THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS, THE CHRIST AND THE SON OF GOD, ACCORDING TO JOHN. Manfred Diefenbach
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58e) in Christ594 – then and nowadays.
v. 57: In this Eucharistic way, everyone who “eats” the sacramental bread “has “(eternal) life ( )” because He as the “Bread of Life” is the source of “eternal life” as a (heavenly) life after our death. God, the Creator, – “the Father has life in Himself” (John 5:26) is in Jesus, His Son, and gives life to all believers in God/Jesus595: “Through Him, with Him, and in Him, in the unity of … Father”, so the end of the Eucharistic Prayer.
v. 58: Verse 58 repeats verses 27b, 31a, 33a, 40c, 41d, 47b, 49, 50a–b, 51b, d again in the sense of a conclusion596/summary: “This is the bread” (vv. 50a, 58a)
which “(came down) from Heaven ( )” (vv. 33a, 38a, 41d, 42e, 50b, 51b, 58b).
“Not like /the bread/ the” (fore-)“fathers ate and died” (vv. 31a, 49, 58c)
Whoever “eats this bread will live forever” (vv. 27b, 40c, 47b, 51c–d, 54a2, 58d).
The contrast is as follows: THEN, despite eating of the bread from Heaven (= the “manna” – cf. Exodus 16:4, 15) through Moses or drinking of the water from Jacob’s well (cf. John 4:5–15), the Jewish forefathers still died (cf. 6:49, 58c),
but NOW – the new way in the view of Jesus as the living bread is: “eternal/everlasting life” (cf. v. 54b) as a “universal”597 promise for everyone – then and nowadays. Both Jesus and Moses are protagonists on behalf of God, but Jesus alone is the giver and gift of the living bread as His self-giving on the Cross (cf. 19:16b–30) for us: “through Him and in Him”. The quality of “the living bread” (v. 51a) is in contrast to the “manna” – both “came down from Heaven”.
# Comment by the Evangelist (v. 59)
The Fourth Evangelist remarks that Jesus “taught” (in Greek “dɩdásko” in v. 59 and in 7:14, 28, 35; 8:[2, ]20, 28; 9:34; 14:26; 18:20) this (Eucharistic) discourse “in /the/ synagogue” (cf. 18:20) at “Capernaum” (cf. vv. 17b, 24d, 59 and John 2:12; 4:46; Mark 1:21–28; Luke 4:31–37).
2.3.6 Variety of Reactions and Division of His Disciples (vv. 60–71)
In verses 60–71 there are two kinds of reaction to Jesus’ words: The negative reaction of “many of (His) disciples ( )”598 (vv. 60a, 66a) is followed by the presentation of two models: Peter as the good one (cf. vv. 68–69) and Judas Iscariot as the bad one who “hands Him over” (cf. vv. 70–71) – both were among “the Twelve”.
- The Dialogue between Jesus and His Disciples (vv. 60–66)
+ The Question of His Disciples (v. 60)
“Many” respectively a (small or large?) group (cf. v. 66a) of His (Jewish) disciples who “(walked) with Him ( )” (v. 66b) respectively followed and “heard” (cf. John 8:43) Him could not accept and protested – note the adjective “sklerós” (= hard, strong) in verse 60b – against His “word/s”/teaching599 (cf. vv. 26–58/59) about His sacramental “Bread of (eternal) Life” as His “flesh” (cf. vv. 51g, 52b, 53c, 54a, 55a, 56a, 63b) and the “scandal” (in Greek “skandalízo” in v. 61d) of the ascent of the “Son of Man” (vv. 27c, 53c, 62a). Their distancing themselves from Jesus is like the many disaffected Jewish people600 (cf. vv. 41a, 43b, 52a) because of God’s Law (especially His blasphemy in the form of His divine self-revelation: “I am …” [cf. Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 42:8] in vv. 35b, 38a. [41c,] 48a, 51a) and their forefathers’ tradition (cf. vv. 31a–c, 49, 58c) in their eyes/mind. So they talked about Jesus and not with Him. Because of their protest/doubts or uncertain question(s) and mental alienation/stand-off as a negative response they cut their relationship and lifeblood to Him and to God.
+ First Comment by the Evangelist (v. 61a–c)
The Fourth Evangelist comments that Jesus realized – “knew” (in vv. 6c, 61a, 64c and in John 2:24–25; 13:21–22) – the “murmuring” (in Greek “goggúzo” in vv. 41a, 43b, 61b and in 7:32) – and the criticisms/“scandal” (in Greek “skandalízo”601 in v. 61d and in John 16:1; Matthew 11:6; 13:57; 26:31) of “(His) disciples ( )”.
+ The Answer of Jesus (vv. 61d–65)
v. 61d: Therefore Jesus emphasizes the dialogue about His “word/s”/teaching with His protesting “disciples” in the form of a direct speech with two question (cf. vv. 61d, 62a–b):
Firstly: “Does this offend you?”
v. 62: Secondly: What should happen when they (subject: the crowd in v. 2b, His disciples in vv. 19b, 62a, everyone in v. 40b) will “see” (in Greek “theoréo” in vv. 2b, 19b, 40b, 62a) Him (object602), who is pre-existent as “Son of Man”, as eyewitnesses ascend – note the opposite term “comes down” in verses 33a, 38a, 41d, 42e, 50b, 51b, 58b as Jesus’ “down and up” – to God?
The verb “comes down” (note the verba composita “kata-baíno” and “ana-baíno” [= to ascend]) describes that Jesus “came down”603 from and “went back”604 to the heavenly Father, into/from the world to glorify Him (cf. John 17:1). In the same words (ascended – descended) of Proverbs 30:4605, the incarnate Jesus of Nazareth, “the Son of Man” (John 1:51; 3:13–14; 6:27, 53, 62; 8:28; 9:35; 12:23, 34; 13:31) and at the same time “the Son of God” (1:14, 18; 3:16, 17, 18), came from the heavenly as divine sphere606 to earth. At the end of His earthly ministry in words and deeds as a divine “imperative lifting up”-action (cf. 3:14–16; 8:28; 12:32, 34) He “went back” into Heaven as His “return” (3:12–13).
v. 63: Like the (dual) contrast Heaven and earth – Jesus contrasted the “spirit” (in Greek “pneũma”) in a positive sense as (eternal) “life-giving” (in Greek “zoopoɩéo” in v. 63a – note also v. 68c – and in John 5:21a–b607; Romans 4:17; 8:11; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 36, 45; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Galatians 3:21; 1 Peter 3:18) with the term “flesh” (sárx); it is “nothing”/“useless” in the eyes of the Evangelist. His spoken “word/s” (in Greek “lógos” in v. 60b and “h’rēma” in vv. 63c, 68c) are inspired “words” which will give (eternal) life. God’s “words” through Jesus (Christological view) are inspired “words” by the Holy Spirit and not only (verbal, informative) “words” of a man (anthropological view)608 but with the help of the language of human beings (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and Dei Verbum 11–12; CCC 105–111).
Verses 64–65 appear to put the destructive effects of disbelief among Jesus’ own followers/disciples into perspective.
v. 64a–b: Their refusal and non-acceptance of Jesus as “the living Bread” for all people is accompanied by their non-believing609 in Him (cf. vv. 36c, 64b, d), so they would not have eternal life because of cutting themselves off the lifeblood and relationship to God/Him (cf. John 3:16, 18 [positive] and vv. 17–18 [negative]):“To believe in Jesus” (cf. vv. 16c, 18a; 29–30, 35, 40, 47) means to put our trust and confidence in Him that He – our Redeemer and Saviour – alone can save us. The Fourth Gospel proclaims at its beginning (cf. 1:7) and end (cf. 20:30–31), that the things are written that all