as I think it shed some light on the way Jesus obviously spoke symbolically in johns gospel

Most Christians think it is symbolic, but it would be a mistake to assume that follows from my argument (which would, I am sure, have got me burnt a few centuries ago!).

Think about my person who was a call centre operative and than transubstantiated into a folk singer. He was not symbolically a call centre worker. He actually was one. Equally, he was not symbolically a folk singer, he actually was one.