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In respect of that typical meat which the Jews had lately spoken of (ver. 31), "Our fathers did eat manna in the desert," etc., our Saviour tells them that is but typical bread, but His flesh is bread indeed; it is the real substance, of which that was but a mere type and shadow. Thus for explication. The observation is this.

1. That the Lord Jesus Christ is really and truly the food and meat of believers. Flesh is here put for the whole person of Christ. Jesus Christ, as lie is held out in the Scriptures, is the true, real, and very meat of believing Christians; Christ, as He is propounded in the gospel, dead, broken, crucified. Christ, in all His perfection, completeness, fulness, is meat indeed to a true believer. It is the very scope of this sermon, from ver. 27 to 59, in which this truth is inculcated over and over again, and all objections answered which the carnal reason and unbelief of man's heart can make against it. All other food, in respect of this, is but "cibi tantummodo umbra et vana imago," as Cameron saith. As natural life, in respect of the spiritual, is but a shadow of life; so the meat that is appointed for the natural life, if compared with the meat of the spiritual life, is but a very image of meat. Christ's flesh is real meat.

2. The blood of Jesus Christ is drink indeed. Blood is here put for the whole person, as flesh was. And it is rather His blood is drink than that He is drink; because the great efficacy of all Christ did lies principally in His blood (Hebrews 9:22). And in the same respects as His flesh is said to be meat indeed, His blood is said to be drink indeed. And those three things which concur to the act of eating His flesh concur also to this act of drinking His blood, the mystical union, saving faith, the ordinances.

(Ralph Robinson.)

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KJV: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

WEB: Most certainly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life.