St John devotes chapter six of his gospel to Christ’s teaching on the Eucharist. He had fed five thousand people from the loaves and fishes that the little boy had been prepared to share. The people followed him, anxious to see more wondrous signs. Their minds, however, were focussed on earthly food. Jesus wanted to direct their attention to the much more important spiritual nourishment which he would give. He linked the manna from heaven, which had fed the Israelites in the desert, to the heavenly food which would be the fruit of his sacrifice on the cross. Many of his listeners could not accept this doctrine, failing to understand the nature of the gift he was giving.
From the very beginning of the early church, Jesus' followers broke bread together. As the Law had united the Jews, so the Eucharist unites the faithful as they gather together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. The Liturgy of the Word, the basic elements of bread and wine, the priest representing the person of the Lord and the community gathered together: all form part of the celebration.
At the Last Supper St John gives an account of Jesus washing of the the apostles' feet. On the eve of his death Jesus gave an example of what the reception of his Body and Blood should produce: loving service to one another (John 13:3-11).