35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away, 38 for I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day. 40 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.”
41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day, 55 for my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which the ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever” John 6:35-58.
This is the great discourse of Jesus on the bread of life — and there are two (2) parts to His discourse. The first part (verses 35-50) is about the heavenly bread that nourishes us through the revelation or teachings of Jesus. The second part of this discourse (verses 51-58) speaks of communion — or the eucharist. Now many great and respected scholars believe this second part of Jesus’ discourse about the Eucharist — or communion — would never have been understood by the Galilean people had Jesus spoken these words at the same historical moment as the first discourse. This entire discourse of Jesus is presented by John as having occurred before the Last Supper, and so the second discourse about the Eucharist — or communion — reflected a much deeper reflection about communion, a reflection that could have only occurred after the Last Supper. The most commonly held conclusion is that these verses 51-58 were the work of a redactor — a later editor of the original text, an individual who knew John and perhaps even worked with John in putting down his Gospel on parchment. Redactors abound throughout the Bible and reflect a living word that has experienced some editorial additions and subtractions through the generations and ages. In many — but not all — Bible translations you will find the redacted verses appearing in parenthesis.
This redactor of John combined the bread of heaven together with the eucharist — or communion — material from the Last Supper as if the second part of Jesus’ discourse paralleled with the first part.
This understanding of the two parts of the discourse makes sense too when you consider the fact that John's Gospel has no mention of the Eucharist — or communion — at the Last Supper. That material has instead appeared here in these verse 51-58. But make no mistake about it, these two discourses complement each other and make up the fundamental understanding of Christian Liturgy ever since. They belong together, just not in the same historical period of time.
What John wants to say is that Jesus’ teachings nourish forever. Jesus says you will never hunger or thirst for wisdom beyond the wisdom of Jesus Christ. “I am the bread of life; who comes to Me will not hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst” John 6:35. Jesus has come down from heaven as the bread of life and the living water that nourishes all for eternal life! When the Jews grumble about this bread of life from heaven Jesus reminds them of the Prophets who spoke of this bread of Heaven: “Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you'” Exodus 16:4. Jesus also reminds them of the manna during the exodus that did not keep them alive forever nor did it keep them faithful to God (John 6:49). Jesus concludes by saying that “I am the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die” John 6:50.
And then comes the final part of the discourse, in verses 51-58, when Jesus says: “51 I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, you will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh’” John 6:51. John wishes to emphasize that the Word (the Logos) has become flesh and given up His flesh and blood as the food of life — and this is obviously a Last Supper theme that has influenced our understanding of communion — or the Eucharist. So from the very beginning Christians have understood Baptism as the Life the Father shares with his Son, and communion — the Eucharist — is the food that sustains and nourishes us along the journey or path. Jesus said: “57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats Me, you also will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; whoever eats this bread will live forever” John 6:57-58.
So dear friends, a passage like this calls for you to read and reflect. It is packed with deep data spoken by Jesus and reflected on by John. In nearly all of the mainline denominational Christian churches Baptism is the way to enter the church and reflects the life that God the Father shares with His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Our life as Christians is sustained
by the Word of God, the Eucharist, or communion, prayer for the sick and the dying, an adult reaffirmation, or confirmation, of our Baptism, the confessing of our sins, and the sacred calling and blessing, or ordination, of our leaders or pastors. These may all appear with some differences in each denomination, but how one joins the church and how one’s life is sustained is essentially the same. In this discourse above Jesus lays out much of the foundational understanding of the Eucharist — or communion. I pray that your reflections will lead you to love and follow Christ.
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