“Yea, but as they understood it, for they understood that the flesh was to be eaten as it is divided piecemeal in a dead body, or as sold in the shambles, not as it is quickened by the spirit . . . Let the spirit draw nigh to the flesh . . . then the flesh profiteth very much: for if the flesh profiteth nothing, the Word had not been made flesh, that It might dwell among us.”
I’ve often thought about this, that when the Word was made flesh, it was the Spirit that gave life to the flesh. In the same way, when Jesus was raised from the dead, it was again the Spirit that gave his flesh life.
Jesus says in John 6:63: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Just before He said this, He spoke about His flesh giving life. He said:
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
and
53 Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. 54 Whoever eats[s] my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
The flesh by itself does indeed profiteth nothing. But through the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh gives life to the world. These are the words from Jesus of spirit and life.
It's astonishing the grip that materialism has on contemporary discussion. The Voluntarism and anti-intellectualism we encounter is also impressive.
Also, that Jesus spoke the clarification to the ones who He knew were steadfastly with Him should tells us what we need to identify the Truths. Jesus said eating His flesh profits nothing ... he as much as said, ‘the flesh eating and blood drinking thing is not the means to get God's Life in you. It is the Spirit that puts God's Life in you.
You guys keep insisting that we take Him at His words but then you want to twist those clear teachings to the ones who remained loyal so that they fit the specious meaning which caused the ones to walk no longer with Him!
In the same chapter, Jesus had already given a similar explanation of how to work the works God requires as what He had explained to Nicodemus. Is it that being catholic you must reject the Truth that it is by faith we are saved, not of works lest any man boast? Are you, as the Jews pushing Him that day, so focused on what you can do to eventually obtain eternal life that you will reject the clear Teaching of Jesus in order to hold fast to the pride of self striving to obtain?
The Promise of God to Give Eternal Life right then, not after some striving trail of sacraments and Masses and Penance and purgatory, was illustrated at Pentecost with the Holy Spirit coming into believers who were of a broken and contrite spirit. In the house of Cornelius the Holy Spirit came into the listeners even before Peter 'gave an invitation' or required of them a 'sinner's prayer'. God put His Eternal Life in the believers immediately. That wasn't a special case not to be repeated ever again without RCC priesthood. It was the essence of the New Covenant in Christ's blood, and the born from above didn't have any to drink to get that life in them!
John 6:63: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
And Paul clarifies that quite nicely in Galatians.
Gal 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would.
Gal 5:18 But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties,
Gal 5:21 envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.