Whoever eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
eateth.
John 6:27,40,63 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed…
John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Psalm 22:26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
hath.
John 6:39,40,47 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day…
has eternal life
Eternal life is a key theme in the Gospel of John, signifying not just an unending existence but a quality of life that begins now and continues into eternity. This life is characterized by a relationship with God through Jesus Christ (John 17:3). The present tense "has" indicates that eternal life is a current possession for believers, not just a future promise. This assurance is rooted in the believer's union with Christ, as symbolized by the eating and drinking metaphor. The concept of eternal life is also linked to the promises of the Old Testament, where life and blessing are associated with obedience to God (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).
and I will raise him up at the last day
The promise of resurrection is a cornerstone of Christian hope. Jesus assures believers of their future resurrection, which is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies such as Daniel 12:2. The "last day" refers to the eschatological culmination of history, when Christ will return to judge the living and the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). This promise is reiterated multiple times in John 6 (verses 39, 40, 44), emphasizing its importance. The resurrection is both a physical and spiritual reality, affirming the Christian belief in the bodily resurrection of the dead. This assurance provides comfort and motivation for believers to live faithfully in anticipation of Christ's return.
– The invitation is universal: “whoever” leaves no one out (John 3:16; Romans 10:13).
– Yet it is also personal: each individual must respond (Revelation 22:17).
– Jesus speaks to crowds in John 6, but His call settles on every heart listening then and now.
– Jesus identifies Himself as “the bread of life” earlier in the chapter (John 6:35). Bread must be taken in to sustain life; so Christ’s sacrifice must be personally received.
– At the Last Supper He broke bread and said, “This is My body, which is for you” (1 Corinthians 11:24). That bread points to His real body given on the cross (1 Peter 2:24).
– To “eat” is to rely on His once-for-all offering, resting in His finished work rather than our efforts (Hebrews 10:10).
– Blood in Scripture signifies life poured out in atonement (Leviticus 17:11). Jesus said, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).
– By faith we appropriate the cleansing power of His blood (1 John 1:7; Hebrews 9:14).
– The phrase underscores full participation: body and blood together represent the totality of Christ’s substitutionary death (Romans 5:9).
– Present tense “has” assures believers right now of everlasting life (John 5:24; 1 John 5:11-12).
– Eternal life is more than endless existence; it is knowing the Father and the Son (John 17:3).
– This life is a gift, not a wage (Ephesians 2:8-9). Receiving Christ’s body and blood by faith secures it.
– Jesus personally guarantees resurrection (John 6:39-40; John 11:25-26).
– The same power that raised Him will raise all who belong to Him (Romans 8:11).
– Resurrection completes redemption: spirit and body reunited, glorified, fit for eternity (Philippians 3:20-21).
– Scripture places this climactic event at Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Timothy 4:8).
– “Last day” anchors hope in a definite future moment when justice is done and promises are fulfilled (Revelation 20:4-6).
– For the believer, that day means vindication, reunion, and unending fellowship with the Lord (John 14:3).
John 6:54 extends an open yet deeply personal call: receive Jesus wholly—His body broken, His blood poured out—by trusting in His sacrificial death. Whoever does so possesses eternal life now and lives in sure expectation of bodily resurrection when Christ returns on the last day.
(54) Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood.--The thought advances from the negative to the positive. The previous verse stated the condition without which they could not have life. This verse declares that they who thus eat and drink possess that life now, and that it is eternal. (Comp. Note on John 6:47.) The thought advances, too, from the "ye" of those immediately addressed to the "whoso," which has no limit but the fulfilment of the condition. The word for "eateth" is a stronger word than that before used, meaning literally the act of dividing the food by the teeth; but this meaning is not to be pressed. It is simply the present tense, which describes the process of eating, and is the same word which is used in John 6:56-58, and in John 13:18. The sense of the word in the only other place in the New Testament where it occurs (Matthew 24:38) confirms this.And I will raise him up at the last day.--The thought of the eternal life, which is the present possession of the spirit in communion with God, leads on once again to the fuller expansion of that life in the final victory over death. (Comp. John 6:40; John 6:44.) . . .
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