Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                  Chapter Six

                                                                                                                                               Verses 52-59 continued

The Old Testament sin offering, which was a blood offering, symbolized salvation by grace. The Old Testament burnt offering, which burned the flesh of the sin offering, symbolized God's salvation of the rest of humanity by His use of His fiery wrath against evil, and only evil itself, not living humans. Leviticus 5:7-10. God initiated the burnt offering in His command to Noah following the flood. God promised through the symbolism of the burnt offering that He would bring all living humans out of the cursed ground, meaning all of the regions of death, and that He would provide a lesser form of salvation for them by purging all sin and evil from their souls and spirits by the use of His fiery wrath and that He would never again kill all living humans with no provision for their salvation as He had done in the flood. Genesis 8:20-21. The burnt offering symbolized Jesus' release of His Spirit upon His death on the cross to descend into Hell to leave behind there all of the sins and evil of all living humans that Jesus bore on the cross who do not become saved by grace. Psalm 16:9-11; Acts 2:25-31. But the burnt offering, like the sin offering, cannot become active for all living humans confined to the regions of death until they all repent and believe in the Lamb of God. All of this means that Christ will appear to all living humans confined to the regions of death, and He will cause them all to repent and believe of their own free will that His death on the cross, the descent of His Spirit into the regions of death, His purging of their sins and evil by His fiery wrath against evil, and His resurrection will save them with a lesser form of salvation than that of grace. They will all choose to spiritually partake of His flesh. They will not drink His blood except indirectly because the blood offering has to be made before the burnt offering. Revelation 5:11-14; I Corinthians 3:11-15; Romans 10:9.

The burnt offering cannot save without the blood offering. The blood must be shed before the flesh can be burnt. Jesus had to shed His blood and water on the cross to save by His grace before He could send His Spirit into Hell to save the rest of humanity. For this reason, Jesus spoke about eating His flesh for the lesser salvation of all humanity, but He spoke about eating His flesh and drinking His blood for His salvation by grace. John 6:27: John 6:33; John 6:51; John 6:58; John 6:53-57; John 5:24.

When Jesus had His last supper with His disciples, He gave them bread to eat which symbolized His spiritual body, but He did not say that it was for the remission of sins. Jesus also gave them wine to drink which symbolized His spiritual blood and water, and He told them that it was for the remission of sins. Jesus gave them the bread to symbolize that He would give to them, like all other living humans including Judas Iscariot, a basic form of salvation by partaking of His spiritual flesh. But He gave them the wine to symbolize that they, except for Judas Iscariot, had already received a special form of salvation by partaking of His spiritual blood. Judas Iscariot had no faith in the spiritual blood of Jesus. Jesus suffered and died on the cross in the place of every human to provide a lesser form of salvation for all living humans whom He loves, but He shed His blood and water on the cross to provide a special form of salvation by His grace for some living humans. Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-20; Hebrews 2:9-18; I Corinthians 3:11-15; Revelation 5:11-14; Isaiah 45:20-25; I Corinthians 15:22; John 6:51; John 6:58; John 6:53-57; Luke 20:38; Genesis 3:20-21.