The Need Of Flesh And Blood

Eἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς: ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ φάγητε τὴν σάρκα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πίητε αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ. Ὅταν περὶ πνευματικῶν διαλογώμεθα, μηδὲν ἔστω βιωτικὸν ἐν ταῖς ἡμετέραις ψυχαῖς, μηδὲν γὴῖνον· ἀλλὰ πάντα ἀναχωρείτω, πάντα ἐξοριζέσθ τὰ τοιαῦτα, καὶ ὅλοι γινώμεθα τῆη τῶν θείων λογίων ἀκροάσεως μόνης. Εἰ γὰρ βασιλέως ἐπιβαίνοντος πόλει, ἄπας ἀπελαύνεται θόρυβος· πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡμῖν διαλεγομένου, μετὰ πολλῆς μὲν ἠσυχίας, μετὰ πολλῆς δὲ τῆς φρίκης ἀκούειν ἡμᾶς δεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ φρίκης ἄξια τὰ λεγόμενα σήμερον. Καὶ πῶς, ἄκουε. Ἀμὴν, γὰρ, φησὶ, λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ τις μου φάγῇ τὴν σάρκα, καὶ πίῃ μου τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχει ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Ἐπειδὴ ἔμπροσθεν ἔλεγον, ὅτι ἀδύνατον τοῦτό ἐστι, δείκνυσιν αὐτὸς οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀδύνατον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἀναγκαῖον. Διὸ καὶ ἐπάγει· ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ὁ τρώγων ἐκ τοῦ ἄρτου τούτου οὐκ ἀποθανεῖται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· εἰκος δὲ ἦν αὐτοῖς προσστῆναι τοῦτο, καθώς καὶ πρότερον ἒλεγον, Ἀβραὰμ ἀπέθανε, καὶ οἱ προφῆται ἀπέθανον, καὶ πῶς σὺ λέγεις, οὐ μὴ γεύσεται θανάτον; τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἔθηκε, λύων τὸ ζητούμενον, καὶ δηλῶν ὅτι οὐκ ἀποθανεῖται εἰς τέλος. Συνεχῶς δὲ στρέφει τὸν περὶ τῶν μυστηρίων λόγον, δεικνὺς τοῦ πραγματος τὸ ἀνακαῖον, καὶ ὅτι αὐτὸ πάντως γενεσθαι δεῖ. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Υπόμνημα Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀπόστολον και Εὑαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλία ΜΖ’ Source: Migne PG 59.261-363

Jesus then said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, he has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day.' 1 When we converse of spiritual things, let there be nothing worldly in our souls, nothing of the earth, let all such thoughts be gone and be banished, and let us be completely attentive to the Divine words alone. For if for the coming of a king to a city all disorder is put away, so much more do we have need of great stillness and great awe for hearing when the Spirit speaks. And what is said today is worthy of awe. Hear how it is so: 'Truly I say to you, if a man does not eat my flesh and drink my blood, he has no life in him.' Since they had said that it is impossible, He shows not only that it is not impossible but indeed that it is absolutely necessary. Thus He adds, 'He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, he has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.' For since He had said, 'He that eats of this bread shall not die forever,' 2 and it was likely that this would be obstacle for them, as before they said, 'Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead; and how can you say that he shall not taste of death?' 3 so He brings forward the resurrection to solve the question, and to show that such a man shall not die at the end. He continually attends to the reason of the Mysteries, showing the necessity of the deed, and that it must by all means be done. Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint John, Homily 47 1 Jn 6.54-55 2 Jn 6.50-52 3 Jn 8.52