and my blood is more truly drink, than any other food and drink can be. It is food and drink in the highest, fullest, noblest sense, — food and drink for the soul, food and drink that satisfies, food and drink that endures to ever- lasting life." (See 35th verse.)
Rollock remarks, that the best way to understand this verse is to make trial of Christ, and to feed on Him by faith. We shall soon discover how true the words are.
Ferus suggests, that there may be a latent reference here to the forbidden fruit which Satan promised should be " meat and drink indeed " to Adam and Eve. This stands out in contrast to that food. By eating the food Satan held out, came sin and death. By eating the food Christ holds out, comes life and heaven.
56. — [He that eateth my flesh and drinJceth my hlood.] — These words are precisely the same as those at the beginning of the 54th verse ; and there is no reason why " whoso " there, should not have been "he that," as here. In the one case, the man who eats and drinks Christ's flesh and blood, is said to possess eternal life, and in the other, to be intimately joined to Christ. But it is the same person.
[Dwelleth in me and I in him.] This expression is meant to convey to our minds the close and intimate union that there is between Christ and a true Christian. Such a man is said to dwell, or abide in Christ, and Christ to dwell, or abide in him. Christ is the house, or home, or hiding-place, within which the believer's soul, as it were, resides ; — and Christ dwells in the believer's heart by His Spirit, comforting, nourishing, and strengthening him. (See 1 John iii. 24, and iv. 15, 16.) See also John XV. 4, where " Abide in me and I in you," might have been equally well rendered, " dwell in me and I in you."
Just as " food and drink " received into a man's body become part of the man's self, and are incorporated into his system, and add to his health, comfort, and strength, — so when a man by faith feeds his soul on Christ's sacrifice for his sins, Christ becomes as it were part of himself, and he becomes part of Christ. In a word, there is as intimate an union between Christ