Understanding
the Eucharist in John VI
Protestant and
Catholic
The Gospel According to St. John Ch: VI
Read from the Gospel of John below
The sixth chapter of Johns Gospel is
arguably the most controversial chapter amongst Protestants and Catholics. The
Bread of Life Discourse has been understood to carry a different connotation
throughout Christian history and especially since the Reformation in the 16th
century. Chapter VI of the gospel provides the understanding of the Eucharist
for all Christians; however, the scripture has been interpreted much different
by Protestants and Catholics. The general understanding of John VI is that
Jesus has presented himself as the Bread of Life for all the people of the
world to have life within them. John is rather clear about this. What is left
up for discussion is whether Jesus is speaking metaphorical or literally.
While there are many differing
Protestant understandings of the Eucharist, the general understanding is that
Jesus was speaking of figurative flesh and figurative blood and a spiritual
unification that takes place between man and God when we believe in Jesus and
continue to feed (figuratively) on him. The understanding of the Eucharist
differs between the thousands of denominations. For this reason, when speaking
of the Protestant understanding of John VI, I will be referring to the
teachings of the Reformers to avoid generalization.
The Catholic Understanding of the Eucharist is such that Jesus was not speaking figuratively but literally when he said “My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (6:55). The church as always taught that Christ body and blood is truly present in the Eucharist, under the species of bread and wine (CCC 1410-1411). St. Justin Martyr, a second century church apologist said, “The Eucharist, according to the testimony of the holy Fathers, should be regarded as in a manner a continuation and extension of the Incarnation. All laws of nature are suspended; the whole substance of the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ.”[1]
The Catholic Understanding of the Eucharist is such that Jesus was not speaking figuratively but literally when he said “My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (6:55). The church as always taught that Christ body and blood is truly present in the Eucharist, under the species of bread and wine (CCC 1410-1411). St. Justin Martyr, a second century church apologist said, “The Eucharist, according to the testimony of the holy Fathers, should be regarded as in a manner a continuation and extension of the Incarnation. All laws of nature are suspended; the whole substance of the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ.”[1]
The majority of the discussion over
the Bread of Life from John VI starts with verse fifty two, but it is important
to address the verses before this where John is elevating this powerful
teaching. The Bread of Life discourse takes place in Capernaum just after Jesus
performed the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. The people who ate
of the multiple loaves found Jesus and began to speak about the manna, bread
from heaven, which their fathers ate with Moses. John gives these two references
of physical supernatural bread which sets the scene for the third account of
bread, the bread of life. These followers ask Jesus to give them this bread
always and Jesus replies that he is the bread of life that has come down from
heaven. This statement leaves them perplexed and murmuring because they see him
only from a human perspective as the son of Joseph.
In verse forty seven Jesus says,
“Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the Bread of
life.” From a protestant understanding, this begins to illustrate the
figurative sense of the bread as spiritual feeding through believing. This is
the understanding that one must simply believe in Jesus as the son of God and
the savior to the world to receive the Bread of Life. This is after all, what
Jesus wanted them to believe when he gave them a multitude of loaves to eat.
Because of this verse, the Protestant claim is that when Christ speaks of
eating his flesh in the next passages, he means no more than believing in or
appropriating the benefits of his sacrificed flesh.[2] If
this teaching is correct, then the sacrifice of the mass must be in vain
because Jesus was already sacrificed and people can believe through the
liturgy. If a person merely has to believe in the Bread of Life then why does
the Catholic Church continue the sacrifice of the cross in the Eucharist? The
Church teaches that Christ is not dying again, he does not continue to bleed,
but that he has been raised and by the Holy Spirit he is continuing to make
himself present as the sacrificial lamb, the bread of life.[3]
Why? Because believing in Christ means having communion with him. In the Old
Testament, the people could believe in the Passover sacrifice all they wanted,
but they were not saved until they ate the lamb. Jesus then speaks of manna
again in verse forty nine. The manna was eaten every day, just as the Eucharist
is eaten every day: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Mt 6:11). The Apostle
Paul understood this when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, “For our paschal
lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast…”
In verse fifty one Jesus makes his
critical statement, “The bread which I shall give for the life of the world is
my flesh.” The Protestant understanding of this entire pericope is that the
figurative language must be used so that there is no contradiction with
3:16-18. The logic follows, that if eating Christ’s flesh is necessary for
life, then the alleged conclusion of believing and being baptized, from chapter
three, has presented an inconsistency; unless however, the language is not
meant to be taken literally.[4]
Protestants rightly stress the point from John three on baptism. We must be
born again, born from above into the family of God. The Eucharist then, is not
a contradiction, but rather a renewal of the sacrament. One must be part of the
family before they can partake in the feast.
Fifty two through fifty eight serve
as Jesus’ firm reassuring of the tough teaching that he just proclaimed. Jesus
just created a scandal for himself as the Jews disputed among themselves
saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” They must have been
thinking that this is cannibalism, paganism, barbarism, sin to the highest
degree, and Jesus intensifies the outrage by saying in verse fifty three,
“unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”[5]
Jesus knew that the drinking of blood was condemned in Leviticus seventeen and
he still said it to the Jews. In chapter three, when Nicodemus takes Jesus
literally about being reborn from his mother, (speaking about baptism) Jesus is
quick to correct him and assure him that he is speaking figuratively. Jesus
tells Nicodemus one time that he must be reborn, but in John VI, Jesus says
four times to the Jews that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood. Jesus
corrects Nicodemus for taking him literally but corrects nobody when they take
him literally about eating his flesh.
It is the understanding of the
Catholic Church that John VI is taken literally and that we must indeed eat the
flesh and drink the blood of Christ, not only because of the context and
conviction of Jesus statements such as fifty five, “my flesh is true food, and
my blood is true drink,” but because of the original language that was used. In
Hebrew, the nouns ‘flesh and blood’ are used by the word idiom, which wholly means man.[6]
The verbs ‘eat and drink,’ esthiein
and phagein, are used with direct
accusation of action.[7]
Jesus says in fifty seven, “the one who feeds on me will have life because of
me.” The verb ‘feeds,’ trogein in
Greek, is used even with a crude connotation to mean gnaw, and munch.[8]
Just as this teaching was too
difficult for many of Jesus disciples to bear, “After this many of his
disciples drew back and no longer walked with him,” (6:66) many Protestants
find it too hard to accept. The Catholic Church upholds the Eucharist as her
heart and summit, for in it Christ offers this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving
once and for all on the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he pours out his
graces of salvation on the Church which is his body (CCC1407). The two themes
of this discourse, faith and Eucharist, cannot be separated for neither one is
the direct focus of attention by John but rather both are unified in Jesus who
offers a living sacrifice of faith and sacrament.[9] Jesus makes it clear that he is the manna, he
is the priest, he is the first born son, he is the sacrifice, he is the victim,
he is the lamb, he is everything wrapped up in one and he says four times, “Eat
my flesh and drink my blood.[10] Peter even affirms this when he says to
Jesus, “you have the words of eternal life.” Peter and the Apostles, totally
aware of the weight of these scandalous words, were willing to eat of his flesh
because they believed this was the truth. As Christians, we are called not just
to believe in the words of eternal life, but to do what Christ says.
John 6:25-71
25When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"26Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.27Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal."28Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?"29Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."30So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform?31Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"32Jesus then said to them, "Truly, 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.33For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world."34They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always."35Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.36But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.37All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out.38For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me;39and 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 at the last day.40For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."41The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."42They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, `I have come down from heaven'?"43Jesus answered them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.44No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.45It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.46Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father.47Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.48I am the bread of life.49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.50This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.51I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."52The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"53So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;54he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.55For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.56He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.57As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.58This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."59This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Caper'na-um.60Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"61But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this?62Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before?63It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.64But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him.65And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father."66After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him.67Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"68Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life;69and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."70Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"71He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was to betray him.
25When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"26Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.27Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal."28Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?"29Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."30So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform?31Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"32Jesus then said to them, "Truly, 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.33For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world."34They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always."35Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.36But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.37All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out.38For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me;39and 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 at the last day.40For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."41The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."42They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, `I have come down from heaven'?"43Jesus answered them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.44No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.45It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.46Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father.47Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.48I am the bread of life.49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.50This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.51I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."52The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"53So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;54he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.55For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.56He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.57As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.58This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."59This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Caper'na-um.60Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"61But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this?62Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before?63It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.64But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him.65And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father."66After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him.67Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"68Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life;69and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."70Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"71He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was to betray him.
[1] Pope
Leo XII, The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII. Pg. 524.
[2]
Bickel, David R., The Eucharistic nature
of John’s Bread of Life discourse (http://dawningrealm.org/papers/living.pdf
2006), 3
[3]
Hahn, Scott. Understanding the Eucharist
(lighthouse Catholic Media, 2009) 29:55
[4]
Bickel, David R., The Eucharistic nature
of John’s Bread of Life discourse (http://dawningrealm.org/papers/living.pdf
2006), 8
[5]
Hahn, Scott. Understanding the Eucharist
(lighthouse Catholic Media, 2009) 30:35
[6]
Brown. Ramond E., The Gospel According to
John I-XII. Vol. 29 (New York: Doubleday, 1966), 282
[7]
Ibid
[8]
Ibib., 283
[9]
Mcpolin. James S.J., JOHN New Testament 6
(Delaware: Abbey Press, 1979), 72
[10]
Hahn, Scott. Understanding the Eucharist
(lighthouse Catholic Media, 2009) 32:20
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