The Feeding of the Multitude, the Bread of Life Discourse, and the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist – John 6

Has the Bread of Life Discourse in John 6 drawn closer to Jesus or prompted to reject Jesus? 

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On Cycle B in the Liturgical Calendar, we usually read from Mark’s Gospel for Sunday Mass in Ordinary Time. However, from the 17^th Sunday to the 21^st Sunday, we read from John’s Gospel for these five consecutive Sundays.  For these Sundays, the Gospel readings cover John 6, except vv. 16-21, vv. 36-40, v. 59 and vv.70-71.

The Marcan Gospel reading for the 16^th Sunday (Mark 6:30-34) tells that Jesus saw the increasing crowd, who kept following Jesus, with compassion and taught them. Then, the Gospel reading for the 17^th Sunday (John 6:1-15) describes that Jesus fed the crowd out mere five loaves of bread and two fish to their complete satisfaction. This miraculous feeding of the multitude was an act of Jesus’ compassion so that they would not have to wonder aimlessly, like a bunch of sheep without a shepherd (Mark 6:34).  However, as indicated in the Gospel reading for the 18^th Sunday (John 6:24-35), the crowd kept chasing Jesus all the way to the other side of the Sea of Galilee as to expect to be have “free food” from Jesus again. And, Jesus had to confront them and remind them that Jesus did not come to this world to function as a “mobile miracle food pantry” but to give them the work of God – the bread from heaven that gives life to this world (vv. 27-33), and Jesus revealed to them that he himself is the work of God as he is the Bread of Life that keeps those who receive him from hunger (v. 35). Thus, began the Bread of Life Discourse of Jesus on the heel of the feeding of the multitude.

The Gospel reading for the 19^th Sunday (John 6:41-51) reminds that there was a person who disrupted the discourse by telling the crowd, “Hey, isn’t this guy Jesus,  the son of Joseph that we all know in Nazareth? So, what is he doing to say ‘I am the Bread of Life’? Isn’t he crazy or what?” (cf. v.42) . But, Jesus continued on with his discourse, revealing more about who he really is by elaborating on what the Bread of Life really is. Then, Jesus explained that the Bread of Life would entitle them to eternal life as it is the Living Bread of Life (vv. 48-51).  

The continuation of the discourse is further carried over into the Gospel reading for the 20^th Sunday (John 6:51-58). However, there is a significant turn in this part of the discourse as Jesus told that the Bread of Life is the Living Bread, which he is, is also his living flesh (σάρξ/sarx, as opposed to κρέας/kreas). This is marked by v.51, which goes: I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.  This is where the 19^th Sunday’s Gospel reading ends and where the 20^th Sunday Gospel reading begins.  It is being repeated over two consecutive Sundays because of its importance to connect the Living Bread (ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν/ho artos ho zon), which is who Jesus is, to his living flesh (σάρξ/sarx). In fact, this sentence is the pinnacle of the Bread of Life discourse. However, to appreciate its meaning, we do need be assisted by the divine wisdom, as indicated by the first reading (Proverbs 9:1-6) and the second reading (Ephesians 5:15-20) of the 20^th Sunday.

Connecting the Bread of Life (ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς/ho artos tes zoes)(v.35,v.48), the Living Bread (ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν/ho artos ho zon)(v.51) to the living flesh (σάρξ/sarx) of Jesus (v.51) seems difficult but may be done with the Hebrew word, לָ֫חֶם/lechem, which usually means “bread” (i.e. Genesis 3:19) but can be referred to meat (as in κρέας/kreas)(i.e. Leviticus 3:16).  It is also quite interesting to note that the Hebrew word, לָ֫חֶם/lechem, corresponds to the Arabic word, لَحْم‎/lahm. which means “meat”. Thus, to put John 6:51 in the context of the Hebrew-Arabic connection, we can understand that the Bread of Life, which is the Living Bread, is also the Living Flesh of Jesus, as Jesus is the living לָ֫חֶם/lechem to give us eternal life.

It is also important to note that Jesus repeatedly reminded that he, as the Bread of Life, the Living Bread, was sent by the Father from heaven as the new manna to give us the sustenance for eternal life.

For us to complete our journey to see the Father, who has sent the Son, by incarnating the Word (λόγος/logos)(John 1:14), by impregnating Mary, who is immaculate, by the Holy Spirit (πνεύματος ἁγίου/pneumatos hagiou)(Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:35) and the Bread of Life (ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς/ho artos tes zoes) (John 6:35-40 57-58), we must go through Christ, who is the way and the truth and life (John 14:6), and Jesus was offering himself – his living flesh (σάρξ/sarx) in the form of the Bread of Life (ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς/ho artos tes zoes), the Living Bread (ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν/ho artos ho zon) – as לָ֫חֶם/lechem, and لَحْم‎/lahm. Given this, the 20^th Sunday (John 6:51-58) is the Johannine narrative of Corporis et Sanguinis Christi as the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, which the Synoptic Gospels address in the context of the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-29//Mark 14:22-25//Luke 22:14-22).

Finally, in the Gospel narrative for the 21^st Sunday (John 6:60-69), Jesus juxtaposed the Bread of Life (ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς/ho artos tes zoes), the Living Bread (ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν/ho artos ho zon) and his living flesh (σάρξ/sarx) from vv. 35-58 to the words (ῥήματα/rhemata), which were spoken by Jesus, are the spirit and life (πνεῦμά καὶ ζωή/pneuma kai zoe) (v.63). Because the spoken word (ῥῆμα/rhema) of Jesus is loaded with the spirit (πνεῦμά/pneuma), which gives life, the Bread of Life, as the Living Bread of Life is also the Living Word of God.

Bringing the Holy Spirit to the Bread is critically important to see the Bread of Life as the Eucharist, because the Eucharist is the Living Body of Christ for it is filled with the Holy Spirit thanks to infusion of the Holy Spirit through Epiklesis. Without this, the bread on the alter would remain just bread and the wine in the chalice would be simply wine. As St. Ephraem of Syria described the Sacrament of the Eucharist as imbued  with the Holy Spirit, it is indeed the Living Bread of Life,  because, as St. Thomas Aquinas argued,  the bread on the alter is transubstantiated by the Holy Spirit upon Epiklesis.

As we go through the Bread of Life Discourse (John 6:22-71), which is Jesus’ response to the way the crowd reacted for his miraculous feeding (John 6:1-15), with the help of wisdom from God in the Holy Spirit, we can understand that the Living Body of Christ as the Holy Eucharist, is, in essence, not only λόγος/logos in σάρξ/sarx of Jesus but also ῥῆμα/rhema that has come out of the mouth of Jesus. This makes the Eucharist both the Bread (ἄρτος /artos – לָ֫חֶם/ lechem) and the Word (ῥῆμα /rhema – דָּבָר /dabar) altogether as we need both of these for our sustenance (i.e. Mathew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3), as it is loaded with the essence of life – the Holy Spirit.

It is quite disheartening to see the hungry of people, who used to chase Jesus in Galilee, and whom Jesus saw with compassion and fed out of the five loaves and two fish, left Jesus, upon the Bread of Life Discourse (John 6:66). It is because they failed to appreciate the meaning of the Bread of Life Discourse, namely, what the Eucharist is about. It is due to their lack of wisdom.  What about us? To leave Jesus or not to leave Jesus – that is the question in concluding the Bread of Life Discourse. Your answer indicates if you have received wisdom as a gift of the Holy Spirit or not.

For those who seek material comfort and sensual pleasure, Jesus may mean nothing. On the other hand, for those who seek the beatitude (blessedness) , like εὐδαιμονία/eudaimonia in the Aristotelian virtue ethics, Jesus gives deep meaning of life toward eternity through the Bread of Life, a spiritual food for our journey to see the Father in heaven.