Thomas Aquinas, on John 6:22

After the Evangelist has set down how the disciples sought Christ, he here consequently treats of the crowds seeking him, and first the motive for seeking is set down; second, the opportunity for seeking, at the words "but other boats came," etc.; third, the seeking itself is set down, at the words "when therefore the crowd had seen," etc. Now what moved the crowds to seek Christ was the preceding miracle, namely that he had crossed the sea without a vehicle. This indeed became known to them, because in the evening he was not on the shore that was near the place where he had worked the miracle of the loaves, where there was only one boat, and that boat had crossed with the disciples to the other side without Christ. Hence, when in the morning they had not found Christ on the same side where he had been on the previous day, but he was already on the other side, and he had had no other boat in which to cross, they suspected that he had crossed by walking upon the sea. And this is what he says: on the next day — that is, the day after that on which he had worked the miracle of the loaves — the crowd that was standing across the sea, where he had worked the miracle, saw that there was no other boat there but one, because on the previous day there had been only that one, and saw that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, etc.

By this one boat is signified the Church, which is one, by the unity of faith and of the sacraments; Ephesians 4:5: "one faith, one Baptism." But by the fact that Jesus is not with the disciples is signified the bodily separation of Christ from them at the ascension; Mark, last chapter, 19: "the Lord Jesus indeed, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven."

The opportunity for seeking is given by the arrival of other boats from the other side of the sea, with which they were able to cross over to seek Christ; and therefore he says, "but other boats came" from the other side, namely from Tiberias, near the place where they had eaten the loaves, etc. By these other boats that came are signified the conventicles of heretics and of those who seek the things that are their own, and not the things of Jesus Christ — below: "you seek me because you ate of my loaves" — and which are separated either in faith, as regards heretics, or lacking charity, as regards the carnal, who are not properly in the Church, but are nevertheless alongside it, insofar as they put forward a feigned faith and have the appearance of holiness; according to that saying, 2 Timothy 3:5: "having indeed a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." And 2 Corinthians 11:14: "it is no wonder if the ministers of Satan transform themselves."

But the seeking was earnest; hence he says "when therefore the crowd had seen," etc., and first he shows how the crowd seeks Christ; second, how, once he is found, they question him. He says therefore first, that when the crowd had seen that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they got into the boats that had come from Tiberias, seeking him — which is praiseworthy; Isaiah 55:6: "seek the Lord while he may be found"; and Psalm 68:33: "seek the Lord, and your soul shall live." But once he is found they question him; hence he said, and when the crowds had found him, namely Christ, across the sea, they said to him: Rabbi, when did you come here?

But this question can be understood in two ways. In one way, that they ask only about the time; and then, according to Chrysostom, their crudeness is to be reproached, because after so great a miracle they do not ask about the manner of crossing, namely how he had crossed without a boat, but only about the time of the crossing. Or it can be said that by saying "when," they ask not only about the time, but also about the other circumstances that concurred in the miraculous crossing.

But note that above, after the meal, they wanted to make him king; but now, though they have him present, they do not want to make him king. The reason for this is that they wanted to make him king, stirred up by the passion of joy caused by the meal. Now passions of this kind quickly pass away, and therefore the things that are disposed according to these very passions are transitory; but the things that are disposed by reason endure more; Ecclesiasticus 27:12: "a wise man continues in wisdom as the sun; but a fool is changed as the moon"; Proverbs 11:18: "the wicked man makes unstable work."

Next, when he says "Jesus answered them," etc., the Lord treats of spiritual food; and first he sets forth the truth concerning the spiritual; second, he excludes a contradiction, at the words "the Jews therefore murmured about him." Concerning the first he does three things. First he sets forth the truth of the spiritual food; second he intimates its origin, at the words "they said therefore to him: what sign then do you work?" etc.; third he teaches the manner of receiving this food itself, at the words "they said therefore to him: Lord, always give us this bread." Concerning the first he does two things. First he shows the spiritual food, and its power; second he makes manifest what it is, at the words "they said therefore to him: what shall we do that we may work the works of God?" Concerning the first he does two things. First he argues against their perverse desire; second he exhorts them to the truth, at the words "labor," etc.

He says therefore: amen, amen I say to you, although you show yourselves as it were devout, yet you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled; as if he were to say: you seek me on account of the flesh, not on account of the spirit, namely so that you may be fed again. And, as Augustine says, the place of these is held by those who seek Jesus, not for his own sake, but so that they may obtain certain worldly advantages; such as those who, having business dealings, approach prelates and clerics, not on account of Christ, but so that by their intercession they may be advanced with the great; such as those who take refuge in churches, not on account of Jesus, but because they are oppressed by those more powerful; such also as those who, drawing near to the Lord through holy orders, seek not the merits of the virtues, but the aids of the present life, namely riches and honors, as Gregory says in Moralia 23. And this is clear: for to work signs belongs to divine power; but to eat multiplied bread is something temporal. Since, therefore, they do not come to Christ on account of the power which they see in him, but on account of the fact that they eat of the loaves, they do not serve Christ but their own belly, as is said in Philippians 3, and Psalm 48:19: "he will confess to you when you have done well to him."

He leads them back to the truth by setting before them the spiritual food, saying labor not for the food that perishes, but for that which endures unto eternal life, and first he sets forth its power; second its authority, at the words "which the Son of man has given you." The power of that food is considered in the fact that it does not perish. Hence it must be known concerning this, that bodily things are certain likenesses of spiritual things, inasmuch as they are caused and derived from them, and therefore they imitate the spiritual things themselves in some way. Hence, just as the body is sustained by food, so that by which the spirit is sustained is called its food, whatever that may be. But that by which the body is sustained, since it passes over into the nature of the body, is corruptible; but the food by which the spirit is sustained is incorruptible, because it is not changed into the spirit itself, but rather, conversely, the spirit is changed into the food. Hence it is the saying of Augustine: "I am the food of the full-grown: grow, and you shall eat me. Nor shall you change me into yourself, as the food of your flesh, but you shall be changed into me," as is said in the Book of Confessions.

And therefore the Lord says "labor"; that is, seek by laboring, or merit by works, not the food that perishes, namely the bodily food; 1 Corinthians 6:13: "food for the belly, and the belly for food, but God will destroy both this and that" — because the use of foods will not always exist; but labor for that food, namely the spiritual, which endures unto eternal life; which food indeed is God himself, insofar as he is truth to be contemplated, and goodness to be loved, by which the spirit is refreshed; Proverbs 9:5: "eat my bread"; Ecclesiasticus 15:3: "he fed him with the bread of life and understanding." Likewise, obedience itself to the divine commandments; above, 4:34: "my food is to do the will of him who sent me." Likewise, also Christ himself. Below, in the same chapter: "I am the bread of life"; likewise: "my flesh is truly food, and my blood is truly drink." And this insofar as it is joined to the Word of God, which is the food by which the Angels live.

Now he assigned a similar difference above in chapter 4:13, concerning bodily drink and spiritual drink, when he said: "whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall not thirst forever" — the same difference which he here assigns between bodily and spiritual food. The reason for this is that bodily things are corruptible, but spiritual things, and especially God, are eternal.

But it must be known, according to Augustine in the book On the Work of Monks, that from this saying, namely "labor not for the food that perishes," certain monks took occasion for error, saying that spiritual men ought not to work anything bodily. But this understanding is false, because Paul, who was most spiritual, labored with his own hands, as is found in Ephesians 4:28, where he himself says: "he who stole, let him now steal no more; but rather let him labor with his hands." Therefore the true understanding is that we should direct our work — that is, our principal study and intention — toward seeking the food that leads to eternal life, namely the spiritual goods. But we ought not to attend principally to temporal things, but only accessorily, that is, to procure them only by reason of the corruptible body, which must be sustained as long as we live in this life. Hence, against this, the Apostle pointedly says, 2 Thessalonians 3:10: "he who does not work, let him not eat"; as if he were to say: those who say that nothing bodily is to be done — since eating is something bodily — such men ought not to eat.

Next, when he says "which the Son of man will give you," he sets down the giver of the spiritual food: and first he sets down the author of this food; second he makes manifest whence he has the authority to feed. Now the author and giver of the spiritual food is Christ; and therefore he says which — namely, the food that does not perish — the Son of man will give you. If he had said "the Son of God," it would not have seemed remarkable; but the fact that the Son of man gives it more raises attention. Yet in a spiritual sense the Son of man gives it for this reason: because human nature, weakened by sin, loathed spiritual food, and could not take it in its own spirituality; hence it was necessary that the Son of God take on flesh, and through it refresh us; Psalm 22:5: "you have prepared a table before me."

But whence he has the authority of giving, he adds when he says "for this one the Father, God, has sealed"; as if he were to say: that the Son of man will give this, he has this only insofar as, by the singularity and eminence of the fullness of grace, he excels all the sons of men; hence he says this one — namely the Son of man — the Father has sealed: that is, has markedly distinguished him from the rest; Psalm 44:8: "God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows." Or, according to Hilary, "has sealed," that is, has stamped with a seal. Now when a seal is impressed in wax, the wax retains the whole figure of the seal, just as the Son also received the whole figure of the Father. Now there is a twofold reception which the Son received from the Father. One is eternal; and it is not of this that what is here said, "has sealed," is to be understood, because in sealing, the nature receiving is one thing, and the nature impressing is another. But this is understood of the mystery of the Incarnation, because upon human nature God the Father impressed the Word, who is "the splendor and the figure of his substance," as is said in Hebrews 1:3. Or according to Chrysostom, "has sealed," that is, God the Father specially instructed him for this, that he should give eternal life to the world; below, 10:10: "I came that they may have life," etc. For thus, when someone is chosen to carry out some great office, he is said to be sealed for that office; Luke 10:1: "after these things the Lord appointed also seventy others as disciples," etc. Or "has sealed," that is, has made manifest by the voice at the Baptism, and by works, as was said above, chapter 5.

Next, when he says "they said therefore to him: what shall we do that we may work the works of God?", he makes manifest what the spiritual food is, and first the question of the Jews is set down; second the response of Jesus Christ is added, at the words "Jesus answered," etc. Concerning the first it must be known that the Jews, instructed from the law, believed that nothing was eternal except God. Hence, when he had said that the spiritual food endures unto eternal life, they understood that food to be something divine. And therefore, seeking, they make mention not of food, but of the work of God, when they say "what shall we do that we may work the works of God?" In which they were not far from the truth, since the spiritual food is nothing other than to work the works of God; Luke 18:18: "what shall I do to possess eternal life?"

The Lord's response is set down when he says "this is the work of God, that you believe in him," etc. Here it must be considered that the Apostle, in Romans 4, distinguishes faith from works, saying that Abraham was not justified by works, but by faith. What then is it that the Lord here says, that faith itself, or believing, is the work of God? But to this there is a twofold response. One, that the Apostle does not distinguish faith from works absolutely, but from exterior works. For there are certain exterior works, which are carried out with the bodily members, and which, because they are better known, are called works according to common usage; but others are interior, which are carried out in the soul itself, which are known only to the wise, and which turn to the heart. In another way it is said that believing itself can be reckoned among exterior works, not because faith is itself the works, but because it is their principle; hence he also pointedly says "that you believe in him."

For it makes a difference whether one says "to believe God" — for thus I designate the object — or "to believe God" (as a witness) — for thus I designate a witness — or "to believe in God" — for thus I designate an end: so that in this way God can be held as the object of faith, as witness, and as end, but in different respects. For the object of faith can be a creature — for I believe that heaven was created; likewise a creature also can be a witness of faith, for I believe Paul, or any of the saints; but the end of faith cannot be anything but God, for our mind is borne only toward God as toward an end. But since the end has the character of the good, it is the object of love; and therefore to believe in God as in an end is proper to faith formed by charity; and this faith, thus formed, is the principle of all good works; and to this extent believing itself is called the work of God.

But if faith is the work of God, how do men do the works of God? But this is resolved by Isaiah 26:12, when it says: "all our works he has wrought in us." For this very thing that we believe, and whatever good we work, is in us from God; Philippians 2:13: "it is he who works in us both to will and to accomplish." And therefore he pointedly says that believing is the work of God, in order to show that faith is a gift of God, as is said in Ephesians 2:8.

Next, when he says "they said therefore to him: what sign then do you work?", the origin of the food is treated, and first the question of the Jews is set down; second the response of Christ, at the words "amen, amen I say to you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven." Concerning the first they do three things. First they ask for a sign; second they specify it; third they adduce the testimony of Scripture.

Now they ask for a sign by proposing the question; hence they said: what sign do you work, that we may see, and believe you? Now this question is explained differently by Augustine, and differently by Chrysostom. For Chrysostom says that the Lord had invited them to faith. Now the arguments leading to faith are miracles; 1 Corinthians 14:22: "signs are given to unbelievers." And therefore for this they seek a sign by which they may believe; for it is the custom of the Jews to ask for signs; 1 Corinthians 1:22: "for the Jews seek signs." Hence he says "what sign then do you work?" But this seems ridiculous, that they should ask for some miracles for this purpose, since he had just performed some, by multiplying the loaves, and by walking upon the sea, which had occurred in their very presence, and which they could believe. But they say this for this reason: to provoke the Lord, and to induce him always to feed them. This is clear, because they make no mention of any other sign except that which was done for their fathers through Moses for forty years, as if by this they were asking that he should always feed them; hence they say "our fathers ate manna in the desert." Nor do they say: God fed our fathers with manna, lest they should seem to want to make him equal to God. Likewise they do not say, Moses fed them, lest they should seem to prefer Moses to Christ — as if wanting by this to entice him, so that he might continually feed them. Concerning that food it is spoken of in Exodus 16, and in Psalm 77:25: "man ate the bread of Angels."

But Augustine says that the Lord said that he would give them food that endures unto eternal life; hence he seems, as it were, to prefer himself to Moses. But the Jews reckoned Moses greater than Christ; hence they said, below, chapter 9:29: "we know that God spoke to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where he is from." Hence they required that Christ should do certain things greater than Moses had done; and therefore they bring back to memory the things that Moses did, saying: our fathers ate manna in the desert; as if he were to say: what you say about yourself is greater than what Moses did, because you promise food that does not perish; but the manna that Moses gave, if it was kept for another day, swarmed with worms. If therefore you wish us to believe you, you should do something greater than Moses; for what you did is not greater, because you satisfied five thousand men, but with five barley loaves, and only once; whereas he satisfied the whole people with manna from heaven for forty years, and this in the desert, just as it is written in Psalm 77:24: "he gave them bread from heaven to eat."