John 6 - CSB Ancient Faith Study Bible

6:11 Clement of Alexandria: [V]ery mystically the five loaves are broken by the Savior, and fill the crowd of the listeners. For great is the crowd that keep to the things of the senses, as if they were the only things in existence. “Cast your eyes round, and see,” says Plato, “that none of the uninitiated listen.” Such are they who think that nothing else exists but what they can hold firmly with their hands; but do not admit as in the department of existence, actions and processes of generation, and the whole of the unseen. For such are those who keep by the five senses. But the knowledge of God is a thing inaccessible to the ears and other organs of the senses with this kind of people. Stromateis 5.6.

6:16-18 Cyril of Alexandria: [T]he deep darkness of the night troubles them, hovering like smoke on the raging waves and taking away any ability for navigation. The fierce winds, riding on the waves with a rushing sound that raises the billows high above their heads, had to trouble them more than a little bit. Yes, and through all of this, John records, “Jesus was not yet with them” [v. 17]. This was the real danger, and Christ’s absence from these voyagers was making their fear grow more and more.

Those who are not with Jesus are in a fierce tempest of a storm. They are cut off from him or at least seem to be absent from him because they have departed from his holy laws. Because of their sin they are separated from the one who is able to save. If then it is overwhelming to be in such spiritual darkness, if it is oppressive to be swamped by the bitter sea of pleasures, let us then receive Jesus. For this is what will deliver us from dangers and from death in sin. Commentary on the Gospel of John 3.4.

6:21 Theodore of Mopsuestia: In order to increase the miracle before their eyes, [Jesus] walked on the water and did not get into the boat. But the Evangelist says, “Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.” He records this in order to demonstrate that they did not take him but that, while they tried to bring him in, both the boat and the Lord reached land at an awesome speed. They could not doubt what the Lord had done or consider him a ghost when they saw that the boat had reached the land toward which they were going . . . coupled with the fact that the Lord was with them. Commentary on John 3.6.21.

6:28-29 Augustine: Faith is, indeed, distinguished from works, as the apostle says, “that a person is justified by faith without works” [Rm 3:28]. And there are works that seem to be good . . . because they are not referred to that end from which they are good. “For the end of the law is Christ, unto justice to everyone who believes.” Therefore, [Jesus] did not wish to separate faith from work, but he said that faith itself is a work. For this is the faith that works by love. He did not say, “This is your work” but “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent,” so that he who takes glory may take glory in the Lord. Tractates on the Gospel of John 25.12.1–2.

6:31-35 Chrysostom: He calls this the “true bread,” not because the miracle of the manna was false but because it was a type and not the very truth itself. But in mentioning Moses, Jesus does not compare himself with him, for the Jews did not as yet prefer him to Moses, of whom they still had a higher opinion. So that after saying, “Moses did not give,” he does not say “I give” but says that the Father, and not Moses, gives. When they heard this, the people replied, “Give us this bread to eat” [v. 34]. They still thought that it was something material, and they yet expected to satisfy their appetites, and so they quickly ran to him. And what does Christ do? Leading them on little by little, he says, “The bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” [v. 33]. Homilies on the Gospel of John 45.1.

6:40 Chrysostom: No one who has lived correctly disbelieves the resurrection, but every day they pray and repeat that holy sentence, “thy kingdom come” [Mt 6:10]. Who then are the ones who disbelieve the resurrection? Those who have unholy ways and an unclean life. As the prophet says, “His ways are profane at all times. Your judgments are removed from before him” [see Ps 10:4-5]. For one cannot possibly live a pure life without believing in the resurrection, since they who are conscious of no iniquity both speak of and wish for and believe in it, that they may receive their reward. Homilies on the Gospel of John 45.3.

6:53 Cyril of Alexandria: How he will give them his flesh to eat he does not yet tell them, for he knew they were in darkness and would never in that state be able to understand what is ineffable. . . . But the power of learning suitably follows on those who believe. . . . It was therefore right that faith should first be rooted in them before understanding. . . . And it is for this reason (I suppose) that the Lord refrained from telling them how he would give them his flesh to eat, calling them to believe before they seek. For those who believed, however, he broke bread and gave it to them, saying, “Take, eat; this is my body” [1Co 11:24]. . . . Do you see how he does not explain the mystery to those who had senselessly rejected the faith without investigation? But, to those who believe, he declares it most clearly. Commentary on the Gospel of John 4.2.

6:58-59 Chrysostom: If it was possible without harvest or fruit of the earth, or any such thing, to preserve the lives of the Israelites of old for forty years, much more will [Christ] be able to do this, having come for a greater purpose. . . . He knew how precious a thing life was in people’s eyes, and therefore he repeats his promise of life often, just as the Old Testament had done. But the Old Testament only offered long life, whereas he offers life without end. This promise was an abolition of that sentence of death that sin had brought on us. . . . He said these things in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum, where many displays of his power took place. . . . He taught in the synagogue and in the temple, with the intention of attracting the multitude and as a sign that he was not acting in opposition to the Father. Homilies on the Gospel of John 47.1–2.

6:63 Tertullian: If [Christ] says that “the flesh profits nothing,” then the meaning must take direction from the context of that remark. For seeing that they regarded his speech as hard and unbearable, as though he had really prescribed his flesh for them to eat [vv. 54-58], since his purpose was to assign the establishment of salvation to the Spirit, he first said, “It is the spirit that gives life,” and only then added, “the flesh profits nothing”—toward the giving of life, of course. He also proceeds to state how he wishes “the Spirit” to be understood. “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” . . . And so, when establishing his teaching as the Life-giver (because the Word is spirit and life), he also said that it is his flesh, because the Word also was made flesh [see Jn 1:14]. We ought therefore to desire him in order that we may have life. We ought to devour him with the ear, and to ruminate on him with the mind and to digest him by faith. On the Resurrection of the Flesh 37.

6:70 Augustine: Evil people make evil use of all the good creations of God. Good people, on the other hand, make good use of the evil actions of the wicked. And who is as good as the one and only God? . . . For as the wicked turn the good works of God to an evil use, so inversely God turns the evil works of human beings to good. What can be worse than what Judas did? He was chosen as the treasurer among the Twelve who would dispense gifts to the poor. But instead of being thankful for so great an honor and favor, he took the money and lost righteousness [see Jn 12:6]. Being dead, he betrayed life. The one he followed as a disciple he betrayed as an enemy. Yet our Lord made a good use of his wickedness, allowing himself to be betrayed so that he might redeem us. . . . If God employs the evil works of the devil himself for good, whatever the evil person does by making bad use of God’s good gifts only hurts himself. It in no way contradicts the goodness of God. Tractates on the Gospel of John 27.10.