ACC ~ John 6 v35 - 40

OVERVIEW:

The bread of God is the only food that can satisfy when we are faced with affliction (IGNATIUS). Jesus refers to himself as this bread, as a reference to his godhead, since it is later that he refers to his flesh (CHRYSOSTOM). By eating of this bread of life, we human beings who were originally created for eternal life are now given power over death (CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIa) as the bread of Christ through the Spirit preserves our body for incorruption as we partake of the sacrament (THEODORE OF HERACLEA). However, those who do not hunger to commune, feigning reverence at partaking too often, become a snare and an offense (CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA). The bread of Christ remains the food of saints even today (AMBROSE) giving us a foretaste of that resurrection feast yet to come when we will no longer be dependent on the earthly food of the senses (THEODORE OF HERACLEA).

The fact that the Father has given believers to the Son shows that faith is no accident (CHRYSOSTOM). Christ will not cast out them out; rather, it is pride that casts one out, and it is humility in imitation of a humble God that restores, as Christ’s members humbly do their Father’s will even as he did (AUGUSTINE). Although Christ accomplishes the Father’s will, this will is in no way contradictory to his own (HILARY). If Christ surrendered his will to the Father, we should do so as well, relying on the Father’s will to sustain us (TERTULLIAN). He will lose nothing the Father has given to him, including the humanity he received at his birth, as well as all the sheep, including those who have strayed or are sick, who have been entrusted to his care (JEROME). These have been predestined by God’s unerring providence so that they will not perish (AUGUSTINE). This is not only the Father’s will but also the Son’s (CHRYSOSTOM).

The Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes will have eternal life. The Jews saw Jesus but did not believe; we do not see and yet believe, receiving eternal life (AUGUSTINE).The one who believes in this life will be perfected in the life to come at the resurrection (CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA). The resurrection reward awaits those who remain faithful (CHRYSOSTOM). Then the Father will bring those believers to the Son and the Son will receive them and revive them to immortality (CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA). Christ here speaks to us of a twofold resurrection: the first when a person comes to faith and passes from death to life, the second when he is raised on the last day (AUGUSTINE).

6:35 | Jesus Is the Bread of Life

DESIRE THE BREAD OF GOD

IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH: Do not talk about Jesus Christ while you desire the world. Do not let envy dwell among you…. I take no pleasure in corruptible food or the pleasures of this life. I want the bread of God, which is the flesh of Christ who is of the seed of David; and for drink I want his blood, which is incorruptible love. EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 7. [1]

[1] AF 173-75.

THE BREAD IS A REFERENCE TO THE GODHEAD

CHRYSOSTOM: Now he proceeds to commit to them mysteries. First, he speaks of his Godhead, saying, “I am the bread of life.” For this is not spoken of his body since he says toward the end, “And the bread that I shall give is my flesh.” At present, [bread of life] refers to his Godhead, [1] which is “bread” through God the Word, just as this bread [of the sacrament] through the Spirit descending on it, is made heavenly bread. Here he does not use witnesses as in his former address, for he had the miracle of the loaves to witness to him and also had the Jews themselves for a while pretending to believe him. In the former case they opposed and accused him. This is the reason why here he declares himself. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 45.2. [2]

[1] Cf. Theodore of Heraclea below.

[2] NPNF 1 14:161*.

THE BREAD OF LIFE GIVES POWER OVER DEATH

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: In effect, Jesus is saying, “I am the bread of life,” not bodily bread, which merely eliminates the physical suffering brought on by hunger, but rather that bread that refashions the entire living being to eternal life. The human being, who had been created for eternal life, is now given power over death. COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 3.6. [1]

[1] LF 43:373-74**.

CHRIST PRESERVES OUR BODY FOR INCORRUPTION

THEODORE OF HERACLEA: Since earthly bread customarily does give life to our weak nature of the flesh, [Christ] also does this through the energy of the Spirit by making the spirit alive and preserving the body for incorruptible incorruption after the resurrection and giving this to those who believe in him. Certainly he calls his flesh the bread of life in this place since it is eaten in the sacrament. FRAGMENTS ON JOHN 33. [1]

[1] JKGK 73.

THE BENEFITS OF FREQUENT COMMUNION

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: What then does Christ promise? Nothing corruptible, but rather that blessing [1] in the participation of his holy flesh and blood that restores humanity wholly to incorruption so that it should need none of the things that normally drive off the death of the flesh, for example, food and drink…. The holy body of Christ gives life to those who have it within themselves, and by holding them together, [it] grants incorruption, inasmuch as it is commingled with our bodies…. Since these things are so, let those who have been baptized and tasted the divine grace understand this: if they are sluggish or reluctant about going to church and for long periods of time keep away from the eucharistic gift through Christ, feigning a pernicious reverence by not partaking of him sacramentally, they exclude themselves from eternal life inasmuch as they decline to be enlivened. Thus, their refusal [to partake of the Eucharist] though seeming to be an expression of reverence, is turned into a snare and an offense. COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 3.6. [2]

[1] The Eucharist.

[2] LF 43:376**.

THE BREAD OF CHRIST IS THE FOOD OF SAINTS

AMBROSE: [Christ] is a rich treasure, for his bread is rich. And “rich” is an apt term, for one who has eaten this bread will be unable to feel hunger. He gave it to the apostles to distribute to a believing people, [1] and today he gives it to us. For he, as a priest, daily consecrates it with his own words. Therefore this bread has become the food of saints. ON THE PATRIARCHS 9.38. [2]

[1] Mt 15:36.

[2] FC 65:263*.

JESUS GIVES REAL FOOD, REAL LIFE

THEODORE OF HERACLEA: Because we have all died to sin—or because after the eternal, incorruptible resurrection he will give life to those who believe, when there will be neither food nor drink perceived by the senses—therefore we “will certainly not hunger.” To be sure, the manna of those who ate it “in the desert” nourished the body for a little while, but it did not contribute anything to the soul to help it live virtuously and nobly. All of them (except for a few) were discovered to have been godless. But the living Bread recovered the souls of the believers by his words of life and procured real life for the world. FRAGMENTS ON JOHN 31. [1]

[1] JKGK 72-73.

6:36 | Seeing and Not Believing

THEY SAW THE MIRACLES AND SCRIPTURE

CHRYSOSTOM: When he says, “You have seen me and yet have not believed,” he alludes partly to his miracles, partly to the testimony from the Scriptures. “For they,” he says, “testify of me.” [1] HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 45.2. [2]

[1] Jn 5:39.

[2] NPNF 1 14:161*.

6:37 | All That the Father Gives Me

NEITHER FAITH NOR UNBELIEF IS AN ACCIDENT

CHRYSOSTOM: When he says, “All that the Father gives me shall come to me,” he touches on their unbelief, showing that whoever does not believe on him transgresses the will of the Father. He covertly shows that unbelievers are not only at variance with him but also with the Father. For if this is [the Son’s] will, and if this is the reason he came, that is, that he might save the entire world, then those who do not believe transgress his will. When, therefore, he says, the Father guides someone, there is nothing that hinders that person from coming to [Jesus]. [1] … And Paul says that [the Son] delivers them up to the Father. [2] Now just as the Father, when he gives, does not take from himself, so neither does the Son take from himself when he gives up. The Son is said to give up to the Father because we are brought to the Father by him. And at the same time, we read that it was the Father “by whom you were called to the fellowship of his Son,” [3] that is, by the will of the Father. [4] … Faith in me, he intimates here, is no ordinary thing or one that comes from human reason, but [it] needs a revelation from above. And this he establishes throughout his discourse, showing that this faith requires a noble sort of soul, and one drawn on by God….

The expression “that the Father gives me” shows that it is no accident whether a person believes or not. It shows that belief is not the work of human reasoning but requires a revelation from on high and a mind devout enough to receive the revelation. “Whoever then,” our Lord says, “comes to me, shall be saved,” meaning they shall be greatly cared for. For to save such as these I took up flesh and the form of a servant. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 45.2-3. [5]

[1] Chrysostom also cites Jn 6:44.

[2] 1 Cor 15:24.

[3] 1 Cor 1:9.

[4] He also cites Mt 16:17.

[5] NPNF 1 14:161-62**.

PRIDE CASTS OUT, HUMILITY RESTORES

AUGUSTINE: This is the reason why he does not cast out those who come to him. “For I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him that sent me.” The soul departed from God because it was proud…. Pride casts us out, humility restores us…. When a physician in the treatment of a disease cures certain outward symptoms but not the cause that produces them, his cure is only temporary. So long as the cause remains, the disease may return…. That the cause then of all diseases, that is, pride, might be eradicated, the Son of God humbled himself. Why are you proud, O man? The Son of God humbled himself for you. It might shame you, perhaps, to imitate a humble man; but imitate at least a humble God…. And this is the proof of his humility: “I came not to do my own will but the will of him that sent me.” Pride does its own will; humility does the will of God. For this very reason, therefore, I will not cast out the one who comes to me, because I came not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. I came to teach humility by being humble myself. Whoever comes to me is made a member of me. Such a person is necessarily humble, because he will not do his own will but the will of God; and therefore [this person] is not cast out. He was cast out, as proud…. But he will not cast us out because we are members of the one who desired to be our head by teaching us humility. TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 25.15-16, 18. [1]

[1] NPNF 1 7:165-67**.

6:38 | The Will of God

CHRIST MANIFESTS OBEDIENCE

HILARY OF POITIERS: It was not that he himself was unwilling but that he might manifest his obedience as the result of his Father’s will. For his own will is to do his Father’s. His will is to carry out the Father’s will. ON THE TRINITY 3.9. [1]

[1] NPNF 2 9:64. See also On the Trinity 9.49, where he insists Christ’s will was not controlled by necessity. For further discussion of Christ’s will, see also On the Trinity 9.74; 11.30.

WE ARE PROVOKED TO DO GOD’S WILL

TERTULLIAN: If [Christ] himself proclaimed that he did not his own but the Father’s will, without doubt those things that he used to do were the Father’s will. We are now encouraged to do these exemplary things too: to preach, to work, to endure even to the point of death. And we need the will of God so that we may be able to fulfill these duties…. [Christ] himself was the will and the power of the Father. And yet, for the demonstration of the patience that was due, he gave himself up to the Father’s will. ON PRAYER 4. [1]

[1] ANF 3:682-83.

6:39 | Losing Nothing Given

THE LOST SHEEP ARE RETURNED

JEROME: Christ speaks here of the whole of his humanity, which he had taken on him in its entirety at his birth. [1] Then shall the sheep that was lost [2] and was wandering in the lower world be carried healthy on the Savior’s shoulders. And the sheep that was sick with sin shall be taken care of by the mercy of the Judge. AGAINST JOHN OF JERUSALEM 34. [3]

[1] Tertullian also includes the flesh in what Christ received from the Father, to emphasize that the flesh will be raised up at the resurrection along with the soul. See On the Resurrection of the Flesh 34 (ANF 3:570).

[2] Lk 15:4.

[3] NPNF 2 6:442*.

FOREKNOWLEDGE AND PERSEVERANCE

AUGUSTINE: They therefore who by God’s unerring providence are foreknown and predestined, called, justified, glorified, even before their new birth, or before they are born at all, are already the children of God and absolutely cannot perish. These truly come to Christ…. By him there is given also perseverance in good even to the end. For it is not given except to those who will not perish since those who do not persevere will perish. ON REBUKE AND GRACE 23. [1]

[1] NPNF 1 5:481**.

6:40 | The Will of the Father

WILLS IN CONCERT

CHRYSOSTOM: But what do you mean? Do you have one will and he has another? No, certainly. Look at what he says afterwards: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have everlasting life.” Is not then this your will too?… For the Son quickens whom he will. [1] … He says then, I came to do nothing but what the Father wills, for I have no will distinct from my Father’s. All things that the Father has are mine. But he does not say that here. He reserves these higher truths for the end of his ministry. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 45.3. [2]

[1] See Jn 5:21.

[2] NPNF 1 14:162**.

WHOEVER SEES AND BELIEVES

AUGUSTINE: He has said two things: “This is the work of God that you should believe in the one whom he has sent,” while here he added, “whoever sees and believes.” The Jews saw but did not believe; they had the one condition, lacked the other. How could they attain to eternal life without the other? The reason those who saw did not attain eternal life was because they did not also believe. If so, what about us who have believed but have not seen? If it is those two things that earn eternal life, seeing and believing—and whoever is lacking one of them cannot attain to the reward of eternal life—what are we to do? The Jews [who saw him] lacked the one; we the other. They had seeing but lacked believing. We have believing but lack seeing. Well, as regards our having believing and lacking seeing, we have prophetically been declared blessed by the Lord himself just as Thomas, one of the Twelve, was blessed when he felt his scars by touching them. SERMON 14A.5. [1]

[1] WSA 3 11:27*. See also Tertullian On the Resurrection of the Flesh 34 (ANF 3:570), where he too discusses seeing and believing.

FAITH LEADS TO PERFECTION AT THE RESURRECTION

CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: Faith, so to speak, is the attempt generated in time; the final result is the attainment of the promise secured for eternity. Now the Lord himself has most clearly revealed the equality of salvation when he said, “This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” As far as possible in this world, which is what he means by the last day—and which is preserved till the time that it shall end—we believe that we are made perfect. Wherefore he says, “The one who believes on the Son has everlasting life.” [1] If then, those who have believed have life, what remains beyond the possession of eternal life? Nothing is lacking in faith as it is perfect and complete in itself. CHRIST THE EDUCATOR 1.6. [2]

[1] Jn 3:36.

[2] ANF 2:216*.

THE RESURRECTION FULFILLS THE PRAYER “THY KINGDOM COME”

CHRYSOSTOM: No one who has lived correctly disbelieves the resurrection, but every day they pray and repeat that holy sentence, “thy kingdom come.” Who then are the ones who disbelieve the resurrection? Those who have unholy ways and an unclean life. As the prophet says, “His ways are profane at all times. Your judgments are removed from before him.” [1] For one cannot possibly live a pure life without believing in the resurrection, since they who are conscious of no iniquity both speak of and wish for and believe in it, that they may receive their reward. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 45.3. [2]

[1] Ps 10:5 (9:26 LXX).

[2] NPNF 1 14:163-64*.

THE OPERATION OF THE HOLY TRINITY

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: The Father then brings to the Son, by knowledge and God-befitting contemplation, those to whom he decreed the divine grace. The Son receives and revives them, and engrafting his own good into those who are of their own nature apt to decay and shedding on them as a spark of fire the life-giving power of the Spirit, reforms them throughout unto immortality. But when you hear that the Father brings them and that the Son gives the power of renewed living to those that run to him, do not go off into absurd fancies, as though each were supposed to do individually and severally what belongs appropriately by nature to each. The Father is co-worker with the Son, and likewise the Son with the Father, and our salvation and recuperation from death to life is the work, so to say, of the whole Holy Trinity. COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 4.1. [1]

[1] LF 43:394-95*.

THE TWOFOLD RESURRECTION

AUGUSTINE: “Whoever sees the Son and believes on him should have everlasting life,” that is, by believing, by passing over to life, as at the first resurrection. But this is only the first resurrection. He alludes to the second when he says, “And I will raise him up at the last day.” TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 25.19. [1]

[1] NPNF 1 7:167*.