The last section of John 6 and that of the Living Bread Discourse is the account of the judgment that occurs on the disciples. In John 4, Jesus already told Nicodemus that judgment will not come by the Son of Man since he has come to save, not to condemn. Instead, judgment will occur through the Word, that is, through people's reaction to Him (cf. John 3:18-19). From the beginning of the Discourse on the Living Bread (John 6:32) judgment was being passed on the Jews. First, they would not accept him because they knew him (vv. 41-42). Then the Jews begin to be divided on the issue of Jesus giving his flesh to eat (v. 52). It is on this same issue that the disciples too begin to murmur (v. 61). "To murmur" is the expression of a deficiency in faith. It is the verbal manifestation of a heart that has decided not to believe, the exact opposite of what is demanded in Psalm 95:8 "If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts." Judgment is also passed on those who have begun to follow Jesus because of His claim: "I am the bread that has come down from heaven. (Jn. 6:58)" As a result of the "hardness of this saying", some disciples ceased from walking behind him. It is at this point that Peter speaks on behalf of the Twelve making an act of allegiance to Jesus.
In the Synoptic Gospels, Peter speaks for the Twelve when he confesses Jesus as the Messiah (the Anointed King). In John, the key words "bread --> life -->king" belong to the same group. After Jesus had multiplied the bread and fed the large multitude to satisfaction, the people wanted to make him king (Jn. 6:15). What had, until this point in the narrative, involved the understanding of Ex. 16:4, Ps. 78:24 ("He gave them bread from heaven to eat") has become an issue of life and death. When Jesus turns to the disciples who were murmurring, he gave them an implicit choice: "Spirit or flesh? My words or your reasoning?"
Does this upset you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before? It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (vv. 62-63)
There is a popular TV preacher who interprets verse 63 to mean that all that Jesus has been saying about "the flesh to eat and blood to drink" until this point is to be understood "spiritually" that is, metaphorically. He completely misses the force of verse 62 where Jesus is actually saying "You find my words about flesh and blood scandalous? Wait till you see me going back to the glory I had before!" Jesus was not trying to water down his preceding statements turning them into a metaphor. He saw his disciples getting disturbed and he rubbed it in. Verse 63 actually means: "My words are Spirit and life, what do you choose, my words or the reasoning that makes my words look ridiculous to you?" And because Jesus does not change the position he has explained previously, "after this, many of his disciples left him and stopped walking with him. (v. 66)" They made the choice. They would not accept Jesus as the Living Bread.
The Eucharist makes or breaks the disciple. When those who were once with Jesus stopped to walk with Him on account of the words about the Living Bread, the Twelve too had to make their choice. John had previously shown schematically how the Twelve were formed: they saw where Jesus was staying and they stayed with Him. Simon whom Jesus had earlier called "The Rock" makes his act of allegiance to Jesus: Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have come to believe that you are the Holy One of God. (vv. 68-69 ) The statement echoes the declaration of Peter in the Synoptic accounts of the confession of Jesus as the Messiah (see Mark 8:27-30 and parallels: Mt. 16:13-20, Luke 9:18-21). John narrates this confession within the context of the Discourse of the Living Bread, a clear indication that here we have a theological issue that arose within the Johannine community of faith. Is this issue related to what we read in the first letter of John about the "anti-christs" who have left their communion? In any case, Peter's act of allegiance not only expresses his -- and the Twelve's -- adherence to the words about the Living Bread, it also is a declaration that Jesus is the Anointed King, the Messiah. Once more, the keywords "bread-->king-->life" come together in Peter's response.
The episode ends with a dark hint, however, a foreboding of events yet to come. In the Synoptic Gospels, we find Jesus calling Peter "Satan" because of this latter's attempt to dissuade him from the way of suffering that his Messiahship leads to. Here, Jesus calls one of the disciples "a devil". This is the one who is going to betray him. The betrayal will occur within the context of the Last Supper (cf. John 13:21-30) and it is going to occur by the hands of Judas Iscariot. Quite early in his Gospel, John had already declared that Jesus knew since the beginning what was in the hearts of men (cf. John 2:24). In John 6:64, we find the author's comment: Jesus already knew from the beginning who did not believe and who was about to betray him. This early in the Gospel, therefore, John connects the scandal of the Living Bread with the betrayal at the Last Supper. It is a connection that is not hidden from Jesus. Discipleship was first tested on account of the Bread that Jesus gives. It will again be tested on the night of the Last Supper, on the eve of Good Friday's cross. Ultimately, the scandal of Jesus and his words occur in the hearts of those who have decided beforehand what will be the ways of God among men. It is a "wisdom" made according to the decisions of men. To this "wisdom" is contrasted Jesus, "the Wisdom and Power of God" Even today we hear the invitation and challenge: "The spirit gives life; the flesh is not worth anything. My words are spirit and life." And to this challenge we are invited to speak as Peter spoke: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life..."
The above article is complementary to and is not a revision of what I have written under the title "You Have The Words of Eternal Life"
