The multiplication of the loaves
1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, near Tiberias,
2 and large crowds followed him because of the miraculous signs they saw when he healed the sick.
3 So he went up into the hills and sat down there with his disciples.
4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
5 Then lifting up his eyes, Jesus saw the crowds that were coming to him and said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread so that these people may eat?”
6 He said this to test Philip, for he himself knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred silver coins would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a piece.”
8 Then one of Jesus’ disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said,
9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Make the peo ple sit down.” There was plenty of grass there so the people, about five thousand men, sat down to rest.
11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks and distributed them to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish and gave them as much as they wanted.
12 And when they had eaten enough, he told his disciples, “Gather up the pieces left over, that nothing may be lost.”
13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with bread, that is with pieces of the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.
14 When the people saw this sign that Jesus had just given, they said, “This is really the Prophet, he who is to come into the world.”
15 Jesus realized that they would come and take him by force to make him king; so he fled to the hills by himself.
16 When evening came, the disciples went down to the shore.
17 After a while they got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the sea, for it was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them.
18 But the sea was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing.
19 They had rowed about three or four miles, when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and he was drawing near to the boat. They were frightened,
20 but he said to them, “It is Me; don’t be afraid.”
21 They wanted to take him into the boat, but immediately the boat was at the shore to which they were going.
22 Next day the people who had stayed on the other side realized that only one boat had been there and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples; rather, the disciples had gone away alone.
23 Bigger boats from Tiberias came near the place where all these peo ple had eaten the bread.
24 When they saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Master, when did you come here?”
26 Jesus answered, “Truly, I say to you, you look for me, not because you have seen through the signs, but because you ate bread and were satisfied.
27 Work then, not for perishable food, but for the lasting food which gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give it to you, for he is the one the Father has marked.”
The bread of life; to believe in the Son of God
28 Then the Jews asked him, “What shall we do? What are the works that God wants us to do?”
29 And Jesus answered them, “The work God wants is this: that you believe in the One whom God has sent.”
30 They then said, “Show us mira culous signs, that we may see and believe you. What sign do you perform?
31 Our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as Scripture says: They were given bread from heaven to eat.”
32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
33 The bread God gives is the One who comes from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 And they said to him, “Give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in me shall never be thirsty.
36 Nevertheless, as I said, you refuse to believe, even when you have seen.
37 Yet, all that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I shall not turn away.
38 For I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the One who sent me.
39 And the will of him who sent me is that I lose nothing of what he has given me, but instead that I raise it up on the last day.
40 This is the will of the Father, that whoever sees the Son and be lieves in him shall live with eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
41 The Jews murmured because Jesus had said, “I am the bread which comes from heaven.”
42 And they said, “This man is the son of Joseph, isn’t he? We know his father and mother. How can he say that he has come from heaven?”
43 Jesus answered them, “Do not murmur among yourselves.
44 No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise him up on the last day.
45 It has been written in the Prophets: They shall all be taught by God. So whoever listens and learns from the Father comes to me.
46 For no one has seen the Father except the One who comes from God; he has seen the Father.
47 Truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
The body of Christ, bread of life
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Though your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, they died.
50 But here you have the bread which comes from heaven so that you may eat of it and not die.
51 I am the living bread which has come from heaven; whoever eats of this bread will live forever. The bread I shall give is my flesh and I will give it for the life of the world.”
52 The Jews were arguing among themselves, “How can this man give us flesh to eat?”
53 So Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives with eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.
55 My flesh is really food and my blood is drink.
56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood, live in me and I in them.
57 Just as the Father, who is life, sent me and I have life from the Father, so whoever eats me will have life from me.
58 This is the bread which came from heaven; unlike that of your ancestors, who ate and later died. Those who eat this bread will live forever.”
59 Jesus spoke in this way in Capernaum when he taught them in the synagogue.
Will you also go away?
60 After hearing this, many of Jesus’ followers said, “This language is very hard! Who can accept it?”
61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were murmuring about this and so he said to them, “Does this offend you?
62 Then how will you react when you see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh cannot help. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
64 But among you there are some who do not believe.”
From the beginning, Jesus knew who would betray him.
65 So he added, “As I have told you, no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”
66 After this many disciples withdrew and no longer followed him.
67 Jesus asked the Twelve, “Will you also go away?”
68 Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 We now believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
70 Jesus said to them, “I chose you, the Twelve, did I not? Yet one of you is a devil.”
71 Jesus spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. He, one of the Twelve, was to betray him.
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Comments John, Chapter 6
• 6.1 See Mark 6:35.
• 22. In the following pages John expands Jesus’ pronouncements in the synagogue of Capernaum. Surely Jesus himself at that time did not develop so fully the doctrine on the Eucharist (vv. 48-58). There is no doubt, however, that Jesus expressed himself in a manner that scan dalized his hearers. What did he say but to affirm clearly that we must go to him, for he is the true bread from whom we receive eternal life?
People struggle for adequate food, and their first pre occupation is to survive, be cause if they do not eat they will cease to live. We do not have life in ourselves and have to constantly depend on others for what is necessary to maintain life. In spite of everything, some day life escapes us because we have not encountered the lasting food (v. 27).
In fact, we need much more than bread: beyond eating and drinking, we seek something that permits us to no longer experience hunger or thirst. We will find this on the day of the Resurrection, in the assembly of all the Saints in Heaven, where there will be total and perfect peace and unity. That is precisely what the Work of the Son of Man (the Human One) is.
The discourse begins with a question from the Jews: Which are the works that God wants us to do? Jesus replies: The Work that God wants is that you believe. The Father does not demand “works,” that is, the practices of a reli gious law, but rather, faith. In the previous chapter, Jesus declared that his work is to raise people up. Here he indicates our work: to believe in the Messenger of the Father.
The key word of the discourse is bread (or loaves). That is why John repeats it seven times in each section of this chapter. The expression who has come down from heaven appears seven times in the chapter.
• 28. Here begins the first part of the discourse: Jesus becomes our bread when we believe in him.
In the past, when the Israelites wandered in the desert and lacked everything, God gave them a provisional meal, the manna. They had to give thanks to him for his gifts. But if God is only our benefactor and we go to him seek ing favors, we end up concerned only for what God gives us; we will hardly thank him, and later will continue to ask and complain.
This was what happened with the Israelites who, after receiving the manna, rebelled against God and died in the desert. Material things, although they may come from heaven, do not make us better nor do they give us true life.
For this reason, God now proposes something new. The bread that comes down from heaven is not something, but someone, and that is Christ. That true bread communicates eternal life to us, but to receive it, it is necessary to take a step, that is, to believe in Christ and to make a personal commitment to him.
All that the Father gives me will come to me (v. 37). Not all those who take pride in belonging to the true religion come to Christ, but only those whom the Father knows. Though the church embraces many people of all descriptions, only those to whom the Father has given this grace will find their way to the controversial and humble Christ. While acknowledging the value of the sacraments and good works, we should not forget what Jesus taught: none of our own efforts can substitute for the grace of being chosen by the Father who calls us to know his Son in truth.
They shall all be taught by God (v. 45). Several texts from the prophets showed in what way Jewish religion should transcend itself. God’s covenant celebrated in Mount Sinai had given the laws through which the conscience of God’s people would be educated. Then should come new times when God would teach each of his believers as he did the great prophets (Is 54:13; Jer 31:34; Jl 3:1). Jesus recalls these promises and interprets them. It is not a matter of revelations given to everyone but of a mysterious call that directs us to Jesus. In Jesus, the perfect mirror of God, we discover the will of the Father for us. Jesus is the Word of God and from now on the most authentic revelations can only send us back to him.
This man is the son of Joseph (v. 42). Jesus’ listeners were Jews who believed in God and in the Scriptures. To believe in the proph ets who were honored after their death was easy; but to recognize God’s contemporary and controversial messengers, especially when the messenger of God was a simple carpenter was another matter. This is equally true today, for we must overcome doubts and listen to God’s messengers who point out the mission of the Church in today’s world. There are many who believe in the Bible or in Christ but refuse to listen to the Church, especially when it speaks through Chris tians and religious belonging to the world of the poor and of workers.
Do not murmur (v. 43). The Bible uses the verb “to murmur” in Exodus and Numbers: the Isra elites distrusted God and constantly criticized Moses’ de cisions (Ex 15:24; 16:2; 17:3).
• 48. COMMUNION – THE SACRAMENTS
The second part of the discourse: Jesus becomes our bread when we eat his body in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
How can this man give us flesh to eat? (v. 52). Thus spoke the Israelites who distrusted God in the desert (Num 11:4 & 18). John plays on the same words and gives them a different meaning here: why would a messenger from heaven give flesh to the world, when what we need is some thing spiritual? Jesus answers in verse 63: this flesh to eat may sound like food for bodily sus tenance, but it is really a sharing in the life of the risen Christ transformed by the Spirit. For that reason it gives life (6:63).
Through material means the believer participates in a heavenly reality and enters into communion with the risen Christ. The Church defines sacrament as something material that symbolizes and brings about a spiritual reality. When we faithfully participate in a sacrament, we encounter the living Christ in person renewing our lives. In the Supper of the Lord, that is, in the Mass, we really receive the body and blood of Christ, in what appears to be only bread and wine. The risen Christ becomes for us the food of eternal life.
Jesus acts as living bread in us. When we eat ordinary bread our body digests and assimilates it, but when we eat living bread (the body of Christ), this bread actively changes us. Christ transforms us; gives his life to us and unites us with himself: Whoever eats me will have life in me.
Flesh and blood. In Hebrew culture flesh and blood denotes the human being in his mortal condition. Jesus wants us to make our own his entire human being in its humble and mortal condition, and communicates to us his divinity. It is evident that communion only shows its full meaning if taken in the two species of bread and wine; even in the Latin Church there is no Eucharist if the celebrant at least does not communicate under the two species.
Regarding this means of Jesus’ life being transmitted to us, we are not easily convinced. We often wonder at Jesus’ words: he who eats my flesh has life, he who does not… We need to study the par ables on the Kingdom of God more closely. The gift of God, whether it be his word or the Body of Christ, is a seed so small that it may be lost or may not bear fruit. It is fruitful only in those who believe and persevere.
The sacraments we receive help us mature in the life of God; they affect the very core of our being. Sometimes we feel discouraged about the many defects and prej udices we still have despite our reception of the sacraments. We do not understand that transformation is something deep and often not immediately evident.
• 60. This language is very hard. How could Jesus’ listeners believe that he, the “son of Joseph,” had come from God? And today how can we believe that we need the Eucharist? Jesus tells us why he came: The Son of God came down to us, so that later he would ascend to where he was before. He came from God to communicate to us the very life of God and then to bring us to the bosom of God (Jn 14:12).
The truth is that by Christ’s resurrection, our world has already started its renewal. For when the Son of Man entered the Glory of his Father, he carried on his shoulders the whole of creation that he wanted to renew and consecrate. Clothed in our humanity, the Son of God has ascended to where he was before: the first of our race has achieved full union with God.
Although, to all appearances, life goes on as before, we believe that the renewed world has been activated. The Spirit is at work within gigantic disturbances that continually agitate and shake the whole of humanity. Christ is invincibly consecrating this world. He enables humanity to arrive at maturity by means of innumerable crises and deaths that prepare for a resurrection.
Jesus’ listeners could not understand (6:61) the mystery of the Son of God and his humiliations. Jesus wanted to dispossess himself of his divine glory by becoming human and dying like a slave (see Jn 1:14 and Phil 2:6), so that later the Father would enable him to ascend to where he came from. It is likewise a test of our faith to believe that God continually works among us in our world. In spite of our unresponsiveness, God still loves us; the Church is so un worthy, yet God uses it to fulfill his plan; history is so destructive, yet it is preparing us for the fullness of the Kingdom.
The flesh cannot help (v. 63). Jesus spoke of giving us his flesh, but this should not be understood as a continuation of the Jewish religion, in which the meat of sacrificed animals was eaten. In Hebrew culture, flesh and blood denote “the world below,” where humankind moves and where one has no access to communication with God. The Eucharist is different. This is the body, or flesh, of the risen Christ transformed by the Spirit, which acts in us spiritually and brings us into communion with God.
Lord, to whom shall we go? (v. 68). Many of Jesus’ followers left but, in the name of those who remained, Peter pledged his fidelity (see also Mt 16:13).