Jesus did correct them. Re-read John 6 completely and you will see that no one left after this teaching that starts around verse 35 and continues until verse 58. They started grumbling in verse 60 and then Jesus asks if this offended them. Then asked what if they saw HIM ascend to where he came from in verse 62. Then he clarifies and states in verse 63 that the flesh means nothing, it is the spirit that gives life. Then he states also in verse 63 that the words he had spoken, those of eating his body and blood, were spirit and life. Then in verse 64 Jesus confirms that there are those who do not believe. It’s not until after this in verse 66 that many walked away and stopped following HIM. So Jesus gave plenty of clarification for everyone to hear. Those that truly believed in HIM stayed. The others left.
**Manna **
Jesus is the true Manna from Heaven, the holy Body of Christ is the true food (descended from Heaven) nourishing to life everlasting.
Doth this scandalise you? If then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
A claim of heavenly origin and pre-human existence. The word was made flesh and came down from Heaven and will ascend back to Heaven. Scandalised by the possibility of eating His flesh, they haven’t seen anything yet. If they are scandalised by bread=flesh how scandalised would they be if they saw him ascend into Heaven where he was before? If it is seen to be impossible for Christ to give His body to be eaten in so many places being on earth they would be more scandalised if He were in Heaven.
**It is the spirit that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing. **
Lusts of the flesh are often condemned for example. Jesus is not referring to His actual flesh. He says “the” not “my” flesh, as He had just spent ages speaking about the importance of His flesh which gives life to the world. He is speaking of a spiritual understanding and not a carnal understanding unfavourable to things supernatural. He corrects this carnal attitude towards His words, he is after all the Messiah and as he tells us, no word is impossible with God.
**Words I have spoken are spirit and life **
The words he spoke are spirit and LIFE. Jesus is the WORD made FLESH, He is Divine and human in nature. By eating Christ’s flesh and blood we become a partaker of His life. How can they discern spiritual things if they have not spiritual life. For this they must be quickened, quickened by the spirit.
One apologist noted that Jesus “states what the Spirit uses to bring about that quickening—the “words” of God. The Spirit is the Divine Agent; the Word is the Divine instrument. God begets “with the word of truth” (James 1:18). We are born again of incorruptible seed, “by the word of God” (1 Pet. 1:23). We are made partakers of the Divine nature by God’s “exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Pet. 1:4).
The best way a person can make a clear literal point is repetition of the same message in different ways. Jesus did this. what he was pointing out was forbidden by Mosaic Law, so many walked away. Peter and others stayed. Peter said “we believe” because Jesus has the “words of eternal life” – word made flesh, don’t eat flesh = no life.
John 17:22 And the glory that thou hast given me, have I given to them: that they may be one, as we also are one. 23. I in them: and thou in me: that they may be consummate in one: and the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as me also thou hast loved. 24. Father, whom thou hast given me, I will, that where I am, they also may be with me: that they may see my glory which thou hast given me, because thou hast loved me before the creation of the world.
Not sure what you are asking here but Paul as Jesus did, says that the cup is the new covenant in Jesus blood. The covenant is in blood, the blood of the cross. The cup represents it. Neither Jesus nor Paul say this cup of my blood is the new covenant. So obviously the cup is a symbol of the covenant. The cup is not in blood, the covenant is. Then both Jesus and Paul both use the word anamnesis which in Greek means memorial, or as a reminder.
We do the euchartist in memory of him, eating his body and blood, as he said “this is my body” not this a symbol of my body. If it’s just a symbol why didn’t he say. How can you be guilty of the body and blood of Christ by unworthily eating a symbol? To symbols count as vain idolatry?
1 Cor 11:23-24, "For **I received of our Lord **that which also I have delivered unto you…And giving thanks brake, and said: Take ye and eat, THIS IS MY
BODY…
1 Cor 11:26. For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall show the death of our Lord, until he comes.
Mal:1:11:For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation:
1 Cor 11:29. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily: eateth and drinketh judgment to himself,
not discerning the body of our Lord
Under the old covenant an unblemished lamb was sacrificed and consumed and this observance was everlasting. Jesus fufils the old cov making it new and everlasting. He is the Lamb, a sacrifce made flesh.
Why eat the flesh if Jesus says the flesh means nothing?
Our flesh means nothing but the flesh of Christ means so much more than any mortal will ever be able to understand. His flesh is life and unless we eat his flesh we won’t have life. We come to the Father through Christ and every day and every way He is present to Catholics (and I believe some Protestants) in the Eucharist.
It may be Biblical but that doesn’t mean the interpretation is right.
And who gets to decide who is right and who is not?