Here are more of those Truly truly sayings – but not just one, but four in a short space of a few verses. 6:26, 32, 47 and 53. Man this is laying it on a bit thick isn’t it? Talk about repetition. It is the same element word for word in Greek ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν – literally “truly truly I say to you”. Remember we discussed it before. Does it surprise you that John brings it up again? Note Jesus performs miracles and then tells his audience why He does things. What is behind it? Let’s look behind the scenes at these truly, truly sayings. Remember repetition is a means of highlighting what is important.
First Time:
Jesus replied to them, “Truly, truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were completely satisfied. Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”
John 6:26-27
Second Time:
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
John 6:32-33
Third Time:
Truly, truly I tell you, the one who believes in me has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness and died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a person may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. And the bread I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
John 6: 47-51
Fourth Time:
So Jesus told them, “Truly, truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day.
John 6:53-54
Summary: Which bread are you after? The Father gives bread from heaven. I am the bread from heaven, the bread of life. If you eat of me you will have eternal life.
Does this sound familiar? Of course it does. John told us all about this in chapter 4. Do you want to work for trophē or broma? The Father has put His seal on me. I am not manna but I have come from heaven. I am the bread that gives life. You must feed on me. Interesting here that John doesn’t use the normal word to eat. He uses the word τρώγω [trόgō] chew or to masticate, to chew on deep and long. Feed on me, gain all your nourishment from me, the Son of Man. Note that the themes of bread and water come together. In John 4 it was bread, here it is bread and water. Stop and think, bread and water is symbolically what is served to prisoners, reminiscent of the basic that can be fed to someone. Yes here too in this case but that idea is that Jesus become your essence of life. Your life sustaining nourishment.
Clearly John links these two passages with the bread theme. Bread is found 18 times in the passage after the feeding of the 5000 with bread and fish. Then the bread morphs into flesh and then blood. It is not coincidence that flesh and blood go together and bread and water go together. John is working the theme hard. Of course there is MUCH MORE here. I am not spelling it all out. I have to leave something for you to do. Stop and ponder on the switch made from bread and water to blood and water as the theme progresses. The blood and water later become the symbol of the sacraments. The essence of His being which ought to become the essence of our being. Keep looking at it. This is a most complex passage with themes running every which way. Worthy of your attention.
God enjoys receiving knee-mails.
Anon
Missionary Elisabeth Elliot found it ministering to the Indian tribe who massacred her husband. She wrote, ‘Only in acceptance lies peace… not in resignation.’ There’s a big difference!
“True faith only goes into operation when there are no answers.”
Elisabeth Elliot