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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As I begin this thesis, I left my heart up to the highest heavens in gratitude to the Lord
Almighty. This dissertation titled Johannine Theology of Eucharist and its Influence in the Life
of a Believer: An Exegetico-Theological Study of John 6:25-59 is a product of collective
thinking and working with the kind guidance and support of a number of people. Firstly I
express my profound gratitude to Rev. Sr. Johncy SMI my guide and teacher, whose constant
support, assistance, advises, timely interventions and corrections that helped me to accomplish
this work in a satisfying manner.
I am forever grateful to Rev Dr George Panthanmackal, the Rector of Morning Star

Regional Seminary, Rev. Dr Henry Jose Kodikuthiyil MSFS, the Dean of Theology Department
and all professors for extending me an opportunity to pursue my studies in this esteemed
institution. I express my heartfelt gratitude for their kindness and wise advice in assisting to
complete my thesis proposal methodically. I also avail this opportunity to give gratitude to the
librarian of the our Seminary, Rev. Fr Ramen Pailan for providing me with all the source books
for references and making the study more valuable and comfortable.
My sincere thanks also go to the faculty representatives, the Librarians, the Photostat in-
charges, the students of Third Year Theology and other brothers in the seminary, whose constant
encouragement, companionship and help provided me with the much-needed support.
Bro. Deign Josco Joseph
Reg No: 2538

ABBREVIATIONS
AB The Anchor Bible

BNTC Black’s New Testament Commentaries
CCC Catechism of the Catholic Church
JBC The Journal of Biblical Counseling
NAC The New American Commentary
NIB The New Interpreter’s Bible
WBC Word Biblical Commentary
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
The Thesis: The topic which I have taken for the dissertation is titled Johannine
Theology of Eucharist and its Influence and Challenges in the Life of a Believer: An Exegetic-
Theological Study of John 6. The faith in the Eucharist is the central point in the life of a
believer, and there is no faith life excluding the Eucharist. The right understanding of the
Eucharist has always been a barrier in Christian theology and practice. As of the past, this is still
not understood by the people that many find it difficult to follow. This thesis looks into the areas
that the Eucharist opens before the believer, the commitment that one should give to the
teachings of Christ. The call of Christ is clear and definite in this Gospel passage and now the
response of the believer is to be looked into. The main objective of this study is to know how
Eucharistic theme is presented in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John and its implications in
the life of the believer.
Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is the source and summit of
the Christian life. Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that Eucharist is the source of our
union together as the People of God, and it is that thing which keeps the Church. This study
focuses on the question of implications and challenges that Eucharist puts before the faithful.
How one should form one’s life in accordance with the Eucharistic teaching of Christ in John 6:
1-71? This question becomes relevant in a world where the importance of Eucharist is being
questioned. Therefore, it is better to analyze these changes and shifts in focus of the Eucharistic
theme in John’s Gospel, to understand John’s distinctive contribution to the understanding of
the Eucharist and communal celebration of it and the implications does it have for readers today
This dissertation is divided into three parts. The method of study will differ from chapter
to chapter and the first chapter will includes the preliminary observations of the text. It
concentrates on the delimitation, context, structure and the leading themes in John 6.The second
chapter will be an exegetical analysis of the bread of life discourse, where we would see the
saying “I am the bread of life” in the light of the Eucharist. In this chapter we analyze
exegetically the key terminologies in the Bread of Life discourse of John such as the incarnation
of Logos, passion of the Lamb of God, ascension of the Son of God and other key terms. The
third chapter will consider the theological investigations on the challenges and implications that
the Eucharist raises in the ecclesial and eschatological life of the believer. It also explains the
theological and pastoral applications of the thesis as well.
CHAPTER 1
PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The Johannine presentation of the Eucharist has been a topic of lively discussion
among New Testament scholars throughout the ages. Xaviour Leon- Dufour points out that
the early church preserved the Eucharistic traditions in two forms: the cultic form
(liturgical account) and the testamentary form (farewell meal). He states that John’s gospel
contains an important Eucharistic tradition and in the testamentary form. 1 Unlike the
synoptic tradition, John did not make any reference to the institution of the Eucharist, but
he uses Eucharistic vocabulary, symbols, and categories. It is interesting that John
dissociates his teaching on the Eucharist from the traditional setting of the Last Supper
and associates it with the multiplication of the bread and feeding of the multitude. 2 This
chapter begins firstly with the delimitation of the textual unit, secondly with the literary
context and then leads to the structure and main themes in the text.
1.1 THE DELIMITATION OF THE TEXT

In the context of biblical studies, the term "delimitation" refers to the process of
defining the boundaries or limits of a particular passage of text. In the case of John Gospel
chapter 6, verses 25-59, delimitation involves identifying where this passage begins and
ends, both in terms of the narrative structure and the thematic content. John’s Gospel
chapter 6, verses 25- 59, is a significant passage often referred to as the "Bread of Life
Discourse”.3 ‘All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I
will never drive away’. Jesus in his words in this passage is trying to re-shape their image
of God. Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go
hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”. The Eucharistic teaching of
John is found principally in chapter six, where the evangelist records the episode of the
multiplication of the loaves and follows with the long discourse of Jesus on the bread of
life.4 Thematically it presents us with Jesus ‘revelation of himself as the bread of life. This
idea is systematically developed. The great sign of the feeding comes first (vv1-15), and its
meaning is disclosed by Jesus’ address on the following day (vv25- 59).5
1
Xaviour Leon Dufour, Sharing the Eucharistic Bread: The Witness of the New Testament (New York: Paulist
Press, 1982), 82-95.
2
Rekha M. Chennattu, “Break the Word and Build the Community: Reflections on the Eucharist in John’s
Gospel”. Asian Christian Review, vol.1, no.2, (2007): 45
3
Jerome Kodell, The Eucharist in the New Testament (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1988), 118.
4
Kodell, The Eucharist in the New Testament, 121-122.
5
Rudolf Schnackenburg, The Gospel According to St John, vol. 2 (London: Burns& Oates, 1980), 10.
The first part of the discourse (vv32-48) is a Midrashic paraphrase on the words of
Scripture, ‘He gave them bread from heaven.’ The latter part (vv49-58) continues to use
the expressions plundered from ‘He gave them bread from heaven’ but devotes particular
attention to a Midrashic commentary on the words ‘to eat’.” 6 It does not begin in verse 32
nor does a new beginning in verse 49. The shape is determined by the question-and-
answer rhythm. Jesus instructs the multitude on the necessity to look for the food that
endures to eternal life in response to the trivial question, ‘Rabbi, when did you come
here?’ (v25). The discourse unfolds around such questions and answers and each section
develops a new thought around the single theme of the bread from heaven.7
1.2 THE LITERARY CONTEXT OF CHAPTER 6

The Synoptic Gospels and Gospel of John are different in terms of style, subject
matter, and theological emphasis. The gospel presents an extended narrative that includes
Jesus’ miracles, teachings, and interactions with many people and groups and John 6 is a
portion of that larger narrative.
1.3 IMMEDIATE CONTEXT OF CHAPTER 6

The immediate context of John 6 refers to the events, teachings and discussions that
take place in the sixth chapter. The multiplication of loaves of bread was a very significant
miracle in the gospel tradition and in the church. This is the only miracle that is
recorded by all the evangelists Mat 14:13-21; Mk 6:30-44; Lk 9:10-17; Jn 6:1-14. The
crowd is coming to Jesus (6:5) and Jesus feeds them. In Synoptic gospels, the crowd was
there already. The blessing over the bread reminds the reader of Eucharistic blessing.
Mention of barley (6:13) is found only in the Fourth gospel. According to Didache, the
Eucharistic bread was made of barley. The request to “gather up the loaves that nothing
may be lost” (6:12) is another Johannine theological concern. The Greek word Καλαμάτα
meaning “fragments” was a technical term in the early church for the Eucharistic
fragments. Didache asks to gather up the fragments of the Eucharistic bread.8
The unity of John 6 has been a matter of considerable discussion. It is typical to see
a sapiential theme of Jesus the bread of life in verses 35-50, and either the heightening of
this theme or the change to a specifically Eucharistic theme in verses 51-58. There is the
further problem in the relationship of verses 51-58 and verses 60-63. After insisting on the
6
Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, ed., Daniel J. Harrington, SP4 (Minnesota: The Liturgical Press
Collegeville, 1998), 207.
7
Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, 207-208.
8
Maniparambil, Reading the Fourth Gospel, 250-251.
necessity of “eating the flesh of the Son of Man” (v53), Jesus in verse 63 says: “It is the
spirit that gives life, the flesh is useless.”
These final verses contradict the ones before them and are best viewed as a continuation of the
conversation in verses 35-50. The author or the Johannine school inserted verses 51–58 in order to
extend the argument about the bread of life to its Eucharistic conclusion.9
1.3.1 LARGER CONTEXT

The larger context of John 6 can be understood by considering the broader themes
and events within the Gospel of John and the overall narrative of Jesus’ ministry. John 6 is
a carefully crafted chapter, characterized by a tight interweaving of narrative and
discourse. It follows the same basic pattern noted in chapter 5; miracle, dialogue and
discourse. This pattern is more intricate in chapter 6, however, because the chapter narrates
Jesus’ self- revelation to two groups such as the crowds and his disciples. 110 Many elements
of the Galilean ministry of Jesus appear in this chapter. The miracle of the multiplication of
the loaves is presented in the context of Passover (6:4), which is a hint at the sacrificial
death of the Passover Lamb. The scene is the eastern shore of the Galilee. While Jesus had
spent an earlier Passover in Jerusalem, He now reveals His true nature in His native Galilee.
The mention of the Passover sets the context for what Jesus is about to do. One frequently
missed point is that Jesus is primarily focused on preparing and instructing his disciples
here. The purpose of Jesus’ signs is not merely to reveal himself to the crowds, more
important, Jesus uses these signs to deepen the faith of his disciples and to train them for
ministry.
John 6 has a major place in the book of signs (Jn1:19-12:50) which highlights
various miraculous signs performed by Jesus to manifest his glory and divine identity. In
John 6, Jesus performs two key miracles that serve as spiritual signs such as feeding the
five thousand and Jesus’ walking on water. After performing these miracles, Jesus
identifies himself as the bread of life who satisfies the spiritual hunger. 11By these miracles
Jesus shows his divine care for the needs of the people, his authority over the nature and
also establishes Jesus’ true spiritual identity.
1.4 THE STRUCTURE OF THE TEXTUAL UNIT
Jesus first offers them real bread, and throughout the majority of the chapter He
continues to teach them about Himself and how people can relate to Him in order to give them real
bread. There are three sections in John 6. The first segment, which serves as an introduction,
discusses Jesus’ work on earth. Here a gracious Lord feeds all those people and meets all the
9
Kodell, The Eucharist in the New Testament, 123-124.
10
Gail R. O’Day, The Gospel of John, NIB 9 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), 608-609.
11
Leon Morris, Reflections on the Gospel of John (US: Hendrickson Publishers, 2000), 261-262.
anxieties of His disciples (6:1-21). It includes Jesus’ social ministry which feeds the five thousand
(6:1-15) and Jesus’ spiritual ministry where He walks on water (6:16-21).
In the second part, Jesus preaches His bread sermon (6:22-59). Here John refers
about how Jesus comes to us and wants us to come to him. This part includes a searching
prelude (vv22-24), an evangelical sermon (vv25-40), an ecumenical sermon (vv41-51) and
the Eucharistic sermon (vv52-59). The third part is Jesus’ warning epilogue (vv60-71).
Here Jesus convicts and comforts His disciples. It includes the after meeting of Jesus with
His unbelieving disciples (vv60-66) and the after meeting with His believing disciples (67-
71).12
1.5 LEADING THEMES IN THE TEXT
Some of the major themes in John 6 are Jesus as the bread of life, miracles and signs,
Spiritual and physical bread, controversy and opposition and the Eucharist/communion.
1.5.1 JESUS AS THE BREAD OF LIFE

One of the central themes in John 6 is Jesus’ proclamation that He is the Bread of
Life. He declares that those who come to him will never hunger or thirst emphasizing the
idea that He provides the ultimate satisfaction and sustenance for the human soul. Jesus
states that He is the life-giving bread. The life that is given is, of course the life of the age
to come, the life which is sacramentally or eschatologically begun here and now in faith. 13
To those who seek Jesus, He offers Himself immediately. The multitude asked for bread
and He offers Himself to them. The manna was ordained only for the life of the Israelites,
but Christ is given for the life of the world and none are excluded from the benefit of this
bread, but such as exclude themselves.14
1.5.2 MIRACLES AND SIGNS

John 6 highlights the miracles performed by Jesus, particularly the feeding of the
five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. These miracles serve as signs that
point to Jesus’ divine nature and reinforce his claim to be the Bread of Life. Jesus’ sign is
followed by an extended discourse elaborating on the significance of what he had done.
Together with the link established between the present feeding and God’s miraculous
feeding of the Israelites in the wilderness in the days of Moses (6:31-32), John sets Jesus’
12
Frederick Dale Bruner, The Gospel of John: A Commentary (Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 2012), 358.
13
Alan Richardson, The Gospel According to St John: The Meaning of the History of Jesus (London: SCM Press
LTD, 1965), 103.
14
Bruner, The Gospel of John, 404-405.
ministry firmly in the context of salvation history, linking Jesus’ signs with the two
previous major periods of miraculous activity in the history of God’s people: ministries of
Moses and Elijah.15
15
Andreas J. Köstenberger, Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary and Theological Perspective (United
States: Baker Publishing Group, 1999), 99.
1.5.3 SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL BREAD
Jesus makes a distinction between spiritual bread, which offers eternal life, and
physical bread, which only supports the body momentarily (vv49-51). Jesus was reminded
by the crowd that their fathers had received food from heaven from Moses (v31). Jesus had
simply increased the amount of food on earth. They expected to see some angels falling
from the sky. Jesus still aimed to lead people away from the materialistic to the spiritual.
He pointed out to them that Moses did not provide the kind of bread He was referring
about. Jesus calls Himself the living bread or the bread from heaven in a very obvious way.
To everyone who approached Him in faith, He delivered perfect satisfaction. Among the
physical appetites, hunger and thirst are two of the most demanding. However, they are
nothing when compared to spiritual hunger and thirst. Only Christ can satisfy these. 16 Jesus
exhorts people to put their faith in Him and says that those who do will have eternal life.
1.5.4 CONTROVERSY AND OPPOSITION

John 6 depicts the growing opposition and debate over Jesus’ teachings. Jesus’
assertions are met with skepticism and distrust by some of the Jewish leaders and disciples.
The audience had already put doubt on Jesus' assertions. They were disgusted by Jesus’
claim that He is the bread from heaven since they were aware of his human parents (6:41-
42). Jesus addresses their concerns in verses 43-47. They challenged Jesus’ assertion that
his flesh is the real food by reminding that he cannot provide his flesh to be eaten (6:52).
The verses 53-58 provide Jesus’ explanations. The final response is twofold: positive and
negative. However, the negative reactions come in two stages: first, the larger group
defected, and then, there was a split among the twelve. Peter’s confession of faith is
bracketed by two negative responses. (cf. v68).17
1.5.5 THE EUCHARIST/COMMUNION
Jesus introduces the idea of the Eucharist or Communion towards the end of the chapter.
He uses metaphor ‘bread’ to convey that the real meal and drink that a believer must consume are
His body and blood. The flesh of Jesus is compared to the bread from heaven.
“The context of the feast of Passover and Paschal meal, when they ate the
flesh of the sacrificial animal now becomes prominent. Leviticus 7:18-27
16
Herschel H. Hobbs, John: A Study Guide Commentary (Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), 37-38.
17
Maniparambil, Reading the Fourth Gospel, 262.
speaks of eating flesh. Symbolically the verse ‘eating the flesh and
drinking the blood of the Son of Man’ could mean accepting Jesus into
one’s life, and living according to this commitment to Christ.
Sacramentally, it could mean receiving Jesus in the form of Eucharistic
bread and wine”.18
The effects of receiving Jesus’ body and blood in the Eucharist are threefold. Firstly, one
will have life (6:53). Each believer taking part in the Eucharistic celebration must transform into
the center of Jesus’ actual presence by sharing life through a selfless love that was acted out in the
sacred mysteries during a sacramental celebration. Second, one will take part in the resurrection
(6:54), which results in eternal life. The believer lives according to what Jesus taught through the
revelation He made about his Father, who is life. Mutual indwelling is the last step (6:56). The
son lives in the mutual relationship with the Father. This is the model of relationship between
Jesus and believer.19
1.6 CONCLUSION
John 6 is dedicated to the feast of the Passover and the sign of the multiplication of
the bread and to its interpretation. It is significant to note that only the Fourth Evangelist
places the miracle of multiplication of the bread in the context of the Jewish Passover
celebration. The evangelist frames Jesus’ ministry such as the feeding of the multitude in
the Passover context and creates a distinctive Christology through the discussion of the
bread of life. The sign that Jesus provides to His listeners in response to their request is his
discourse on the bread of life. John makes a distinction between the bread that perishes and
the bread that brings eternal life from the very beginning of the sermon. The Johannine
Jesus refers to Himself as the true bread from heaven and the bread of life (6:48– 51). This
chapter observes the preliminary notions and the context of John 6 and the following
chapter will go through the exegetical analysis of the Eucharistic discourse in John 6:25-59.
CHAPTER II
EXEGETICAL ANALYSIS OF JOHN 6:25-59
2.0 INTRODUCTION
The Bread of Life discourse in John 6: 25-59 is a profound passage in the fourth gospel,
where Jesus reveals himself as the bread that came down from heaven. It emphasizes the significance
18
19
Maniparambil, Reading the Fourth Gospel, 259-260.
of his flesh and blood for eternal life. This exegetical analysis search through the rich theological
layers of this discourse. Here we explore the key themes of the discourse such as the Son of Man, the
manna from heaven, the mystery of the incarnation of the Logos, the passion of the lamb, the
parallelism between the flesh and body, the bread of life and the Eucharistic communion. While
exploring the key themes, we go through the Old Testament and New Testament significance of the
themes. Through a careful examination, we aim to get a deeper understanding of spiritual truths
embedded in this passage.
2.1 MEANING OF THE SON OF MAN (v27 and v53)
The Fourth Gospel uses the title ‘Son of Man’ to refer to Jesus. The Son of Man has a heavenly
origin and has divine characteristics. At the same time, he is a ‘man’ like anyone else. He is the
perfection of human nature and in him we find the divine reality as well. Jesus, the Son, Second Person
of the Trinity, revealed the Father by being a human son. “The double journey of the Word to the
world and from the world to God the Father is the main focus of the Fourth Gospel. This journey of the
Son is from God to the world, and after redeeming the world by revealing the Father, he goes back to
his original glory. All these are done by Jesus in his capacity as the Son of Man.”20
The explanatory clause, ‘for him did the Father seal, even God’, shows how this Son of Man is
able to do this wonderful giving for the eternal life. This time Jesus does not say merely that the Father
sent Him, but that the Father sealed Him.21 The ‘seal’ suggests God’s approval. God the Father has set
his seal of approval on Jesus. God affirms the Sonship of Jesus and his authority to provide the
spiritual food which gives the eternal life.22 The Father as God, is the highest possible authority,
beyond which no man can go. For Jesus, the Father is sufficient description, God is added for his
hearer’s benefit.23 Daniel 7:14 anticipates this meaning of the Son of Man as “to him was given
dominion and glory and kingship, that all people, nations and languages should serve him. His
dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never
be destroyed.” As the Son of Man who came down from heaven, Jesus is the one whom the God, the
Father, has set his seal. The language of sealing designates ownership, and the New Testament often
describes the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a sealing, impressing a permanent mark (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph
1:13). The Baptist reported that the Holy Spirit descended and remained upon Jesus (1:32), thus Jesus
has been revealed as the Father’s representative and accredited envoy.24
20
Lesslie Newbigin, The Light has come: An Exposition of Fourth Gospel (Michigan: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 1982), 128.
21
R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel (Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House, 1943), 453.
22
J. Carl Laney, “John,” Moody Gospel Commentary, ed. Paul Enns (Chicago: Moody Press, 1992), 126.
23
J.N. Sanders and B.A. Mastin, “A Commentary on the Gospel According to St John” BNTC, 4 (London: Adam &
Charles Black, 1977), 186.
24
Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV, The Gospel of John (Michigan: Baker Publishing Group, 2014), 121.
2.2 JESUS AS MANNA (vv31-33, v35, v41 and vv48-51)
The demand for a sign leads skillfully to the theme of manna (bread from heaven). The Jews
demanded a divine sign like manna in the wilderness.25 Three factors link it with the Exodus
account such as the Passover motif, Jesus as the prophet like Moses and the expectation that God
would again provide manna in the messianic age. The implicit contrast is between Moses and Jesus. 26
Exodus 16:4 says, “I will rain bread from (out of) heaven for you”. Here the prepositional phrase
modifying the verb and the emphasis is on the character of the bread and not on the manner of giving.
Therefore, the wonderful gift termed ‘bread out of heaven’. The people expect something greater than
they had witnessed in the multiplication of the loaves. Because Jesus only multiplied some bread he
already had, but Moses gave the fathers bread out of heaven. Therefore, if Jesus is greater than Moses,
people ask Him to bring a sign that is greater than that of Moses.27
2.2.1 MANNA IN JOHN
The manna is understood emphatically as a bread came from heaven, a view firmly established in
the Old Testament. The manna was a providential gift from God to sustain the Israelites in the
wilderness. But despite its wondrous nature, it did not give eternal life. In v.31, the crowd focused on
the gift of the manna, but in v.49 Jesus looks to the end of the exodus story. The very ancestors who
ate the manna died as a result of their grumbling and unbelief.28 Jesus links feeding miracle with the
manna story of Exodus 16. Jesus reworks four essential elements of v.31 such as the donor of the bread
is God and not Moses, the gift of bread occurs in the present and not in the past, the bread of which
Jesus speaks is the true bread from heaven and finally Jesus tells the crowd that not them, but their
ancestors are the recipients of God’s gift of the true bread from heaven.29 The bread of life from heaven
does what the manna could not which gives life and non-perishing. The effect of manna is ever lasting
and it provides spiritual nourishment eternally offered by Jesus.
2.2.2 MANNA IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The miraculous story of bread descending from heaven is described in the book of Exodus. Its
themes include dependence on God, a test of faith and fair treatment for all. mān is the Old Testament
term for the food by which Israel is fed in the desert (Ex.16:31). Other terms for the food are ‘heavenly
bread’ (Ps. 105:40), ‘bread from heaven’ (Ex.16:4), ‘grain from heaven’ (Ps.78:24), and ‘angel’s
bread’ (Ps.78:25). With water and quails, manna is part of God’s provision for Israel in the desert. In
25
Schnackenburg, The Gospel According to St John, 40.
26
27
Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel, 458.
28
O’Day, The Gospel of John, 605.
29
Ex. 16:4 it falls like dew, is a granular deposit like frost, tastes like honey, and must be gathered each
day.
God gave the manna to nourish the Israelites, but it had a greater implication than that they might
know that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the
Lord (Deut. 8:3). Israel realizes from God's interpretation that bread is insufficient to satisfy their
spiritual needs. Life does not belong to the material worlds and as spiritual beings we are sustained by
the words of life.30
2.2.3 MANNA IN NEW TESTAMENT
The manna motif occurs in John 6:31; 6:49 in the New Testament. The term alternates with ‘bread
from heaven’. As the Lord gave manna through Moses, now Jesus is giving bread. Thus the people
who receives the bread declare that Jesus is really the Prophet who is to come into the world. This
alludes to a prophecy found in Deuteronomy 18:15 about the coming of a prophet who will resemble
Moses.31 After the feeding of the 5000, the Jews want Jesus to give sign which will accredit him as the
Messiah as manna accredited Moses. In response to their challenge, Jesus reinterprets their reference to
the Exodus story, arguing that while Moses gave bread, it was not the real bread from heaven. Literal
bread is not real bread. Instead, the One who descends from heaven and imparts life is the real bread.
Jesus now confirms that the true bread has come from heaven by saying “I am the bread of life.” Thus
declaring himself Jesus gives a new meaning to the story of Exodus 16. It is now clear to us that God's
provision of manna was an antecedent to the actual bread of heaven. It was the actual bread’s promise.
The manna was a sign of the impending arrival of Christ.32
2.3 THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION OF THE LOGOS (V.51a)
Although the incarnation of the Logos is not specifically mentioned in verse 51, it does contain
metaphorical language that is frequently used in connection with the incarnation. Jesus is described in
the phrase as “the living bread that came down from heaven,” (v51a) which can be interpreted as a
reference to the belief that Jesus, the almighty Son of God, became human form and descended to
earth. The concept that Jesus, the second person of the Holy Trinity, took on human flesh and became
entirely human while still being totally divine, is referred to as “incarnation” by the term itself. Jesus
speaks of the gift of his flesh for the life of the world. The language of v.51recalls both 1:14 (and the
Word became flesh) and 3:16 (God so loved the world that he gave his only Son). Thus v.51 evokes
30
Lauren Whitman, “The Manna from Heaven Is Christ, Your Daily Bread” JBC 30, no.3 (November 2016):12.
31
Whitman, “The Manna from Heaven Is Christ”, 14-15.
32
Whitman, “The Manna from Heaven Is Christ”, 15-16.
the incarnation, the gift of Jesus’ life out of God’s love for the world. 33 The living bread that has
descended from heaven means that Jesus is the Incarnate One who has life in himself for others. The
bread is the flesh of the Incarnate One which he is to give on behalf of the life of the world. 34 The true
bread that has come down from heaven will make God known in an unconditional gift of himself for
the life of the world.
2.4 THE MYSTERY OF THE PASSION OF THE LAMB (V.51b)
John 51b, “the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” is a pointer to the fact
that the self-giving of Jesus will be complete only in his passion and death. The discourse as a whole is
summarized in v.57, “just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever
eats me will live because of me.” “Through his complete sacrifice of himself arise the possibility
that men may feed upon him, that is, may enter into a relation with the Father; then they will in turn
have life.”35The bread which Jesus will give for the life of the world is his flesh, it seems to look to the
death of Jesus, a theme traditionally associated with the Eucharist. The expression “give for the life of
the world” may be an attempt to conform more closely to a Eucharistic formula which states “take this
all of you and eat of it. For this is my body which will be given up for you”. This seems to recall the
sacrificial death of Jesus. Therefore, v.51b summarizes the whole sacrificial life of Jesus in flesh from
incarnation to death. This reality is offered to us in the Eucharist as the living bread.36
2.4.1 JESUS AS THE LAMB OF GOD IN JOHN
Many Old Testament symbols are used by the Fourth Evangelist to show the saving presence of
God among us, and the imagery “lamb of God” is one among them. This is the first title John the
Baptist uses to denote Jesus, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn1:29).
The meaning of this term is interpreted differently such as “Suffering Servant,” “Sacrificial
Lamb,” “Pascal Lamb,” “Apocalyptic Lamb,” or simply “Innocent Lamb.” 37 The fourth gospel
connects the whole work of Christ with the Passover. The Passover symbolism is in tuned with the
death of Jesus. The crucifixion of Jesus takes place at the time when the Passover lamb is slaughtered.
“Jesus dies as the Passover Lamb.”38 The implication of the Passover lamb can be seen in v.51c,
“the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” It is a sacrificial language. Jesus gifts
himself as a voluntary and vicarious sacrifice in behalf of the world. This sacrificial language points
towards the reference of John the Baptist to Jesus as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
33
34
George R. Beasley Murray, John WBC 36 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), 93.
35
K. Barrett, The Gospel According to St. John (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1978), 284.
36
Mathew Vellanickal, Studies in the Gospel of John (Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 1982), 55.
37
Jose Maniparambil, The Gospel According to the Beloved Disciple (Bangalore: Claretian Publications, 2015),
188.
38
Maniparambil, The Gospel According to the Beloved Disciple, 192
world (Jn1:29). It also reminds the Passover lamb which is sacrificed to save the Israelites in Egypt
(Ex. 11-12).39
2.4.2 LAMB OF GOD IN OLD TESTAMENT
In the Old Testament ἀμνός (amnos) is used chiefly in passages classed among the priestly
writings and in Ezekiel with a cultic and sacrificial character. The lamb plays an important role in
Israel’s public worship. Lambs are presented as burnt offerings and sacrifices to atone for and to
cleanse the people as a whole or individual persons at the sanctuary (Lev 9:3; Numb 15:5). The idea of
sacrificial lamb is seen in Judaism. The ritual implies in shedding of the blood of the scapegoat. The
scapegoat in Leviticus 16 is one who makes atonement for another or redeems them. Israelites believed
that their sins are taken away by the bloody sacrifice of a lamb or sins are sent away on a scapegoat.
In Exodus, God institutes the Passover ritual and tells the Israelites to slaughter an unblemished
lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood as a sign. This lamb was to be eaten as part of the
Passover meal. In John 6, Jesus states on the bread of life and requiring his followers to eat his flesh
and drink his blood. This draws a parallelism between Jesus as the sacrificial Passover lamb whose
blood spares God’s people from death. As the Passover lamb had to be killed and consumed, Jesus
sacrificed himself and offers himself as spiritual food and drink to give eternal life. So the blood
sacrifice of Jesus on the cross becomes significant to the Johannine community, for them Jesus
becomes the ‘Yom Kippur’.40
2.4.3 LAMB OF GOD IN NEW TESTAMENT
Israel and the Christian church are frequently referred to as sheep in a metaphorical theological
context, and Jesus is occasionally compared to a lamb, ἀϼvός in John and ἀρνίον (arnion) in
Revelation. Jesus is referred to as ἀμνός four times in the New Testament (Jn. 1:29, 36; Acts
8:32; 1Pet. 1:19). John the Baptist refers to Jesus, whom he has baptized, as ho amnos tou
theou, or "the lamb of God," in John 1:29–32. Jesus is not just being compared to a lamb; rather,
he is being compared to God's lamb. In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as the lamb of
God in three different ways: (a) Acts 8:32 highlights his patient suffering; (b) 1Pet 1:19
highlights the perfection and sinlessness of his sacrifice by using the phrase "without blemish
and without spot"; and (c) John 1:29-36 describes the atoning power of his death, he bears the
39
Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John I-XII AB 29 (New York: Doubleday & Company, 1966),
227- 230.
40
Maniparambil, The Gospel According to the Beloved Disciple, 189.
sin of the world. 41This proves that Jesus is a sin offering that is offered as a sacrifice. Jesus says
that his flesh and blood are the bread of life in John 6:35, and that those who follow him must
do the same. The metaphors of the "lamb image" and the "bread image" are complimentary and
refer to Jesus' atoning death that freed mankind from sin and death. The message of these
pictures is fulfilled by his body on the cross.42
2.5 THE PARALLELISM BETWEEN FLESH AND BODY
Jesus elaborates on the significance of his statements regarding the bread of life. This bread is
Jesus’ flesh and he will give it for the life of the world. The term used for Jesus’ body is ‘flesh’ σάρξ
(sarx), rather than σῶμα (soma).43 Synoptics use the word σῶμα but John uses σάρξ, which is Semitic
and closer to the original. The idea that the term flesh in 51C reflects the original use of the Aramaic
bisra (flesh), which originally related to the tradition of the Institution of the Lord’s Supper. The word
σάρξ reflects the emphasis on the reality of not only the incarnation, but also the death of the
Incarnated-word.44
Flesh in John’s anthropology is not a part of human body but the human being as natural and
mortal. To say that in Jesus the Word of God became flesh is to say that he became fully human,
subject to death. In 6:51, Jesus says that he is the living bread that came down from heaven, and that
the bread he will give for the life of the world is his flesh. Jesus is not talking about a physical part of
himself. He is saying that in giving himself totally in death, which is only possible because he is flesh,
i.e., mortal, he gives life to the world.45
2.6 ANALOGY OF LIFE AND RELATIONSHIP IN V.57
Jesus explains the Eucharist as the food of eternal life by linking it to participation in the divine
communion; “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him, v56.” In John,
the verb ‘remain’ (μένω) designates the mutual indwelling of Father and Son, the eternal relationship
between them in which Jesus invites his disciples to share. 46 “Through this living union with God’s
messenger one obtains life. The concentration on the theme of life and its communication from Father
to Son to believer produces the expression ‘the living Father’.”47
41
J. Gess, “Lamb” 1032, NID N Theo Vol No 2, 410-411.
42
Gerald L. Borchert, John 1-11, NAC, 25A (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 114-115.
43
Köstenberger, Encountering John, 215.
44
45
Sandra M. Schneiders, Life in Abundance: Studies of John’s Gospel in Tribute to Raymond E. Brown, ed. John
R. Donahue (Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2005), 171.
46
Francis Martin and William M. Wright IV, The Gospel of John (Michigan: Baker Publishing Group, 2014), 130.
47
Moloney, The Gospel of John, 225.
The statement about God’s messenger has a parallel in the previous verses (29, 38-39, 44), and the
meaning of his life, there described in the image of the heavenly bread (33, 35, 48), is now given a
theologically valid formulation without any imagery. The first part is taken further by 5:26, the Father
is living because he has life in him. He is the essence and principle of life and the Son lives through
the Father because the Father has granted it to have life in himself in the same originality and fullness.
On the analogy of this transmission of life from the Father to the Son, and by virtue of the power over
life he thus acquires, the Son also gives life to those who receive him in Eucharist. Through him those
who eat him are taken up into the life which comes from God the Father.48
2.7 BREAD OF LIFE
In John the miracle of the feeding and Jesus’ walking on the sea is followed by the revelation of
Jesus as the bread of life. In this part of the discourse, Jesus is inviting the attention of the people to the
sign value of the miracle of multiplication. “He wants them to rise above their struggle for daily bread
and long for bread of life which will lead them to the life that will last forever. The future tense ‘will
give’ seems to point out Eucharist which will be later given by Jesus, the Son of Man.”49 “Jesus wants
to teach the crowd that they should learn that there is bread which conveys not earthly but eternal life.
Jesus calls the attention of people to the imperishable food, which the Son of Man will give and which
men should aspire for.”50
The Eucharistic meaning of the bread of life in the first part (vv.35-50) is supported by the strange
juxtaposition of bread; “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and
whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (v.35). “It makes more sense if there is a reference to the
Eucharist, which involves flesh and blood and is therefore to be eaten and drunk.”51
In the second part of the discourse (6:51-59) there is a shift in the vocabulary, words like ‘bread,’
‘come’ and “believe” (6:35) give way to words like ‘flesh,’ ‘blood,’ ‘eat,’ ‘drink,’ and ‘food.’ So there
is a shift of focus that the second part of the discourse ‘bread from heaven’ denotes Holy Eucharist.
The proper response to heavenly food is ‘to eat and drink’ and not merely ‘come and believe.’52
“The bread of life and real drink are identified with the ‘flesh’ and ‘blood’ of the Son of Man. And the
response is specified as ‘eating’ and drinking”.53 “These verses refer without any doubt to the
sacramental meal of the Eucharist, where the flesh and blood of the ‘Son of Man’ are consumed, with
48
49
Vellanickal, Studies in the Gospel of John, 46.
50
Joseph Erambil, The Eucharist and Human- Christian Existence (Chalakkudy: Divine Printers & Publishers,
2005), 47.
51
Vellanickal, Studies in the Gospel of John, 49.
52
Maniparambil, The Gospel According to the Beloved Disciple, 277.
53
Maniparambil, Reading the Fourth Gospel (Bangalore: Claretian Publications, 2004), 256.
the result that this food gives ‘eternal life,’ in the sense that the participants in the meal can be assumed
of the future resurrection.”54
2.7.1 THE PARALLELISM IN (v50 and v51)
There is a close parallel between the words of Jesus in v.50; “This is the bread that comes
down from heaven,” and in v.51; “I am the living bread that came down from heaven” As once
Moses pointed to manna and said, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you for food” (Ex
16:15), Jesus points to himself and says, “This is the bread” (v50).
The Mosaic bread did not produce life and even Moses is dead. Now there is a bread that
surpasses the bread given by Moses. There has been an intensifying concentration on the person of
Jesus, “this is the bread and I am the bread” (vv.50, 51). The one who is the bread now makes a further
surprising promise, “the bread that I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh” (v51c). The true
bread that has come down from heaven will God known in an unconditional gift of himself for the life
of the world.55
The figure in bread always connotes eating and thus Jesus once more speaks of the eating. To
eat is to believe in Jesus. In v.50 it is God’s purpose that we eat this bread, or literally that we believe
in his son. This purpose will of course, be carried into effect and thus now Jesus adds, ‘if one shall eat
of this bread’. He uses the condition of expectancy that there shall be those who eat and some will
refuse to eat. In v.50 the negative effect of this eating is stated that those who eats shall not die, and
now the positive effect is placed beside the negative that he shall live forever.56
2.7.2 EGO EIMI (v35 and v48)
When asked what meal might grant eternal life, Jesus responds, "I am the bread of life."
Jesus responds to their question by saying, "What they are looking for is present in me," using
the revelatory formula ἐγώ εἰι. This response contains the entire contradiction of the revelation.
Anybody who desires anything from him has to understand that he must accept Jesus personally.
Anyone who comes to him seeking the gift of life must understand that what he truly desires is
Jesus. Since he is the food of life, Jesus provides the bread of life.57 In response, Jesus says, "I
am the bread of life," identifying himself as the one and only gift of the bread. Like with all of
54
Rudolf Bultmann, The Gospel of John: A Commentary, trans. George R. Beasley Murray, eds. R.W.N. Hoare
and J.K. Riches (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1971), 218.
55
Moloney, The Gospel of John, 218-219.
56
Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel, 483.
57
Bultmann, The Gospel of John, 225-227.
his "I am" statements, Jesus is explaining what he does rather than who he is; he gives life by
feeding people with bread. According to Jesus, he is completing the previous gift -the
sustenance that sustains life -given by the Torah. All human needs, including hunger and thirst,
will be met by Jesus, the bread of life (v35b). 58
2.8 THE EUCHARISTIC COMMUNION (vv52-59)
The teaching about the Eucharistic gifts, which Jesus once more introduces with a solemn
assurance, is organized in two stages. His flesh and blood, a real food and real drink, give life (vv53-
55) and they bring about a lasting union with himself, the divine bearer and bringer of life (vv56-57).
In conclusion, it is then stated that this is the true bread which has come down from heaven and which
gives indestructible life (v58). It means that the sacramental eating and drinking is brought back into
the context of the bread of God which gives life to believers.59The profound meaning of these sayings
is given by the concluding remark of v.56, “those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me
and I in them”. With these words the gospel of John denotes an unbroken relationship, communion and
abiding presence of God with humanity. Communion with Christ means participation in the perfect
communion, which exists Father and the Son.
Communion signifies a profound fellowship and sharing between the believer and Christ.
Through the Eucharist, Christians participate in the sacrifice and presence of Christ, entering into the
intimate communion with Him. Jesus links the communion aspect with the promise of eternal life
(v54). Through this spiritual communion believers receive the gift of eternal life, for Christ is the
source of life. Those who partake in the Eucharist “abide in Christ and I in them” (v56). This mutual
indwelling signifies a lasting, transformative connection with Christ. Separated from Christ, the
believers are dead and may live the life of animals, an intellectual life, a life of desires and hopes and
fears, a moral life, but the true life of a believer is not in these. It is only which comes by union with
God. Bread nourishes life and this bread communicates life. The indwelling Christ is the source of life
to a believer. This spiritual life in the present has a future completion. If Christ is in the heart, He
brings can never stop its regenerative and transforming activities until it has influenced the whole of
my nature to very circumference.60
2.8.1 ABIDING IN JESUS
58
Moloney, The Gospel of John, 214-215.
59
Schnackenburg, The Gospel According to St John, 60-61.
60
Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator (Michigan: Baker Book House, 1978), 571.
The act of eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Jesus enables the individual to remain in
Jesus. And the participant experiences life as a result (v57). The focus of the concept of remaining in
Jesus can be found in chapter 15, where Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine and his disciples as branches
to describe his connection with them. The first reference of this takes place in 6:56. In 15:4-7, the word
“remain” refers to more than just continuing on with one’s faith in Jesus. It suggests an ongoing
relationship or unity with Jesus. It suggests a sense of repetition that comes from ongoing action in
8:31. If this interpretation is applied to 6:56, it would imply that eating and drinking of Jesus’ flesh and
blood is a continuous process. If abiding in Jesus is an ongoing and continual action, then participating
in the Eucharist also shows an ongoing and deep relationship between the participant and Christ.61
2.9 CONCLUSION
In the bread of life discourse of John 6:25-59, we encounter a profound revelation of Jesus as
the source of eternal life. This exegetical analysis has explored the multifaceted layers of the discourse,
uncovering the theological significance of key elements such as the Son of Man, the manna from
heaven, the incarnation, the passion of the lamb, the bread of life and the Eucharistic communion.
Through this analysis, we have come to understand the depth of Jesus’ teaching which challenges us to
move beyond earthly concerns and seek the bread that impart eternal life. Jesus, as the living bread
invites us to partake in his flesh and blood symbolized in Eucharist to establish a deeper communion
with Him. This communion not only grants us the gift of eternal life but also signifies our
participation in the divine relationship between the father and the Son.
As we conclude this analysis, we are reminded that the bread of life discourse calls us to a deeper
faith and a more profound union with Christ. It challenges us to recognize that Jesus is the ultimate
sustenance for our spiritual hunger and thirst. Just as the Israelites depended on the manna in the
wilderness, we are invited to depend on Jesus, who is the true bread from heaven. This discourse
remains powerful testament to the depths of Christ’s love and the boundless life He offers to all who
believe. The profound teaching of Jesus in the bread of life discourse invites us to move beyond an
intellectual examination to deeper personal implications of partaking in His flesh and blood. This
communion with Christ promises not only nourishment for eternal life but also grace, transformation
and a more intimate relationship with God and the following chapter analyses the significance of this
communion through the bread of life in the life of a believer.
61
Beasley Murray, John, 272-273.
CHAPTER 3
SIGNIFICANCE OF EUCHARIST OF LIFE IN THE LIFE OF
A BELIEVER
3.0 INTRODUCTION
The Eucharist as a sacrifice and a banquet touches the very existence of human
being, especially the life of the members of the mystical body. It gives them a new
mission, a new vision and empowers them to establish the Kingdom of God as revealed
by the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the first questions that arise when discussing on the
theological implications of Eucharist is that about the relationship between the
Eucharist and the life of the Christian faithful who are called to bear witness in every
dimension of their earthly existence. The answer is to be found in the Word of God
himself set out in Peter’s first letter; “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him who
called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1Pet 2:9).62
The third chapter highlights the reciprocal relationship between the Eucharist
and the very life of the Christian who receives Him in the Eucharist. Here we would
deal with the theological implications of Eucharist in greater depth, investigating how
the Eucharist intertwines with the believer’s very existence. We consider how Christ’s
sacrificial self-offering allows us to participate in the divine life. Hence we go through
the Eucharistic interpretation of the John 6, effects of the Eucharist in the life of the
believer, pastoral implication of John 6 and the relevance of Eucharist in the modern
world.
3.1 EUCHARISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF JOHN 6
Jesus prepares for His teaching on the Eucharist in the Bread of Life discourse
by feeding the five thousand on the day before. We can see that in John 6:4 this
occurred just before the feast of Passover, a feast with strong messianic significance.
To understand both the event of the multiplication of the loaves and the Bread of Life
62
Matteo Calisi, “The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life of the Lay Faithful,” Laity
Today 39, (Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2005), 65-66.
Discourse, we must remember that Jews were expecting the Messiah to recapitulate the
miracles of the Exodus. One of those miracles was Moses’s providing food from
heaven for the Israelites as they wandered in the desert for forty years. The Messiah,
understood as a new Moses, would likewise provide abundance of bread for the
Messianic kingdom of Israel. After Jesus performed the multiplication of the loaves, the
people said, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world” and they were
“about to come and take him by force to make him king” (John 6:14–15). They rightly
interpreted His act as a Messianic sign, but they failed to understand the sign as a figure
of spiritual nourishment rather than as physical food.63
On the following day, the crowds were looking for Him, and Jesus said they
were seeking Him for the wrong reason. They were looking for a free lunch: “Truly,
truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your
fill of the loaves. Do not labour 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” (John 6:26–27). This passage contains four themes that are essential
to the discourse as a whole: Jesus’s messianic mission of giving eternal and divine life;
His Body and blood as spiritual nourishment and the medicine of immortality; His
identity from above; and the necessity of faith to receive these three things.64
First, we see the contrast between physical and spiritual nourishment. The
people are expecting messianic provisions so that they will not have to work, but Jesus
comes to give something infinitely better. Hence, He says: “Do not labour for food the
food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life.” Second, Jesus
promises that He will give the food of eternal life. Third, He indicates His mysterious
identity in saying that the Father has set His seal on Him. Finally, it is implied that they
must believe in Him to receive the life that He wishes to give them. The necessity of
faith comes to front in John 6:28–29. The people asked Him: “What must we do, to be
doing the works of God?” Jesus tells them to have faith in Him because He is sent from
the Father: “This is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent.” At this
point, the crowd asks for a sign like the manna so that they can believe in Him. This is a
classic “teachable moment.” This question provided a perfect opening for the teaching
63
Lawrence Feingold, The Eucharist: Mystery of Presence, Sacrifice and Communion (United
States: Emmaus Academic, 2018), 106.
64
Feingold, The Eucharist: Mystery of Presence, Sacrifice and Communion, 106-107.
on the Eucharist that He was about to give. The crowd said: “Our Fathers ate the manna
in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’” (John
6:31).65
3.2 THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE EUCHARIST
The sacraments give us supernatural life analogously with the way nature
provides for the basic needs of our natural life. Thus, Eucharist corresponds
supernaturally with man’s need for nourishment. Christ instituted the Eucharist to be
the food of eternal life that produces spiritual nourishment by feeding us with grace and
strengthening our intimate union with Christ.
Generally there are three principal reasons for which Christ instituted the
Eucharist and they are to perpetuate His human presence among men as our Redeemer
and the divine Victim for our souls, to perpetuate His redemptive sacrifice, the supreme
act of His burning charity and allow us to join with Him in offering it to the Father and
finally to unite Himself in intimate communion with us so as to be our spiritual food
and drink.66The effects of the Eucharist as seen in the Gospel of John 6 are life,
communion and resurrection.67These effects of the Eucharist in the life of the believer
have a certain flow, which would sanctify him in the first place and would give him
eternal life at the end.
3.2.1 REMOVES SIN AND ITS EFFECTS
The Eucharist removes the curses that are in the life of humans as the result of
the sins that are committed by them. This is achieved through the confession of sins as
an act within the Eucharist or preparation for it. Within the Eucharistic liturgy, the
confession of sins is general and public, whereas outside the Eucharist, the confession
is particular in form and private. The confession of sins in the Eucharist is an
expression of our interior life, an attempt to articulate who we really are as known only
by the self and by God. This also brings an awareness that we are sinners. This
65
Feingold, The Eucharist: Mystery of Presence, Sacrifice and Communion, 107.
66
67
Vellanickal, A Studies in the Gospel of John, 52-53.
confession of sin is an utterance of disorder in our life and an awareness that we need
help that is beyond ourselves. It is not same as finding that we have certain problem on
which we should work.68 But “confessing sin is saying you are a sinner who requires
the redemptive act of God in order for you to become yourself in Christ. This is an act
of baptismal honesty directed toward the Eucharistic life.”69The Eucharist invites the
believer to turn form darkness to light, from world to God and to put on the new man.70
The effect of communion is forgiveness of sins and separation of the faithful

from sin. So the Eucharist not only unites us with Christ but before that it cleanses us
from past sins and preserves us from future sins. Though Eucharist is not given for the
forgiveness of mortal sins, it strengthens us from falling into mortal sins.71 To know
oneself in the light of God at the altar is a deeper examination with far-reaching results.
Here we see ourselves as we are. In the light of the Eucharist we see the stain and blight
of sin, so in the Eucharist we seek forgiveness and pardon and we receive peace, joy
and power from God.72Christ's self-giving is for the salvation of all, it is an atonement
of reconciliation and restoration in life and love.73 John Paul II teaches that the
Eucharist applies to men and women of today the reconciliation won once for all by
Christ for mankind in every age.74
3.2.2 GUARANTEES REDEMPTION
The Eucharist gives us the opportunity to encounter Jesus and bring life where
there had only been death. It also offers salvation to those who, as a result of their sin,
are dead and are separated from God and dwell in hopelessness. “The forgiveness of
sins comes from outside of us; it is an act untainted by the human presence of
achievement. We get closer to the reality of communion as forgiven sinners, those in
68
Ralf N. McMichael, Eucharist: A Guide for the Perplexed (London: T&T Clark International,
2010), 117-118.
69
McMichael, Eucharist: A Guide for the Perplexed, 118.
70
Joseph Erambil, “Transforming and Glorifying Power of the Eucharist,” The Living Word 106
(2000), 318.
71
Philip Chempakassery, Memory and Presence: A Theology of the Eucharist
(Thiruvananthapuram: M.S. Publications, 2002), 128-129.
72
Ralph G. Turnbull, At the Lord’s Table (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1967), 75.
73
H. P. C. Lyons, “The Eucharist and Atonement,” The Way, 2 (1962), 94.
74
John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, (Kochi: LRC Publications, 2003), 12.
whom God is initiating change.”75 The reconciliation with God and others in Jesus
Christ guarantees the redemption. “Like the incarnation, the Eucharist reproduces
Jesus’ redemptive offering. As John 6:51 says the flesh of Christ is given for the life of
the world”76. It is offered in sacrifice to give this life to the world. Every Eucharistic
celebration renews this offering sacramentally. We are celebrating the memorial of
Christ’s sacrifice of himself for the salvation of the world. That is at the altar of the
Church we offer that which Christ offered on the cross for the salvation of the world.77
“The Eucharist is the sacrament of the presence of the unique sacrifice of Christ,
carrying out today for all people the application of salvation gained on the cross.”78
3.2.3 LEADS TO COMMUNION AND UNITY
The Gospel of John speaks frequently of the community of disciples as those

whom Jesus has called friends. The Eucharist is the very image of the unity of the
church, and the Eucharist is the source of the life and unity of the community. We are
united with Christ through faith and baptism and the Eucharist increases our union with
Christ. The Eucharist forms the Church and it nourishes and cherishes the unity and
identity of the Church. St. John Damascene states; “the Eucharist is also called
communion (koinonia), and rightly so for by it we have communion with Christ and by
it we also have communion and are made one with each other. For since we partake in
the one bread, we all become the one body of Christ and the one blood, as well as
members of each other, because we are parts of one body’ (Cor 10:17).”79
Pope John Paul II sates; “the Eucharistic sacrifice is intrinsically directed to

inward union of the faithful with Christ through communion.”80 “The
communion table of the bread of the Lord brings the union of the believers and
nourishes them constantly. Every time we participate in the Eucharist, we are more
75
76
The Theological-Historical Commission for the Great Jubilee Year 2000, Eucharist: Gift of
Divine Life (United States: Crossroad Publications, 1999), 17.
77
Joseph Erambil, Sacraments: Outstanding God-Given Means to Excellent Life (Kochi:
Vincentian Generalate, 2008), 34.
78
Chempakassery, Memory and Presence, 64.
79
Erambil, Sacraments, 73.
80
John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 16.
closely united to Christ, and in him, to all people, with a more perfect bond than any
natural union.”81 Eucharistic communion also confirms the Church in her unity as the
body of Christ. The Eucharist is a meal of communion where nature and humans and
humans among themselves commune with each other. Eucharist ritualizes God’s giving
of eternal life to His people.82Through this sacrament, the pilgrim church is nourished
and deepens her communion with the Triune God and consequently that of her
members with one another.83
3.2.4 NOURISHES GRACE ORIENTED EXISTENCE
In John 6:35, Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will
never go hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” This emphasizes
the spiritual nourishment that the Eucharist provides to believers. “The Eucharist
increases the grace of baptism and all the virtues which accompany it: ‘Very truly I tell
you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no
life in you’ (Jn 6: 53).”84Each Sacrament has a specific effect of its own, the specific
grace of the holy Eucharist will not be merely actual grace but habitual grace as well.
Through the habitual sacramental grace we are able to resist the power of evil.85 Human
existence in its origin and development is indebted to God’s grace. Thus, right from the
beginning, man’s whole existence was a graced-existence. Man is nothing but grace
that which is given. Apart from God’s grace he has no being no existence and no life.
Hence, man depends totally on God for his natural and supernatural existence. When
man used his freedom against God, he lost the grace but God out of his mercy restored
him through his only begotten Son Jesus Christ.86
Grace that is given to man by Christ is the loving redemption and freedom, this
is the salvation that is made available to us in Jesus Christ. Christ bestows his grace to
the believers through the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Through the Eucharist Christ fills
81
82
Chempakassery, Memory and Presence, 53-54.
83
84
Marie Joseph Nicolas, What is the Eucharist? (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1960), 20.
85
John Cuthbert Hedley, The Holy Eucharist (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1914), 112.
86
the Christians with the same divine fullness that he has received from the Father.
Eucharistic Jesus sanctifies, saves and illuminates as the believer cooperates with Jesus.
So the Sacrament of the Eucharist guarantees our growth in the grace-filled existence.87
3.2.5 INSPIRES TO SHARE
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that the Eucharist commits us
to the poor. To receive the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us in truth, we must
recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren (CCC 1397). The Bread that is broken
opens the life of Christians to sharing and self-giving for the life of the world.
Through the Eucharist we are receiving the poor along with Jesus, rejected by the
people of his time. The Eucharist unites us with all the poor and enables us to recognize
Christ in the poor.88 As Basil the Great says, the Eucharist leads us to loving service to
God and others.89 “The moment of celebration of the Eucharist is the moment of
sharing food, sharing oneness, sharing love, concern and pardon, sharing wisdom,
sharing of burden and suffering, sharing of wealth and goods, sharing of holiness,
sharing of God experience, sharing of joy, sharing of Triune God’s life and sharing of
mission.”90 “The whole Eucharistic celebration is a moment of sharing between God
and the faithful and among the faithful themselves. As a result God is glorified and
community of believers is made worth in a par excellent way.” 91 Eating and drinking of
the consecrated bread and wine signifies sharing ones on person and ideas. At the
altar Christ shares himself to the believers and it inspires the believers to share
themselves to others.92
3.2.6 HELPS TO EXPERIENCE THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The communion with Christ makes sure the believers’ entry into the Kingdom
87
Erambil, Sacraments, 53
88
Chempakassery, Memory and Presence, 129.
89
Dennis Joseph Billy, The Beauty of the Eucharist: Voices from the Church Fathers (New
York: New York City Press, 2009), 169.
90
Erambil, The Eucharist, 224-225.
91
Erambil, Sacraments, 70
92
Erambil, The Eucharist, 225.
of God. It means that the Eucharistic banquet is an anticipation of heavenly banquet.
The earthly banquet prepares the believer for the heavenly banquet, what we participate
through signs today will be enjoyed by us in the Kingdom of God. In this sense the
Eucharist is an announcement and celebration of the future life. Until we reach the
perfect age in Christ, that is His Kingdom, the Eucharist nourishes the believers and it
nourishes every Christian and it nourishes the Church.93
3.2.7 A CALL TO BREAK AND SHED ONE’S BEING
The very nature of human being is both other oriented and God oriented. But
human beings are blocked by the real-life experiences that one cannot become what one
intended to be but when man turns to the Lord the veil is removed (2 Cor 4:16). As a
result, he is able to become another Christ, which means becoming a sacrifice and
banquet to fellow humans. In ‘The Sacrament of Unity and Peace’ Pope Paul VI says;
in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, Christ gives himself to the faithful and invites them
to do the same. Christ sets the model at Gethsemane, Upper room and at Golgotha, he
says “body given for many,” and “blood shed for all,” by following this, one is able to
confirm to the life of Christ. Those who follow Jesus should prove their faithfulness
and love to God and humanity by breaking and shedding their body and blood for all.94
Breaking and sharing make up an important symbol of the celebration of the

Eucharist. The Eucharist is not only an invitation to share our possession with
other and to give the hungry our bread, it is inherently a celebration of sharing. We
share our time and space and ourselves with others in the Eucharist. The bread is
broken to be shared so also the people who part takes in it. The liturgy of the Eucharist
reminds us of this fact constantly through the prayers we recite.95
3.2.8 TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION
Since Jesus is present, as he had promised, in the Holy Eucharist, it has the
power to transform the people. By allowing God to transform our hearts we would be
93
94
Erambil, “Transforming and Glorifying Power of Christ”, 322.
95
Anselm Grun, The Seven Sacraments, trans. John Cumming (Mumbai: St. Pauls, 2004), 66.
able to transform the world. One of the important aspects of the Eucharist is its
transformative character.96 “In the Sacramental celebration of the Eucharist we believe
not only the transformation of the bread and wine but also the change of its
participants.”97 As Pope John Paul II says; “The Lord’s Supper transforms its
participants from within and makes them new people of God. It turns them into apostles
of true reconciliation, unity and peace.”98
The Eucharist transforms us and introduces us to a higher life. In the Eucharistic

meal, Christ blesses us with his assimilating power. It is He who transforms those who
are nourished by His body, He gives us the divine energy. The transformation of our
everyday life through the Eucharist also continues another form of encounter with
things and people, the Christ within us makes this change in our lives.99 The Sacrament
of the Eucharist invites all its participants to direct their lives to an effective action in
the society to transform it into Christ. The core of the Eucharist consists in its power to
change, as the Eucharistic prayers and rituals transform the bread and wine into Christ’s
body and blood so also it transforms its participants in a different manner. The
Eucharistic Christ who enters into the life of the believer transforms and gives them a
new vision and mission, takes man to a spiritual perfection and makes him an integral
being.100
3.2.9 EMPOWERS THE MISSION
The Holy Eucharist enables us to follow the mission of Christ. “We are sent on
the Eucharist mission as those to whom Christ has been sent, and on whom the Holy
Spirit has been sent.”101 We cannot approach the Eucharistic table without being drawn
into the mission which, beginning in the very heart of God, is meant to reach all
people (SC 84). We are not just doing a mission but we should be doing the mission of
96
97
98
99
Grun, The Seven Sacraments, 85.
100
Erambil, Sacraments, 66-67.
101
God, as seen in the life of Christ. “Our Eucharistic mission is the inhabiting and
extension of God’s actions from the Eucharist into the world.”102 This mission includes
proclaiming the Word of God to all people and then listening to their grievances and
finding solutions to them, and we invite them to share the peace of Christ.
Therefore, Eucharistic mission is teaching people how to remember Jesus in the
midst of their own particularities. Through this mission we bring the abundance of the
Eucharistic life to the ends of the earth and to the ends of the time.103
This mission is expressed in terms of our perception of the living presence of

the risen Christ in the Sacrament, for the believer nothing is more important than living,
real and personal perception of our Lord in the Eucharist.104The Church needs power to
do this mission and the Church draws the power from the Eucharist. So the Eucharist is
the source of the Church's missionary commitment. The People of God who are Church
cannot but continue the mission of Jesus Christ. The celebration of the Eucharist, the
Sacrament of Lord's Passover, is in itself a missionary event, which plants the fertile
seed of new life in the world.105
The final act of the Eucharist is the dismissal of the people, in the dismissal,
God gives us a mission that God is sending out the Body of Christ into the world.106
Pope John Paul II says; “from the Eucharist, the source of life, you can draw the grace
needed for your mission.”107
3.2.10 OPENS HEAVEN
Through His earthly meals, feeding the multitude and the Last Supper, Jesus
turns the attention of his followers to the eschatological meal. The Eucharist is the
viaticum of the faithful on their journey to heavenly Jerusalem. 108It offers the Mystical
Body the food that nurtures them not just for a day but for eternity. Jesus truly gives
102
103
104
Calisi, “The Eucharist”, 65.
105
Calisi, “The Eucharist”, 65-66.
106
107
108
Nicolas, What is the Eucharist? 90.
His Body and Blood, crossing over the threshold of death, he becomes living Bread,
true manna, and endless nourishment for eternity, the flesh becomes the Bread of
Life.109 St. Paul affirms that the koinonia with Christ leads the believer to immortality
(Rom 6: 4-12; Col 2: 12; 2Tim 2:11). Fathers of the Church also believe in the power of
the Eucharist to give eternal life to the believers. In St. Irenaeus’ view, incorporation
into the Eucharist, Christ prepares the believers to share the glorified Christ in
heaven. The life-giving value of the Eucharistic meal is clearer in the accounts of
Ignatius of Antioch.110The Eucharist is truly a glimpse of heaven appearing on earth. It
is a glorious ray of the heavenly Jerusalem which pierces the clouds of our history and
lights up our journey. As the earthly food nourishes the temporal life of man so the
Eucharistic food guarantees his eternal life. The Eucharistic meal is an anticipation of
the heavenly glory, it guarantees resurrection from the dead and eternal life. 111
3.3 PASTORAL IMPLICATIONS OF JOHN 6
In the bread of life discourse Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life. Whoever
comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” It
encourages the regular participation in the Eucharist for spiritual nourishment. It
emphasizes the Eucharist as a source of sustenance for the Christian journey that
provides strength and endurance. John 6:56 states “whoever eats my flesh and drinks
my blood remains in me, and I in them.” It fosters a sense of community and unity
through the shared experience of the Eucharist. It promotes a deeper understanding of
the communal aspect of the sacrament, emphasizing that it binds believers not only to
Christ but also to one another.112
Jesus emphasizes the necessity of faith and belief in 6:40. Priests should help
the faithful to understand the profound mystery of the Eucharist and how it deepens
their connection to Christ. Pastors should address the questions and concerns about the
nature of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. In John 6:55, Jesus emphasizes the real and
transformative nature of the Eucharist by stating that “for my flesh is real food and my
109
Benedict XVI, Heart of the Christian Life: Thoughts on the Holy Mass (San Francisco:
Ignatius Press, 2010), 7
110
Erambil, Sacraments, 85-86.
111
112
John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 22-23.
blood is real drink.” This profound truth underscores the importance of approaching the
sacrament with reverence and awe. Priests, therefore, bear the responsibility of
providing pastoral guidance that helps believers grasp the significance of the Eucharist
in the context of real spiritual presence. Jesus’ use of various language in John 6:53
further highlights the participatory nature of the Eucharist. Priests should emphasize
this aspect by underscoring the theological richness of the Eucharistic celebration.
By encouraging believers to actively engage with the elements and actions of the
Eucharist, priests can foster a deeper and more meaningful worship experience.113
The celebration of the Eucharist, however, cannot be the starting point for
communion. It presupposes that communion already exists, a communion which it
seeks to consolidate and bring to perfection. The sacrament is an expression of this
bond of communion in two ways: its visible dimension, which involves communion in
the teachings of the apostles, in the sacraments, and in the hierarchical order of the
Church, and its invisible dimension, which unites us to the Father and among ourselves
through Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. The profound relationship between the
invisible and the visible elements of ecclesial communion is constitutive of the Church
as the sacrament of salvation. Only in this context can there be a legitimate celebration
of the Eucharist and true participation in it. Consequently, it is an intrinsic requirement
of the Eucharist that it should be celebrated in communion, and specifically maintaining
the various bonds of that communion intact.114
3.4 RELEVANCE OF EUCHARIST IN THE MODERN WORLD
The fact that sacrifice is by definition a social and public act in which an inward
sacrifice is represented externally and socially and offered to God by a community
through the mediation of a priest is one reason why it is challenging for modern
man to comprehend the Eucharistic sacrifice. On the contrary, religious practices are
typically thought of in modern culture as being entirely personal and individual.115
The collective aspect of sacrifice has two causes. Man is, first and foremost, a
113
Erambil, The Eucharist, 232-235.
114
John Paul II, “Ecclesia de Eucharistia”, The Church in the 21st Century, ed. John F. Baldovin
(Massachusetts: Boston College, 2011), 16-17.
115
social being. Thus, it is appropriate for God to be adored, praised, prayed to, and
satisfied by whole societies as well as by isolated individuals. Each one of us needs to
do these things as a member of society in its different levels. Secondly, sacrifice offered
to God is not only an essentially social act but also one that binds society more closely
together by expressing the common orientation of society to its proper end, which
is union with God and them manifestation of His glory and goodness through sharing
in them. Sacrifice, therefore, serves to “re-bind” society with God and the members of
society with one another.116
The unity of the Church and her entire life is offered in every Eucharist, for
Christ cannot be separated from His members and their concrete life. The Church prays
that the unity of the members with their Head and with one another will be deepened
through the Eucharist and increased as the fruit of the sacrifice. The Church teaches that
our participation in the Eucharist is deeply linked to the mystery of suffering in union
with Christ. There is no reality in the Christian life (except sin) that cannot be united to
the Eucharist. This uniting of our sufferings and affections with those of Christ
concerns both dimensions of the Eucharist as sacrifice and as sacrament of communion.
We are to unite ourselves with Christ both in the offering of His sacrifice to God the
Father and in receiving the fruit of that sacrifice.117
3.5 CONCLUSION
According to the John’s Gospel the first effect receiving of the Eucharistic
bread is the gift of ‘Life’: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever
eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world
is my flesh” (v. 51).This fact is repeatedly mentioned in this section (6: 53, 54, and 58).
This divine life is given to humankind through the body and blood of Christ. The
second effect of the Eucharist that is mentioned in this passage is the mutual indwelling
of Jesus and the believer. “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me,
and I in them” (v56). The third effect of the Eucharist that is mentioned in this section
116
117
of the Gospel is the resurrection. “Those who eat my flesh and drink my bold have
eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day” (v54). 118 The other implications in
this chapter are the rest of the effects that the Eucharist brings in the life of the believer
in order to reach these effects that are said by Christ himself. The body and blood of
Christ that is given to us is an invitation to be with Christ in His Kingdom. “I am the
resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and
whoever, lives and believes in me shall never die” (Jn 11:25). To know how we are
drawn down to earthly things, we require all the grace of Christ, to know the proper
aspect of life. And this grace is given to us through the body and blood of Christ.119
As we conclude this chapter, we are reminded that the Eucharist is the

cornerstone of faith, offering nourishment, grace and a profound relation with God. Yet
the Eucharist also presents a unique set of challenges through its effects to be in a
communion with God and demands a delicate balance between faith and reason.
The Eucharist is not merely a symbolic gesture but it is a sacrament that demands
preparation and spiritual readiness. This requirement places a responsibility upon the
faithful to examine their conscience and seek reconciliation with God. It requires a
constant commitment to personal transformation and action. Embracing the Eucharist
with both faith and reason enriches our lives, strengthen our communities and connect
us to the Divine. General conclusion that follows will summarize the whole chapters
and the findings of the dissertation.
118
Vellanickal, Studies in the Gospel of John, 52-54.
119
C. F. Donovan, The Story of the Twenty-Eighth International Eucharistic Congress (Chicago:
The Eucharistic Congress Committee, 1927), 327.
GENERAL CONCLUSION
As we conclude this thesis on the Bread of Life discourse in the Gospel of John
(Jn.6:25-59), the Eucharist is the vital center and summit of Christian life posing
profound theological truths and spiritual nourishment. This study has explored the
Johannine theology of the Eucharist by an exegetical analysis of the Bread of Life
discourse and examined the implications and challenges of the Eucharist for believers. It
describes the necessity of faith to approach this Bread of Life. The discourse further
explains that Jesus is the Bread of Life. For coming close to Jesus, requires real faith and
it will nourish the believer. The Catholic doctrine affirms that the Eucharist, as the
sacrifice of Christ, is also the sacrifice of the Church and thus of all the faithful (CCC
1368). The response of the believer to the Eucharistic sacrifice should be of reverence
and humble acceptance of the divine call to change one’s life to a life that is in
accordance with the demands of the Eucharist. A mere human approach is inadequate to
grasp the reality of the Eucharist. It is the Spirit of God that enables one to understand
this reality and enjoy the beneficial efforts.
Through a close reading of John 6, we uncover Jesus’ revelatory teaching that

identifies Himself as the Bread of Life who offers eternal sustenance. The first chapter
provide critical background for understanding this discourse, outlining key themes in
John 6 such as fulfillment of Messianic signs, the superiority of spiritual over physical
bread and Eucharistic symbols. The exegetical study in chapter 2 analyzes the
multifaceted theological dimensions that develops the metaphors and language in the
discourse. From Christ’s identity as Son of Man to the Passover resonances, this chapter
elucidates the incarnational, sacrificial and sacramental meanings moved through the
text. We emerge with a profoundly transformed vision of Jesus as the manna from
heaven who feeds us with His very body and blood. Building on this exegesis, chapter 3
investigates the implications of the Eucharist for the life of the faithful. Through Christ’s
gracious self-offering in the Eucharist, believers receive the gift of divine life and enter
into mystical communion with God. This communion sustains the church, nourishes
grace, inspires sharing, anticipates the kingdom and empowers mission. But the
Eucharist also makes forceful demands compelling us to break ourselves in service and
take up Christ’s redemptive sacrifice.
The findings of this study can be summarized as the following;
Christ the Living Bread: Christ is the true heavenly bread that gives eternal
life. Through the sign of feeding the five thousand and His bread of life discourse, Jesus
establishes His identity as the living bread came down from heaven (Jn. 6:51). This
symbolizes His incarnation bringing divine life into the world. Just as bread nourishes
physical life, Christ offers Himself as spiritual nourishment that satisfies the deepest
hunger of humanity.
Sacrament of Communion: The study traced the development of Eucharistic

language in John 6 in the words of Jesus, “my flesh is true food and my blood is true
blood” (Jn. 6:55). This inaugurates the sacramental practice where partaking of His body
and blood in communion enables an intimate union with Christ. This bond is captured in
the phrase “to abide in me and I in you” (Jn. 6:56). The Eucharist thus allows
participation in the eternal relationship of love between the Father and the Son.
Implications for Christian Living: Examining the theological significance of

the Eucharist sheds light on its implications for the life of the faithful. As the “source
and summit” of the Church, the Eucharist removes sin, transforms lives, inspires sharing
and empowers the mission. By conforming the believers to the pattern of Christ’s self-
giving sacrifice, the sacramental body and blood serve as an antidote to sin and a
channel of sanctifying grace. Through worthy participation, the Eucharist guides the
Church towards the heavenly Jerusalem.
St. John’s Eucharistic doctrine, so realistic and so spiritual, is absolutely central

in his Gospel which is dominated by the theme of the Word made flesh to give life to the
world. Through commemorating Christ’s sacrificial death, celebrating the Real Presence
and partaking of His sanctifying grace, the Eucharistic mystery renews the faithful,
transforms human existence and draws us towards eternal beatitude. The believing
reception of the Eucharist helps the believer to grow in divine life and in mutual
indwelling presence of Christ. By committing ourselves to Christ’s invitation with faith,
reverence and understanding, we allow the Eucharist to uplift and divinize our lives as
God intended. It also, at the end, guarantees the eschatological resurrection. So the
ultimate challenge the Eucharist puts before the believer is to reach eternal life, the life
with Christ.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am forever grateful to Rev Dr George Panthanmackal, the Rector of Morning Star

Bro. Deign Josco Joseph

Reg No: 2538

AB The Anchor Bible

1.1 THE DELIMITATION OF THE TEXT

1.2 THE LITERARY CONTEXT OF CHAPTER 6

1.3 IMMEDIATE CONTEXT OF CHAPTER 6

1.3.1 LARGER CONTEXT

1.4 THE STRUCTURE OF THE TEXTUAL UNIT

1.5 LEADING THEMES IN THE TEXT

1.5.1 JESUS AS THE BREAD OF LIFE

1.5.2 MIRACLES AND SIGNS

1.5.4 CONTROVERSY AND OPPOSITION

1.5.5 THE EUCHARIST/COMMUNION

EXEGETICAL ANALYSIS OF JOHN 6:25-59

2.1 MEANING OF THE SON OF MAN (v27 and v53)

2.2.1 MANNA IN JOHN

2.2.2 MANNA IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

2.2.3 MANNA IN NEW TESTAMENT

2.3 THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION OF THE LOGOS (V.51a)

2.4 THE MYSTERY OF THE PASSION OF THE LAMB (V.51b)

2.4.1 JESUS AS THE LAMB OF GOD IN JOHN

2.4.2 LAMB OF GOD IN OLD TESTAMENT

2.4.3 LAMB OF GOD IN NEW TESTAMENT

2.5 THE PARALLELISM BETWEEN FLESH AND BODY

2.6 ANALOGY OF LIFE AND RELATIONSHIP IN V.57

2.7 BREAD OF LIFE

2.7.1 THE PARALLELISM IN (v50 and v51)

2.7.2 EGO EIMI (v35 and v48)

2.8 THE EUCHARISTIC COMMUNION (vv52-59)

2.8.1 ABIDING IN JESUS

3.1 EUCHARISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF JOHN 6

3.2 THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE EUCHARIST

3.2.1 REMOVES SIN AND ITS EFFECTS

The effect of communion is forgiveness of sins and separation of the faithful

3.2.2 GUARANTEES REDEMPTION

3.2.3 LEADS TO COMMUNION AND UNITY

The Gospel of John speaks frequently of the community of disciples as those

Pope John Paul II sates; “the Eucharistic sacrifice is intrinsically directed to

3.2.4 NOURISHES GRACE ORIENTED EXISTENCE

3.2.5 INSPIRES TO SHARE

3.2.6 HELPS TO EXPERIENCE THE KINGDOM OF GOD

3.2.7 A CALL TO BREAK AND SHED ONE’S BEING

Breaking and sharing make up an important symbol of the celebration of the

3.2.8 TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION

The Eucharist transforms us and introduces us to a higher life. In the Eucharistic

3.2.9 EMPOWERS THE MISSION

This mission is expressed in terms of our perception of the living presence of

3.2.10 OPENS HEAVEN

3.3 PASTORAL IMPLICATIONS OF JOHN 6

3.4 RELEVANCE OF EUCHARIST IN THE MODERN WORLD

As we conclude this chapter, we are reminded that the Eucharist is the

Through a close reading of John 6, we uncover Jesus’ revelatory teaching that

The findings of this study can be summarized as the following;

Sacrament of Communion: The study traced the development of Eucharistic

Implications for Christian Living: Examining the theological significance of

St. John’s Eucharistic doctrine, so realistic and so spiritual, is absolutely central