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.
Generally we can view this “I AM” teaching of Jesus in three dominant ways:
1. This teaching is fundamentally understood in “sacramental” terms, and by “sacramental” I mean repetitive outward signs instituted by Jesus, signs that give us the grace of God. Eucharist, then, can be understood as the “sacrament” of the Lord’s Supper. The very strong language of eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood supports this point of view: “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” (verses 53-58). In the early church Christians leaned heavily on the Eucharist as part of their gatherings, and so it is likely that this is how Jesus’ words were understood.
Just a few decades later Ignatius, whom many believe knew John, wrote this: “Stand fast, brethren, in the faith of Jesus Christ. and in His love, and in His passion, and in His resurrection. Do you not all come together in common, and individually, breaking one and the same bread, which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote which prevents us from dying, but a cleansing remedy driving away evil, so that we should live in God through Jesus Christ” (Ignatius’ Letter to the Ephesians).
How do we account for this kind of description of this teaching of Jesus?
2. This teaching could also be viewed as a metaphorical teaching rather than a sacramental teaching. If we take into fact that John is living and writing in Greek territory rather than in Jewish territory, even if we believe these words of Jesus to be more metaphorical than sacramental, we can certainly see strong overtones of the Eucharist in this passage. Remembering that John is writing this close to the end of the first century it follows that many of his readers will see the connection to the Eucharist in Jesus’ words. It seems quite possible that many would see theses words of Jesus point to the bread of life come down from heaven to give His life for the world, and in this sense the passage is more metaphorical than sacramental. If John is writing to non-Christians, as many believe, then viewing this passage in metaphorical terms may indeed be the most helpful; way.
3. The third way to view this passage is to see it in BOTH metaphorical and Christological, and ALSO sacramental and eucharistic, where we can see both ideas in this discourse of Jesus. The bread and wine are necessary for life, both metaphorically and sacramentally, without either approach being primary. The language is both richly metaphorical and sacramental. Both arguments are strong and commanding.
Remember that John’s Gospel is primarily evangelistic and Christological, meaning that John is writing to spread the truth about who Jesus is! Remember how John closes his Gospel: “30 Now Jesus did many other signs (miracles) in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” John 20:30-31. Jesus chasing the Passover Seder meal into the Eucharist on the night before He died. and then teaching that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” v.53, John wishes to say in his gospel that “believing and having life in His (Jesus’) name” includes many “signs”, especially the sign of the Eucharist. Believing, then, is not just an intellectual or matter of the heart, but also a matter of eating and drinking the bread and wine of life! The early church’s strong use of the Eucharist points to the church’s central object of faith - the Lord Jesus himself.
And by the way, something is metaphorical when you use it to stand for, or symbolize, another thing.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
Below is a list of Jesus’ seven “I Am” statements in the book of John.
“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51). As bread sustains physical life, so Christ offers and sustains spiritual life.
“I am the light of the world”(John 8:12). To a world lost in darkness, Christ offers Himself as a guide.
“I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7, 9). Jesus protects His followers as shepherds protect their flocks from predators.
“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Death is not the final word for those in Christ.
“I am the good shepherd”(John 10:11,14). Jesus is committed to caring and watching over those who are His.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Jesus is the source of all truth and knowledge about God.
“I am the true vine” (John 15:1. 5). By attached ourselves to Christ, we enable His life to flow in and through us. Then we cannot help but bear fruit that will honor the Father.
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