Thomas Aquinas, on John 6:32

The question of the Jews having been posed, here the response of Christ is set forth. And first he shows the origin of the spiritual food; second he proves it, at the words "For the bread that comes down from heaven is the true bread." Concerning the first, it must be known that the Jews had proposed two things to Christ concerning the origin of the bodily food which their fathers had: namely, the giver, who was Moses, and the place, because it was from heaven; and so the Lord, removing these two things concerning the origin of the spiritual food, asserts that the giver of the spiritual food is different, and the place is different. Hence he says, removing the aforesaid points, "Amen, amen I say to you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven." It is another who gives, because it is my Father — not bodily bread, but the true bread from heaven.

But against this: was not the bread which the fathers had in the desert truly bread? I answer: if "true" is taken as it is divided against the false, then that bread was true, for the miracle of the manna was not false; but if "true" is taken as truth is divided against figure, then that bread was not true, but a figure of the spiritual bread, namely of our Lord Jesus Christ, which the manna itself signified, as the Apostle says, 1 Corinthians 10:3: "all ate the same spiritual food."

Likewise, against what he says — "he did not give you bread from heaven" — is what is said in Psalm 77:24: "he gave them the bread of heaven." I answer: heaven is taken in three ways. Sometimes for the air; Matthew 13:4: "the birds of the air ate it"; and in Psalm 17:14: "the Lord thundered from heaven." Sometimes for the starry heaven, according to that verse, Psalm 113:16: "the heaven of heaven is the Lord's"; and Matthew 24:29: "the stars will fall from heaven." Sometimes, indeed, for the spiritual goods themselves; Matthew 5:12: "rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven." The manna, therefore, was from heaven not the starry or spiritual heaven, but the aerial. Or it is said to be from heaven inasmuch as it was a figure of the true heavenly bread, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Consequently, when he says "for the true bread is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world," he proves that it is from heaven also by its effect. For the true heaven is of a spiritual nature, to which life belongs of itself, and therefore it gives life of itself; below: "it is the spirit that gives life." Now God himself is the author of life. From this, then, it is known that this spiritual bread is from heaven, since it produces its proper effect, if it gives life. For that bodily bread did not give life, since all who ate the manna died; but this bread gives life, and therefore he says it is "the true bread," and not figural, "which comes down from heaven." And this is evident, because "it gives life to the world." For Christ, who is the true bread, gives life to whom he wills; below, 10:10: "I came that they may have life," and so on. He also comes down from heaven; above, 3:13: "no one has ascended into heaven except him who descended from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven." Thus, therefore, Christ, the true bread, gives life to the world by reason of his divinity, and comes down from heaven by reason of his human nature. For, as was said above at chapter 3, he is said to have descended from heaven by assuming human nature; Philippians 2:7: "he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant."

"They said therefore," and so on. Here the obtaining of the spiritual food is treated, and first the petition for that food itself is set forth; second the exposition is given, at "But Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life," where he shows the manner of obtaining it. It must be known, concerning the first, that the Jews understood the Lord's words carnally; and therefore, because they were in a desire for carnal things, they ask carnal food from Christ; hence they said to him, "Lord, always give us this bread," that would refresh in this way. And the Samaritan woman understood the word about spiritual water carnally, and wishing to be free from need, said: "Lord, give me this water." And although these people understand the Lord's words about food carnally, and ask carnally, nevertheless their petition, understood spiritually, is fitting for us; Matthew 6:11: "give us this day our daily bread": because we cannot live without this bread.

Consequently, when he says "But Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life," he shows the manner of obtaining it, showing first what this bread is; second how it is acquired, at "all that the Father gives me will come to me." Concerning the first he does three things. First he sets forth the explanation of the aforesaid bread; second he assigns the reason for the explanation, at "he who comes to me shall not hunger"; third he manifests the necessity of the explanation, at "but I said to you," and so on.

Jesus therefore said to them, "I am the bread of life": for, as was said above, the word of wisdom is the special food of the mind, because by it the mind is sustained; Ecclesiasticus 15:3: "he fed him with the bread of life and understanding." Now the bread of wisdom is said to be the bread of life, to distinguish it from bodily bread, which is the bread of death, which is fitting only for restoring the defect of mortality, whence it is necessary only in this mortal life. But the bread of divine wisdom is of itself life-giving, and has no contrary death. Likewise, bodily bread does not give life, but only sustains for a time a life already existing; but spiritual bread so gives life that it grants life, for the soul begins to live through this, that it cleaves to the Word of God; Psalm 35:10: "with you is the fountain of life." Since, therefore, every word of wisdom is derived from the only-begotten Word of God, Ecclesiasticus 1:5: "the fountain of wisdom is the only-begotten of God, abiding on high," therefore the Word of God itself is principally called the bread of life; and therefore Christ says, "I am the bread of life."

And because the flesh of Christ is united to the Word of God itself, it also has the property of being life-giving, whence his body too, taken sacramentally, is life-giving: for through the mysteries which Christ fulfilled in his flesh, he gives life to the world; and thus the flesh of Christ, on account of the Lord's word, is bread — not of the accustomed life, but of that life which is not unlocked by death. And therefore the flesh of Christ is called bread; Genesis 49:20: "Asher, his bread is fat."

It is also signified through the manna, 1 Corinthians 10:1ff. "Manna" is interpreted "what is this?" Because the Jews, seeing it, marveled, saying to one another, "what is this?" But nothing is more marvelous than the Son of God made man, so that it falls to anyone to ask, "what is this?" That is, how is the Son of God the son of man; how do two natures come to make one person of Christ? Isaiah 9:6: "his name shall be called Wonderful." It is also marvelous how Christ is under the sacrament.

Consequently, when he says "he who comes to me shall not hunger," he assigns the reason for the explanation, and this from the effect of this bread. For bodily bread, once eaten, does not take away hunger forever, since it is corrupted and fails; and therefore it must be sought again for nourishment; but spiritual bread, giving life of itself, is never corrupted; and therefore a man, having eaten once, never hungers. And therefore he says, "he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." Now, as to what he says — namely, that "he who comes" and "he who believes" shall not hunger nor thirst — these do not differ, according to Augustine, because to come to him and to believe in him are the same thing: for we come to God not by steps of the body, but of the mind, the first of which is faith. To eat and to drink are likewise the same: for by both is signified the eternal satisfaction, where there is no want. Matthew 5:6: "blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied": so that the same thing is food sustaining and drink refreshing.

Now the reason why temporal things do not take away thirst forever is, first, because they are not taken all at once, but little by little, and as it were with movement, and therefore something always remains to be taken; and on account of this, just as delight and satisfaction arise from what has already been taken, so too desire remains from the taking. The other reason is that they are corrupted, whence a memory remains from the corrupted thing, and desire for them is generated again. Spiritual things, however, are both taken all at once, and are not corrupted nor do they fail; and therefore their satisfaction remains forever. Revelation 7:16: "they shall neither hunger nor thirst." Psalm 15:10: "you shall fill me with joy with your countenance; delights are at your right hand," that is, in spiritual goods, "even to the end."

Consequently, when he says "but I said to you," etc., the necessity of the explanation is set forth. For someone might say: we asked for bread; but you do not answer, "I will give it to you," or "I will not"; but rather you say, "I am the bread of life"; and therefore your answer does not seem a good one. But that it is a good answer, the Lord shows, saying, "I said to you that you have also seen me, and have not believed": which is the same as if someone had bread before him, being ignorant of it, and it were said to him, "behold, bread is before you." And therefore he says, "I said to you (I am the living bread) and you have seen me, and have not believed"; that is, you desire bread, and you have it before you; and yet you do not take it, because you do not believe. In this he reproaches them for their unbelief; below, 15:24: "but they have seen, and have hated both me and my Father."

Consequently, when he says "all that the Father gives me will come to me," he shows how it is acquired, and first he sets forth the manner of acquiring it; second, the assurance of arrival, at "and him who comes to me I will not cast out"; third he manifests what he says, at "because I came down from heaven," and so on. It must be known, concerning the first, that our very believing comes to us from the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8: "by grace you are saved, and not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God"; Philippians 1:29: "it has been given to you not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him." Now it is sometimes said that God the Father gives believing men to the Son, as here, "all that the Father gives me will come to me." Sometimes the Son gives to the Father, as that text, 1 Corinthians 15:24: "when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father." From which we understand that just as the Father, in giving, does not take the kingdom away from himself, so neither does the Son. Now the Father gives to the Son, inasmuch as he makes a man cleave to his Word. 1 Corinthians 1:9: "through whom," namely the Father, "you have been called into the fellowship of his Son." But the Son delivers to the Father, inasmuch as the Word is manifestative of the Father himself. Below, 17:6: "Father, I have manifested your name to men." Thus, therefore, he says, "all that the Father gives me will come to me"; that is, those who believe in me, whom the Father makes cleave to me by his gift.

But perhaps someone would say that it is not necessary that anyone make use of the gift of God: for many receive the gift of God who do not use it. How then does he say, "all that the Father gives me will come to me"? To which it must be said that in that giving is understood not only the habit, which is faith and the like, but also the interior instinct toward believing. Whatever, then, one does toward salvation, all of it is from the gift of God. But a question remains: for if all that the Father gives to Christ goes to him, as he himself says, then only those go to God whom the Father gives to him; therefore it ought not to be imputed to those who do not go, since they are not given to him. To which it must be said that it is not imputed to them, if they cannot come to faith without the help of God; but this is imputed to the one who does not come, because he himself provides the impediment that keeps him from coming, turning himself away from salvation, whose way, as far as it is in itself, is open to all.

Now the goal of the arrival is set forth when he says "and him who comes to me I will not cast out." For someone might say: we will come to you; but you will not receive us. And therefore he says, excluding this, "him who comes to me" — by the steps of faith and good works — "I will not cast out," in which he gives us to understand that he himself is within: for that is "within" from which one goes out to "without." Let us therefore consider what this interior thing is, and how one is cast out from it.

It must be known, then, that since all visible things are said to be, as it were, certain exterior things with respect to spiritual things, the more something is spiritual, the more interior it is. There is, therefore, a twofold interior. One is the deepest, namely the joy of eternal life, which, according to Augustine, is the more inward and sweet secret, without weariness, without the bitterness of evil thoughts, without the interruption of temptations and sorrows; concerning which it is said, Matthew 25:21: "enter into the joy of your lord." And Psalm 30:21: "you shall hide them in the secret of your face"; that is, in the full vision of your essence. And from this interior thing no one shall be cast out. Revelation 3:12: "he who shall overcome, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more," because, as is said in Matthew 25:46, "the just shall go into life everlasting."

The other interior thing is the rectitude of conscience, which is a spiritual joy; and concerning this it is said, Wisdom 8:16: "entering into my house, I shall rest." And Song of Songs 1:3: "the king has brought me into his storerooms." And from this some are cast out. And therefore what the Lord says, "I will not cast out," can be understood in two ways. In one way, so that those are said to come to him who are given to him by the Father through eternal predestination; and concerning these he says, "him who comes to me," predestined by the Father, "I will not cast out"; Romans 11:2: "God has not cast away his people whom he foreknew." In the other way, because those who go out do not go out as though cast out by Christ, but the cause of their casting-out is on their own part, who, through unbelief and sins, withdraw from the secret place of a right conscience. And thus it is said, "I do not cast out," but they themselves cast themselves out; Jeremiah 23:33: "you are the burden, and I will cast you off, says the Lord." And in this way that man was cast out who had entered the wedding feast not having a wedding garment, as is said in Matthew 22:11ff.

Now he assigns the reason for the foregoing, when he says "because I came down from heaven," etc., and first he sets forth the intention of fulfilling the Father's will; second he manifests what the Father's will is, at "this is the will of him who sent me, the Father"; third he shows the final fulfillment of the will, at "and I will raise him up on the last day." Concerning the first it must be known that this text can be read in two ways: in one way according to Augustine, in the other according to Chrysostom.

According to Augustine, thus: "him who comes to me I will not cast out," and this because he comes to me who imitates my humility. Matthew 11:28, when the Lord said, "come to me, all you who labor," he consequently adds: "learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart." Now the true meekness of the Son of God consists in this, that he subjected his own will to the will of the Father. And therefore he says "I will not cast out," because "I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me." On this account the soul went out from God, because it was proud; and therefore it is necessary to return by humility, coming to Christ through the imitation of his humility, which consists in this, that he does not do his own will alone, but the will of God the Father.

It must be known, moreover, that in Christ there was a twofold will. One according to the human nature, which is proper to him both by nature and by the will of the Father; the other according to the divine nature, which is the same as the will of the Father. His own will, therefore, namely the human will, he ordered under the divine will, because he himself showed his obedience under the effect of the paternal will, wishing to fulfill the Father's will. Psalm 39:9: "that I should do your will, O my God, I have desired it." We ask that this will be done in us when we say, Matthew 6:10: "your will be done." Those, therefore, are not cast out who do not do their own will, but the will of God. For the Devil, wishing to do his own will, which is a mark of pride, was cast out of heaven, and the first man out of Paradise.

According to Chrysostom, however, thus: I do not cast out him who comes to me because I came for this, to fulfill the Father's will concerning the salvation of men. If, therefore, I was incarnated for the salvation of men, how ought I to cast them out? And this is what he says: "therefore I do not cast out, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will," that is, the human will, so as to acquire something proper to myself, "but the will of him who sent me," the Father, "who wills all men to be saved," as is said in 1 Timothy 2:4. And therefore, as far as it is from me, I cast no one out. Romans 5:10: "for if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."

Now what the Father's will is, he explains first, when he says "for this is the will of him who sent me, the Father," etc.; second he assigns the reason, at "for this is the will of my Father," etc. He said, then: I will not cast out those who come to me, because I assumed flesh in order to do the Father's will. Now the will of him who sent me, the Father, is this: namely, that I should not cast out; and therefore I will not cast out. 1 Thessalonians 4:3: "this is the will of God, your sanctification." And therefore he says "that of all that he has given me, I should lose nothing of it"; that is, that I should lose nothing, until it comes to the future resurrection, in which some will be lost — not, however, of those who were given to him through eternal predestination, but the impious; Psalm 1:6: "the way of the impious shall perish." But those who are preserved up to that time will not be lost.

By this, however, that he says "I will not lose," it is not to be understood that he has need of them, or that it would be a detriment to him if they perish. But he says this on account of his affection for their salvation, and their good, which he reckons as his own. But against this is what is said below, chapter 17:12: "none of them," namely of those whom you gave me, "has perished, except the son of perdition." Therefore some of those who were given to him through eternal predestination are lost. This, then — what he says, "I will not lose of it" — is not true. But it must be said that it is from among those who are given to him through present righteousness that some are lost; not, however, from among those given through eternal predestination.

Now he sets forth the reason for the divine will when he says "for this is the will of my Father," etc. The reason why the Father wills that I should not lose anything of what he has given me is that it is the Father's will to give life spiritually to men, since he himself is the fountain of life. And because he is eternal, as far as concerns himself, it is his will that everyone who comes to me should have eternal life. And this is what he says: "this is the will of the Father who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life."

But it must be noted that above, 5:24, he said: "he who sees the Son, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life," whereas here he says "he who believes in him" — so as to give us to understand the same divinity of the Father and the Son, the vision of which through essence is our ultimate end, and the object of faith. But what he says, "sees," is not to be understood of the vision through essence, which faith precedes, but of the bodily vision of Christ, which leads to faith. And therefore he says pointedly, "he who sees the Son, and believes in him"; above, 5:24: "he who believes in him (...) is not judged, but shall pass from death to life"; below, 20:31: "but these things are written, that you may believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in his name."

This will of the Father, moreover, will likewise be fulfilled, and therefore he adds, "and I will raise him up on the last day": because he thus wills that not only in soul, but also in body, he should have eternal life (Daniel 12:2: "of those who sleep in the dust of the earth, some shall awake to life everlasting, and others to everlasting reproach") just as Christ also rose again; Romans 6:9: "Christ rising from the dead dies now no more," and so on.