Homily 45 — John 6, verses 28 to 40

“Then they said to him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign do you show, then, that we may see and believe you? What do you work?’” [a]

There is nothing worse, nothing more shameful, than gluttony. It makes the mind dull and the soul fleshly; it blinds, and does not let a person see clearly. Look at how this happens with the Jews. Because they were bent on gluttony, wholly taken up with the things of this world and without a single spiritual thought, then even though Christ leads them on with countless sayings, sharp and at the same time patient, even so they do not rise, but stay groveling on the ground.

Consider. He said to them, “You seek me, not because you saw the miracles, but because you ate of the bread and were filled.” He touched them with the rebuke. He showed them what food they ought to seek, saying, “Do not labor for the food that perishes.” He set the prize before them, saying, “but for that which endures to eternal life.” Then he supplied a remedy for what might have been an objection, by declaring that he was sent from the Father.

What did they do, then? As though they had heard nothing, they said, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” They said this not so that they might learn those works and do them, as what follows shows, but to get him to supply them with food again; they wanted to persuade him to fill them. What, then, does Christ say? “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” At this they asked, “What sign do you show, that we may see and believe?”

Verse 31: “Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness.”

Nothing could be more senseless, nothing more unreasonable, than these men! While the miracle was still in their hands, they spoke as though none had been done: “What sign do you show?” And having said this, they do not even leave him the choice of the sign, but think they can force him to show them no other than the one worked in the days of their fathers. That is why they say, “Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness.” By this they thought to push him into working a miracle of the kind that would supply them with food for the body. Otherwise, why did they mention none of the other miracles of old — and there were many in those times, in Egypt, at the sea, and in the wilderness — but only the manna? Was it not because they longed for that one, under the tyranny of their bellies?

You who called him a prophet when you saw his miracle, and tried to make him a king — how is it that now, as though no miracle had been done, you have turned ungrateful and ill-disposed, and ask for a sign, speaking words fit for hangers-on or hungry dogs? Does the manna seem wonderful to you now? Your soul is not parched now.

Notice their hypocrisy too. They did not say, “Moses did this sign; what do you do?” — they thought that would annoy him. For the time being they address him with great respect, because they expect food. So they neither said, “God did this; what do you do?” so as not to seem to make him equal with God, nor did they put Moses forward, so as not to seem to lower him. They put it in a middle way: “Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness.”

He could indeed have replied: “Just now I have worked greater wonders than Moses did. I needed no rod and had no need of prayer, but did everything myself. And if you are calling the manna to mind, look — I have given you bread.” But this was not the time for such words. The one thing he was eager for was to bring them to spiritual food. And notice his boundless wisdom, and the way he answers.

Verse 32: “Moses did not give you that bread from heaven; but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.”

Why did he not say, “It was not Moses who gave it to you, but I,” but put God in the place of Moses, and himself in the place of the manna? Because the weakness of his hearers was great, as is clear from what follows. For not even when he had spoken this way did he gain their attention, although at the start he had said, “You seek me, not because you saw the miracle, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (verse 26). Because they were seeking these bodily things, he meant to correct them by what he said next; yet not even so did they stop.

When he promised the Samaritan woman that he would give her “the water,” he made no mention of the Father. What does he say? “If you knew who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4, verse 10). And again: “The water that I will give.” He does not refer her to the Father. But here he mentions the Father, so that you may understand how great the Samaritan woman’s faith was, and how great the weakness of the Jews.

Was the manna, then, not from heaven? How, then, is it said to be from heaven? In the same way that Scripture speaks of “the birds of heaven” (Psalm 8, verse 8), and again, “The Lord thundered from heaven” (Psalm 18, verse 13). And he calls the other bread “the true bread,” not because the miracle of the manna was false, but because it was a type, and not the reality itself.

In mentioning Moses, he does not compare himself to him, for the Jews did not yet rank him above Moses; they still thought more highly of Moses. So after saying, “Moses did not give,” he does not add, “I give,” but says that the Father gives, and not Moses. When they heard this, they replied, “Give us this bread to eat.” They still thought it was something material; they still expected to satisfy their appetites, and so they ran to him eagerly. What does Christ do? Leading them on little by little, he says:

Verse 33: “The bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Not to the Jews alone, he says, but to the whole “world”; and not mere food, but “life” — a different life, a life changed. He calls it “life” because all of them were dead in sins. Yet they still stayed bent toward the ground, saying:

Verse 34: “Give us this bread.”

Then, to rebuke them — because they came running to him while they supposed the food was material, but not once they learned it was of a spiritual kind — he said:

Verses 35 and 36: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst. But I said to you that you also have seen me, and do not believe me.”

John too cries out in the same way, saying beforehand, “He speaks what he knows, and testifies to what he has seen, and no one receives his testimony” (John 3, verse 32); and again Christ himself says, “We speak what we know, and testify to what we have seen” (John 3, verse 11), “and you do not believe.” He says this to anticipate them, and to show them that the matter does not trouble him; that he does not want honor; that he is not ignorant of the secrets of their minds, nor of things present, nor of things to come. [e]

“I am the bread of life.” Now he begins to entrust mysteries to them. And first he speaks of his divine nature, saying, “I am the bread of life.” For this is not said of his body — of that he speaks toward the end: “And the bread that I will give is my flesh” — but for the present it refers to his divine nature. For That is bread through God the Word, just as this bread too, through the Spirit coming down upon it, is made heavenly bread.

Here he does not use witnesses, as in his earlier discourse. He had the miracle of the loaves to bear witness to him, and the Jews themselves were, for the moment, pretending to believe him; in the earlier case they were opposing and accusing him. That is why here he declares himself. But they, since they expected to enjoy a feast for the body, were not disturbed until they gave up that hope. Yet Christ did not keep silent on that account, but spoke many words of rebuke.

For the same men who called him a prophet while they were eating now took offense, and called him the carpenter’s son. It was not so while they were eating the loaves; then they said, “This is the Prophet,” and wanted to make him a king. Now they seemed indignant at his claim that he “came down from heaven.” But in truth it was not this that made them indignant; it was the thought that they would not enjoy a material table. If they had really been indignant at that, they should have asked and inquired how he was “the bread of life,” how he had “come down from heaven.” But as it is, they do not do this; they grumble.

That this was not what offended them is plain from something else. When he said, “My Father gives you the bread,” they did not exclaim, “Ask him to give it.” What did they say? “Give us that bread.” Yet he had not said, “I give,” but “My Father gives.” Nevertheless, in their desire for the food they thought him worth trusting to supply it. How, then, could people who counted him worth trusting for the giving take offense afterward, when they heard that “the Father gives”? What is the reason? That when they heard they were not going to eat, they disbelieved again, and put forward as a cloak for their unbelief that “it was a lofty saying.”

That is why he says, “You have seen me, and do not believe,” pointing partly to his miracles and partly to the witness of the Scriptures. “For they,” he says, “are the ones that testify of me” (John 5, verse 39); and, “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me” (John 5, verse 43); and, “How can you believe, who receive honor from men?” (John 5, verse 44).

Verse 37: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and him who comes to me I will by no means cast out.”

Notice how he does everything for the sake of those who are being saved. That is why he added this, so that he would not seem to be talking idly and saying these things to no purpose. But what does he mean by saying, “All that the Father gives me will come to me” (verse 37), and, “I will raise it up at the last day” (verse 40)? Why does he speak of the common resurrection, in which even the ungodly have a share, as though it were the special gift of those who believe in him? Because he is not speaking simply of resurrection, but of a particular kind of resurrection. For after first saying, “I will not cast him out; I will lose nothing of it,” he then speaks of the resurrection.

For in the resurrection some are cast out — “Take him and cast him into the outer darkness” (Matthew 22, verse 13) — and some are destroyed — “Rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10, verse 28). And the words, “I give eternal life” (John 10, verse 28), make this clear; for “those who have done evil will come out to the resurrection of condemnation, and those who have done good to the resurrection of life” (John 5, verse 29). This, then, the resurrection to good things, is what he means here.

But what does he mean by saying, “All that the Father gives me will come to me”? He is touching on their unbelief, showing that whoever does not believe in him is going against the will of the Father. And he does not say this openly, but in a veiled way. He does this everywhere, wanting to show that unbelievers are at odds with the Father, not with him alone. For if this is the Father’s will, and if he came for this, to save humanity, then those who do not believe are going against his will.

So he says: “When the Father guides anyone, there is nothing that prevents him from coming to me.” And in another place: “No one can come to me unless the Father draws him” (verse 44). And Paul says that the Son hands them over to the Father: “When he hands over the kingdom to God the Father” (First Corinthians 15, verse 24). Now just as the Father, when he gives, does so without first stripping himself, so the Son, when he hands over, does so without shutting himself out. He is said to hand us over because through him we have access to the Father.

The words “by whom” are applied to the Father too, as when the apostle says, “By whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son” (First Corinthians 1, verse 9), and, “By the will of the Father.” And again: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you” (Matthew 16, verse 17). [m]

What he is hinting at here is something like this: “Faith in me is no ordinary thing; it needs an impulse from above.” And he establishes this all through his discourse, showing that this faith requires a noble kind of soul, and one drawn on by God.

But perhaps someone will say: “If all that the Father gives, and whomever he draws, comes to you, and if no one can come to you unless it is given him from above, then those to whom the Father does not give are free of all blame and all charges.” These are mere words and excuses. For our own deliberate choice is required as well, because whether we will be taught is a matter of choice, and so is whether we will believe. And here, by “all that the Father gives me,” he declares nothing else than this: “Believing in me is no ordinary thing, nor one that comes from human reasoning; it needs a revelation from above, and a well-ordered soul to receive that revelation.”

And the words, “He who comes to me will be saved,” mean that he will be greatly cared for. “For it was for their sake,” he says, “that I came, and took on flesh, and entered into the form of a servant.” Then he adds:

Verse 38: “I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”

What are you saying? Is your will one thing, then, and his another? So that no one may suspect this, he explains it by what follows, saying:

Verse 40: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life.”

Is this not your will too, then? How, then, do you say, “I have come to send fire on the earth, and what have I desired to see, if it is already kindled?” (Luke 12, verse 49). For if you too desire this, it is very clear that your will and the Father’s are one. In another place too he says, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he wills” (John 5, verse 21). But what is the Father’s will? Is it not that not even one of them should perish? You will this too (Matthew 18, verse 14). So the will of the one does not differ from the will of the other.

So in another place he is seen establishing his equality with the Father still more firmly, saying, “My Father and I will come, and will make our home with him” (John 14, verse 23). What he says, then, is this: “I did not come to do anything other than what the Father wills. I have no will of my own different from the Father’s; for all that is the Father’s is mine, and all that is mine is the Father’s.” Now if the things of the Father and of the Son are shared, he rightly says, “Not to do my own will.” But here he does not speak that way; he keeps it for the end. For, as I have said, for a time he hides and veils the high matters, and he wishes to show that even if he had said, “This is my will,” they would have despised him.

So he says, “I am working together with that will,” wanting in this way to alarm them the more, as though he had said, “What do you think? Are you angering me by your unbelief? No — you are provoking my Father.” “For this is the will of him who sent me, that of all he has given me I should lose nothing” (verse 39). Here he shows that he does not need their service; that he did not come for his own advantage, but for their salvation, and not to get honor from them. He declared this in an earlier discourse too, saying, “I do not receive honor from men” (John 5, verse 41), and again, “I say these things so that you may be saved” (John 5, verse 34). For everywhere he works to persuade them that he came for their salvation.

And he says that he is gaining honor for the Father, so that they will not suspect him. That this is why he speaks this way, he has revealed more clearly by what follows. For he says, “He who seeks his own will seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him” (John 7, verse 18).

“And this is the will of the Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life” (verse 40).

“And I will raise him up at the last day.” Why does he keep dwelling on the resurrection? Is it not so that people may not judge God’s providence by present things alone? So that if they do not see results here, they may not lose heart on that account, but wait for what is to come; and so that, if their sins are not punished for the present, they may not despise him, but look for another life?

Those men gained nothing from it. But let us take pains to gain, by having the resurrection sounded in our ears continually. If we want to be greedy, or to steal, or to do anything wrong, let us at once bring that day to mind; let us picture the judgment seat. Thoughts like these will check the evil impulse more strongly than any bit. Let us keep saying to others and to ourselves, “There is a resurrection, and a fearful judgment seat awaits us.”

If we see someone insolent and puffed up with the good things of this world, let us say the same to him, and show him that all those things stay behind here. If we notice someone else grieving and impatient, let us say the same to him, and point out to him that his sorrows will come to an end. If we see someone careless and dissolute, let us recite the same charm over him, and show him that he must give an account for his carelessness. This saying is able, more than any other remedy, to heal our souls.

For there is a resurrection, and that resurrection is at our doors — not far off, not at a distance. “For yet a little while, and he who is coming will come, and will not delay” (Hebrews 10, verse 37). And again, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (Second Corinthians 5, verse 10) — that is, both bad and good: the one to be put to shame in the sight of all, the other to be made more glorious in the sight of all. For just as judges here punish the wicked and honor the good in public, so it will be there too, so that the one kind may have the greater shame, and the other the more conspicuous glory.

Let us picture these things to ourselves every day. If we are always turning them over, no care for present things will be able to sting us. “For the things that are seen last only for a time, but the things that are not seen are eternal” (Second Corinthians 4, verse 18). Let us keep saying to ourselves and to others, “There is a resurrection, and a judgment, and an examination of our deeds.” And let all who think there is such a thing as fate repeat this, and they will at once be set free from the rot of their disease. For if there is a resurrection and a judgment, there is no fate, though they bring ten thousand arguments and choke themselves trying to prove it.

But I am ashamed to be teaching Christians about the resurrection. For anyone who needs to learn that there is a resurrection, and who has not firmly convinced himself that the affairs of this world do not run by fate, without design, as chance will have them, cannot be a Christian. That is why I urge and beg you: let us cleanse ourselves of all wickedness, and do everything in our power to win pardon and leniency on that day.

Perhaps someone will say: “When will the end come? When will the resurrection be? See how long a time has gone by, and nothing of the kind has happened!” Yet it will come; be sure of it. Those before the flood talked this way too, and mocked Noah. But the flood came and swept away all those unbelievers, and preserved the one who believed. And the people of Lot’s time did not expect that blow from God, until those lightnings and thunderbolts came down and destroyed them all completely. Neither for them nor for those who lived in Noah’s time was there any prelude to what was about to happen. While they were all living in luxury, and drinking, and wild with wine, then those unbearable disasters came upon them.

So it will be with the resurrection too: not with any prelude, but while we are in the midst of good times. That is why Paul says, “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety,’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains come upon a woman with child, and they will not escape” (First Thessalonians 5, verse 3). God has arranged it this way so that we may always be striving, and not be overconfident even in times of safety.

What do you say? Do you not expect that there will be a resurrection and a judgment? The demons confess these things, and are you so shameless? “Have you come,” they say, “to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8, verse 29). Now those who say there will be “torment” know about the judgment, and the reckoning, and the vengeance. So let us not, on top of daring to do evil deeds, anger God by disbelieving the word about the resurrection.

For as Christ has been our beginning in other things, so he has been in this one too; that is why he is called “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1, verse 18). Now if there were no resurrection, how could he be “the firstborn,” when none of “the dead” were to follow him? If there were no resurrection, how would the justice of God be upheld, when so many evil men prosper, and so many good men suffer and die in their suffering? Where will each of these receive what he deserves, if there is no resurrection?

None of those who have lived rightly disbelieves the resurrection. Every day they pray and repeat that holy sentence, “Your kingdom come.” Who, then, are the ones who disbelieve the resurrection? Those whose ways are unholy and whose life is unclean. As the prophet says, “His ways are always defiled; your judgments are far above, out of his sight” (Psalm 10, verse 5). For a man cannot possibly live a pure life without believing in the resurrection; those who have nothing on their conscience speak of it, and long for it, and believe in it, so that they may receive their reward.

So let us not anger him, but listen to him when he says, “Fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell” (Matthew 10, verse 28), so that by that fear we may become better, and being set free from that destruction, may be counted worthy of the kingdom of heaven. May we all attain it, through the grace and love for humankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and to the endless ages of eternity. Amen.