John 6:41-51 is a selection in the Living Bread Discourse which overlaps what Raymond Brown considers to be two sections of the Discourse. Verse 51 in this selection belongs to the sacramental section of the Discourse. The verses that go before this belong to the sapiential theme of the discourse. In other words, if we follow the division of Raymond Brown, vv. 41-50 link the Bread of Life with the words of Jesus while in verse 51 -- the beginning of the sacramental part of the discourse -- we find Jesus' teaching on His Flesh and Blood as food for those who believe in Him.
Read this article on the topic before proceeding. The article is a newer version of "Unless The Father Draw Him."
1. Kingship was an issue in the section that preceded this one (the feeding of the multitudes). The people wanted Jesus to be their king but for the wrong reasons. The Messianic king was expected to be the one who would come to teach all the nations the ways of God. He will not be like the Roman Caesar who provided bread and circuses for his subjects. Jesus is the Messiah who is to come. One's attitude to what he says NOW is already a judgment on his hearer.
- Reflect
- We have already listened to the themes of Jesus' words as having absolute claim on the believer. An example would be the reading on the feast of the Transfiguration. The voice in the cloud says: "This is my Beloved Son; listen to Him." What other readings do you remember where this theme is repeated?
2. "No one comes to me unless the Father draws him." With these words Jesus is underlining the complete continuity between himself and the Torah of Moses. Those who faithfully follow the teachings of Moses would also follow him. In other words, no one can claim that in not following Jesus one is just obeying the Law. Again the readings from the Feast of the Transfiguration point to the same thing: Moses and Elijah appear discussing with Jesus on the mount.
- Reflect
- In the document "Dei Verbum" the Church's Magisterium teaches us that Jesus -- the Word of God Incarnate -- is the fullness of revelation. This means that all that the Father wished to reveal to humanity is revealed totally in Christ. For us, Christians, this practically means that all other "revelations" have to be referred to the Word of God as the norm of verification. For us Christians, the term Word of God has three aspects that have to be taken together, always: Christ, Tradition and Scriptures. Please read this article and answer this question: if Word of God means Christ, Tradition and Scriptures, what should be our attitude towards those who claim that faith should be based on "the Bible alone"? Should we even consider their claim to be true?
3. We referred above to the sapiential and sacramental themes of the Bread of Life Discourse. We also made the observation in the related article that this corresponds to the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist as we know it in the Mass. If this is true -- and it is -- how would you understand Jesus' statement "He who listens to the Father comes to me" apropos the liturgy of the Word? How do you value this part of the Mass?
