The Gospel of John (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture)

Francis Martin, William M. Wright, Williamson, Peter S., Healy, Mary, Peter S. Williamson, Mary Healy

• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9780801036477
• eBook ISBN: 9781441222992
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

Examine the New Testament from within the living tradition of the Catholic Church

In this addition to the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, two well-respected New Testament scholars interpret the Gospel of John in its historical and literary setting as well as in light of the Church's doctrinal, liturgical, and spiritual tradition. They unpack the wisdom of the Fourth Gospel for the intellectual and spiritual transformation of its readers and connect the Gospel with a range of witnesses throughout the whole history of Catholicism.

The CCSS relates Scripture to Christian life today, is faithfully Catholic, and is supplemented by features designed to help pastoral ministers, lay readers, and students better comprehend the Bible and use it more effectively.

Commentary features include:
● Biblical text from the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE)
● References to the Catechism, the Lectionary, and related biblical texts
● Theological insights from Church fathers, saints, and popes
● Reflection and application sections for daily Christian living
● Suggested resources and an index of pastoral subjects

Attractively packaged and accessibly written, the CCSS aims to help readers understand their faith more deeply, nourish their spiritual life, and share the good news with others.

Jesus and Passover: Food for Eternal Life

John 6:1–71

Continuing the motif of this subsection of the Gospel (5:1–10:42), John presents Jesus in relation to another Jewish liturgical feast: Passover. John 6 is composed of several interrelated scenes. First, Jesus performs a miraculous †sign near Passover time: he multiplies loaves and fish to feed a great multitude, a miracle that recalls God feeding Israel with manna in the wilderness (6:1–15). Then Jesus begins to reveal the meaning of this sign by walking upon the stormy sea and declaring “I am” (6:16–21). After a brief introduction (6:22–31), Jesus delivers a discourse on himself as the bread of life in which he teaches what the true bread provided by God is and what it means to feed on this bread (6:32–59). Last, Jesus’ radical teaching causes some disciples to fall away, while others reaffirm their faith in him (6:60–71).

John 6 is one of the most theologically complex chapters in the Gospel. There is deep reflection on Jewish liturgical traditions and on many biblical themes: the tree of life in Eden, the manna in the wilderness, Wisdom’s invitation to share in her food. These Old Testament realities help us to understand Jesus and the gift of his body and blood on the cross and in the Eucharist. Through many allusions, we are led to appreciate Jesus’ gift of himself to the Father and to us. Jesus’ self-gift was actualized in his passion and is made present as our nourishment in the Eucharist, our foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

Jesus Provides Bread for a Multitude (6:1–15)

1After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee [of Tiberias]. 2A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. 3Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4The Jewish feast of Passover was near. 5When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” 6He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. 7Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little [bit].” 8One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, 9“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” 10Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. 12When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. 14When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” 15Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

OT: Exod 16; Num 11:4–8; 2 Kings 4:42–44

NT: Mark 6:34–44; 14:22–25

Catechism: the Eucharist as thanksgiving, 1328–32

Lectionary: 17th Sunday of the Year (Year B); the Holy Eucharist

[6:1–4]

The Gospel implies that after the sabbath controversy in Jerusalem in chapter 5, Jesus traveled north to Galilee, for as this chapter begins, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. Three notices set the scene for the feeding †sign that is about to occur. First, a large crowd followed Jesus because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. The Gospel has shown that those who come to Jesus on account of his miracles often possess a shallow interest in him because they see him only as a wonder-worker (2:23–25; 4:48). The crowd, drawn as it is to Jesus by his miracles, probably fits this category. Second, Jesus went up on the mountain. This detail echoes the action of Moses, who likewise went up on Mount Sinai to receive the †Torah. Third, the Jewish feast of Passover was near. This notice indicates John’s concern to unfold the spiritual relationship between Jesus and the exodus, the origin of Passover, in God’s plan, especially God’s loving-kindness for his people as shown in his providing them with food in the wilderness.

[6:4–7]

Upon seeing a large crowd approaching, Jesus asks Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” Jesus does not ask this question out of ignorance but to test Philip. By doing so, he invites Philip to grow in his faith in him. Instead, Philip thinks in terms of money: it would take an enormous sum, the better part of a year’s wages, to feed such a large crowd—and only for each of them to have a little.

[6:8–9]

Andrew intervenes in the conversation by calling attention to a young boy with five barley loaves and two fish. His mention of barley loaves recalls the incident in 2 Kings 4:42–44, where the prophet Elisha fed more than one hundred men with twenty barley loaves. But like Philip, Andrew contrasts the enormity of the crowd with the small means at hand: What good are these for so many?

[6:10]

Jesus acts on his intention to feed the crowd. He first tells the disciples, Have the people recline: get them ready to eat. The comment about grass recalls Ps 23:2, where the psalmist says of †YHWH his shepherd, “In green pastures he makes me lie down.” The disciples obey Jesus’ instruction, and the men reclined, about five thousand in number. With the presence of women and children, the crowd would have been even larger.

[6:11]

Jesus’ gestures resemble accounts of the Last Supper in the †Synoptics: he took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them.1 While John’s Gospel does not narrate the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, it underlies Jesus’ teaching on the gift of his body and blood throughout chapter 6. Another important detail concerns the one who feeds the crowd. In the Synoptics, Jesus gives the bread to the disciples, who then feed the crowds (Matt 14:19; Mark 6:41; 8:7; Luke 9:16). But John does not mention any role of the disciples; Jesus feeds the crowd directly. John thus underscore...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Endorsements
• Contents
• Illustrations
• Editors’ Preface
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Outline of the Gospel of John
• The Prologue
• Successive Days of Revelation
• Jesus’ First Trip to Jerusalem
• Encounters with Jesus in Samaria and Galilee
• The Obedient Son, Lord of the Sabbath
• Jesus and Passover: Food for Eternal Life
• Jesus at the Festival of Tabernacles I
• Jesus at the Festival of Tabernacles II
• The Light of the World: Illumination and Judgment
• The Good Shepherd and the Festival of Dedication
• The Resurrection and the Life
• Jesus Goes to Jerusalem for His Passover
• On the Night before He Died
• Farewell Discourse I
• Farewell Discourse II
• Farewell Discourse III
• Jesus’ Prayer of Communion
• The Hour Begins
• The Trial before Pilate
• No Greater Love
• Encountering the Risen Lord
• The Church’s Witness to the Risen Lord
• Suggested Resources
• Glossary
• Index of Pastoral Topics
• Index of Sidebars
• Map
• Back Cover