Jesus taught them figuratively of the need for them to take for themselves the benefits of his sacrificing himself and shedding his blood to atone for their sins.

John 6:25-59

25 When they found him in Capernaum further around the lake, they asked him, “Teacher, since you(sg) did not come in a boat, when and how did you get here?” 26 Jesus replied to them, “Listen to this carefully: Do you know why you are looking for me? It is not because you saw me perform miracles and as a result have realized who I really am. No! You are looking for me only because you had plenty of bread to eat after I provided it for you by performing a miracle. 27 Stop desiring food that will soon spoil! Instead, desire to get spiritual food that will last forever! Yearn for eternal life! That is what I, the one who came from heaven, will give you. God my Father has shown that he approves of me enabling me to do that.”

28 Then the people asked him, “What things should we do to please God?” 29 Jesus replied, “What God wants you to do is this: He wants you to believe that I am the one he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then perform another miracle so that we may see it and believe that you came from God. What miracle would you like to perform? 31 Our ancestors ate the food called manna that God provided for them by a miracle in the desolate area. This is written {The Psalmist wrote this} in the Scriptures about what Moses caused to happen: ‘He gave them food from heaven to eat.’ Will you perform a miracle like that?”

32 So Jesus said to them, “The truth is that it was not Moses who gave your ancestors that food from heaven. No, it was my Father who gave it to them. And my Father is the one who gives you the true food from heaven. 33 The true bread from God came down from heaven, and he is the one who will give eternal life to the people of the world [MTY].”

34 Not understanding what he meant, they said to him, “Sir, give us that kind of bread all the time!” 35 Jesus said to them, “Just like food [MET] sustains physical life, I am the one who enables you to have spiritual life. Those who eat ordinary food and drinks will later be hungry and thirsty. But those who come to me to receive that life will never again lack anything spiritually. 36 I told you before that you have seen my miracles, but after seeing them, instead of understanding who I am, you have not believed in me. 37 All the people that my Father entrusts to me will come to me, and I will certainly ◄welcome/never send away► [LIT] anyone who comes to me. 38 When I came down from heaven, it was not to do what I want. Instead, I came to do what ◄God/my Father►, who sent me, wants. 39 What the one who sent me wants is that I ◄keep forever all/never lose any► [LIT] of those whom he has entrusted to me. He wants me to cause all of them to become alive again ◄on the last day/on the day when I judge everyone► [MTY]. 40 Long ago in the desolate area when those who were bitten by snakes looked at the bronze replica of a snake, they were healed [MET]. What my Father wants is that similarly everyone who looks at what I have done and believes in me will have eternal life. I will cause them to become alive again ◄on the last day/on the day when I judge everyone► [MTY].”

41 The Jewish leaders [SYN] began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the one who is like true bread who came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “◄This man is Jesus, the son of Joseph!/Isn’t this man the son of Joseph?► [RHQ] We know the names of both his father and his mother. He certainly did not come from heaven, so ◄he is lying by saying ‘I came from heaven.’/why is he now saying, ‘I came from heaven?’► [RHQ]” 43 Jesus replied to them, “Stop grumbling among yourselves about what I just said! 44 My Father, who sent me, makes people want to come to me. No others will come to me to receive eternal life. Those who come to me are the only ones who will believe in me. I will ◄cause them to be alive again/raise them from the dead► ◄on the last day/on the judgment day►. 45 It was written ◄by one of the prophets/by the prophet Isaiah► {◄One of the prophets/The prophet Isaiah► wrote} about all those who will trust in me, ‘God will teach them all.’ Everyone who listens to what my Father says and learns from him will ◄come to/believe in► me. 46 I came from God. I am the only one who has seen my Father. No one else has seen him. 47 Listen to this carefully: Everyone who believes ◄my message/in me► has eternal life. 48 Just like food [MET] sustains your physical life, I am the one who enables you to have spiritual life. 49 Even though your ancestors ate the manna while they were traveling in the desolate area, they died anyway. 50 But the bread I am talking about is something that came down from heaven. If people eat that bread, their spirits will never die. 51 I am the one who came down from heaven to enable people to have spiritual life. If people take what I will give them, they will live forever. What I will give them is my flesh, which I will give to all the people in [MTY] the world in order that they may have spiritual life.”

52 Then the Jewish leaders [SYN] began to argue among themselves. They said, “◄There is no way this man can give us his flesh to eat!/How can this man give us his flesh to eat?►” [RHQ] 53 So, speaking figuratively of the need for them to accept for themselves the benefits of his sacrificing himself and shedding his blood to atone for their sins [MET], Jesus said to them, “Listen carefully to this: Although I am the one who came from heaven, if you do not eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will not have eternal life. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will cause them to become alive again at ◄the last day/the judgment day►, 55 because my flesh and my blood are truly spiritual food. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood will have a close relationship with me, and I will have a close relationship with them. 57 My Father, who is the source of everything that lives, sent me, and I live because my Father has given me life. Similarly those who eat my flesh will live eternally because of what I do for them. 58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Although our ancestors ate manna, they later died anyway. But those who eat this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while he was teaching people in ◄the synagogue/the Jewish meeting place► in Capernaum.