The Catholic argument from John 6

The Catholic argument from John 6 revolves around three main premises. First, the fact that Jesus' audience understood him literally is evidenced by their reaction when he spoke about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Both the Jews and his disciples struggled with this teaching, indicating they took it literally. Second, if Jesus meant his words metaphorically, he would have clarified his audience's misunderstanding, as he often did in other instances. However, Jesus did not offer a correction, suggesting he intended his words to be taken literally. Third, Jesus' appeal to his ascension, using it as evidence for the difficulty of his teaching, further indicates his literal intent. The Protestant counterclaims based on Jesus leaving the disciples due to their misunderstanding of other statements do not hold up. The disciples' difficulty with Jesus' teaching to eat his flesh and drink his blood is not relieved by the claim that Jesus meant it figuratively, but rather underscores the reality and challenges associated with this teaching.