Thomas Aquinas, on John 6:60

After he had quelled the wrangling of the Jews, and their murmuring, the Lord next allays the scandal of the disciples, and first the scandal of the departing disciples is treated; second, the devotion of those who remain is examined, at the place, "Jesus therefore said to the twelve." Concerning the first he does three things. First, the scandal of the disciples is set forth; second, the kindness of Christ in repressing it, at the place, "But Jesus knowing," etc.; third, the obstinacy and unbelief of those departing is set forth, at the place, "After this many of his disciples went back."

It must be known, then, concerning the first, that there were many among the people of the Jews who clung to Christ, believing in him, and followed him, yet not having left all things, as the twelve had; and all of these were called disciples. And of these he says that many, namely among the people, who believed in him, hearing the things he had said above, said: "This saying is hard." Of these it is said in Luke 8:13: "They believe for a while, and in time of temptation they fall away." Now it says many, because, as it is said in Ecclesiastes 1:15, "the number of fools is infinite." And Matthew 20:16: "Many are called, but few are chosen." These, then, said: "This saying is hard." A thing is called hard which is not easily divided, and which offers resistance. A saying, then, is hard either because it resists the intellect, or because it resists the will—namely, when we cannot grasp it with the intellect, or it does not please the will; and in both ways this saying was hard for these men. Hard indeed to the intellect, because it exceeded the weakness of their understanding; for since they were carnal, they could not grasp what he said, that he would give them his own flesh to eat. But hard to the will, because he said many things about the power of his divinity. And although these men believed him as they would a prophet, they did not yet believe him to be God; and therefore it seemed to them that he was speaking things greater than himself. 2 Corinthians 10:10: "His letters are weighty." Ecclesiasticus 6:21: "Wisdom is exceedingly harsh to unlearned men." And therefore it follows: "Who can hear him?" They say this to excuse themselves. For since they had given themselves to him, they ought to have heard him; but because he was not teaching them pleasing things, they wished to seek some occasion for withdrawing; Proverbs 18:2: "A fool receiveth not the words of prudence, unless you say the things that are turning in his heart."

Next, when he says, "But Jesus, knowing within himself that his disciples murmured at this, said to them: Doth this scandalize you?" the kindness of Christ in allaying the scandal is set forth, and first he declares and makes manifest the scandal; second he removes the cause of the scandal, at the place, "If then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?"; third he indicates the cause itself, at the place, "But there are some of you that do not believe." Now he declares the scandal, because they had said secretly, "This saying is hard," so as not to be heard by him. But he who by the power of his divinity knew what they were saying makes this manifest; and this is what is meant by "But Jesus, knowing within himself"—that is, what they were saying within themselves—namely, that his disciples murmured at this (above, John 2:25: "He needed not that any should give testimony of man, for he knew what was in man"; Psalm 7:10: "God searcheth hearts and reins"); he said to them: "Doth this scandalize you?" As if to say: you ought not to be scandalized at this. Or it can be read as a concession, as if to say: I know that you are scandalized at this; Isaiah 8:4: "He shall be"—namely to those believing in Christ—"for a sanctification indeed; but for a stone of stumbling to the two houses of Israel," that is, to the murmuring disciples and to the crowds. But since teachers ought to avoid scandalizing their hearers, why does the Lord set forth such teachings to them, that they should be scandalized and depart? I answer. It must be said that the necessity of the teaching required that the Lord set forth such things to them. For they had pressed upon him for bodily food, whereas he had come in order to lead them to a desire for spiritual food; and therefore it was necessary that he should set forth to them the teaching concerning spiritual food. Nor, however, was their scandal caused by any fault in Christ's teaching, but by their own unbelief. For if they did not understand the Lord's words on account of their carnality, they could have questioned the Lord, as the apostles did on other occasions. But this, according to Augustine, the Lord permitted by way of dispensation, so that he might furnish to those who teach well a cause of patience and consolation against those who speak ill of their words, since even disciples presumed to detract from the words of Christ.

Next, when he says, "If then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?" he removes the occasion of scandal, which occasion was, as Chrysostom says, both concerning the person of the speaker and concerning the words spoken; and therefore he first removes the occasion of scandal as regards the person of the speaker, and second as regards the words spoken, at the place, "It is the spirit that quickeneth." Now the occasion of these men's scandal was that they had heard the Lord speak divine things of himself; hence, because they believed him to be the son of Joseph, they were scandalized by what he said of himself. And therefore, removing this occasion, God shows them his divinity more openly; hence he says: you are troubled at the things I have said concerning myself—"if then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before"—supply: what will you say? As if to say: you will never be able to deny that I have descended from heaven, that I am the giver or teacher of eternal life. He did something similar with Nathanael: for when Nathanael said, "Thou art the king of Israel," he wished to raise him to a more perfect knowledge; hence he said to him: "Thou shalt see greater things than these." And therefore he makes manifest to these men something greater that would come to pass concerning himself, saying, "If then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?" Now he ascended into heaven with the disciples watching, as it is said in Acts 1:9. If then he ascended to where he had been before, then he had been in heaven before; above, John 3:13: "No man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven." But observe that although the person of the Son of God and the Son of man in Christ is the same, yet because the nature is other, something belongs to him by reason of his humanity—namely, to ascend—which does not belong to him by reason of his divinity, according to which he has nowhere to ascend to, since he is eternally at the highest summit of all things, namely in the Father; but according to his humanity it belongs to him to ascend to where he was before, namely in heaven, where he was not according to human nature; which is against the error of Valentinus, who said that Christ brought a heavenly body. Thus, then, to where he had been before according to his divinity, he ascended, with the apostles watching, and by his own power, according to his humanity; below, John 16:28: "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again I leave the world, and I go to the Father." But, according to Augustine, these words are introduced in another way: for he says that these men were scandalized at the Lord's saying that he would give them his flesh to eat, which they understood carnally, as though they were to eat it according to the letter, like the flesh of animals, and were scandalized. And removing this understanding, he says, "If then you shall see the Son of man ascend," with his body whole, "to where he was before"—supply: will you then say that I was going to give you my flesh to eat as you eat the flesh of animals?

Next, when he says, "It is the spirit that quickeneth," he removes the occasion of scandal on the part of the words spoken, and, according to Chrysostom, he first distinguishes a twofold understanding of these words; second he shows which of the two befits the words themselves, at the place, "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." It must be known, then, as to the first, that the words of Christ can be understood according to a twofold sense, namely according to the spiritual and according to the bodily. And therefore he says, "It is the spirit that quickeneth," that is, if you understand the words which I have said according to the spirit, that is according to the spiritual sense, they will give life; "the flesh profiteth nothing," that is, if you understand them according to the fleshly sense, they profit you nothing—indeed they harm you; because, as it is said in Romans 8:13, "If you live according to the flesh, you shall die." Now the Lord's words about eating his flesh are understood carnally when they are taken according to how the words sound outwardly, and as the nature of flesh has it; and it was in this way that they understood them, as has been said. But the Lord was saying that he would give himself to them as spiritual food—not that the true flesh of Christ is not in the sacrament of the altar, but because it is eaten in a certain spiritual and divine manner. Thus, then, the fitting sense of the words spoken is not carnal, but spiritual. Hence he adds, "The words that I have spoken to you"—namely, concerning the eating of my flesh—"are spirit and life"; that is, they have a spiritual sense, and, understood in this way, they give life. Nor is it a wonder that they have a spiritual sense, since they are from the Holy Spirit; 1 Corinthians 14:2: "It is the spirit that speaketh mysteries." And therefore the mysteries of Christ give life; Psalm 118:93: "Thy justifications I will never forget: for by them thou hast given me life." But according to Augustine it is expounded otherwise: for what he said, "the flesh profiteth nothing," is understood of the flesh of Christ. For it is manifest that the flesh of Christ, as joined to the Word and the Spirit, profits greatly in every way; otherwise the Word would have been made flesh in vain, the Father would have manifested him in the flesh in vain, as it is said in 1 Timothy chapter 4. And therefore it must be said that the flesh of Christ, considered in itself, profits nothing, and has no profitable effect, except as any other flesh. For if it be separated in the understanding from the divinity and the Holy Spirit, it has no other power than any other flesh; but if the spirit and the divinity come to it, it profits many, because it makes those who receive it remain in Christ: for it is the spirit of charity through which man remains in God; 1 John 4:13: "In this we know that we abide in him, and he in us: because he hath given us of his spirit." And therefore the Lord says: this effect, namely of eternal life which I promise you, you ought not to attribute to the flesh considered in itself, because the flesh so considered profits nothing; but if you attribute it to the spirit, and to the divinity joined to the flesh, then it confers eternal life; Galatians 5:25: "If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit." And therefore he adds, "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life"; that is, they are to be referred to the spirit joined to the flesh; and understood in this way, they are life, namely of the soul. For just as the body lives a bodily life through the bodily spirit, so too the soul lives a spiritual life through the Holy Spirit; Psalm 103:30: "Thou shalt send forth thy spirit, and they shall be created."

Next, when he says, "But there are some of you that do not believe," he shows the cause of the scandal, which was their unbelief, as if to say: the cause of your scandal is not the hardness of the saying which I have spoken to you, but your unbelief. And therefore he first shows their unbelief; second he excludes a false opinion; third he makes manifest the cause of their unbelief. The Lord shows their unbelief indeed when he says, "There are some of you that do not believe." He did not say "who do not understand," but, what is more, he intimates the cause why they do not understand: for they did not understand for this reason, that they did not believe; Isaiah 7:9, according to another reading: "Unless you believe, you shall not understand." And he said "some," so as to except the disciples; 2 Thessalonians 3:2: "All men have not faith"; Romans 10:16: "All do not obey the gospel"; Psalm 105:25: "They believed not his words." The Evangelist excludes a false suspicion when he adds, "For Jesus knew," as if to say: Jesus did not say, "There are some of you that do not believe," as though this had newly become known to him; but because he knew from the beginning—namely of the world—who they were that believed, and who it was that would betray him; Hebrews 4:13: "All things are naked and open to his eyes"; and Ecclesiasticus 23:29: "All things were known to the Lord God before they were created." Now the Lord next assigns the cause of their unbelief, which arises from the withdrawal of the grace that draws; hence he was saying, "Therefore did I say to you," as if to say: therefore it was necessary that I should say the foregoing things to you, because no one can come to me—namely, by faith—unless it has been given him by my Father. From which it follows, according to Augustine, that even the very act of believing is given to us by God. But why it is not given to all has been shown above, in the same place where the Lord said almost the same words. He repeats them here, however, for two reasons: to show that his receiving them into the faith was more for their benefit and advantage than for Christ's; Philippians 1:29: "To you it is given ... that you should believe in him"; as if to say: it is your own good that you believe; and therefore Augustine says: it is indeed a great thing to believe; rejoice that you have believed. Second, to show that he is not the son of Joseph, as they supposed, but of God: for it is God the Father who draws men to the Son, as appears from what has gone before.

Next, when he says, "After this many of his disciples went back," the obstinacy of these disciples is set forth. For although the Lord had reproved them, and had removed the cause of the scandal, so far as it lay on his part, nevertheless they persevered in unbelief; and therefore it says that many of his disciples went back. He did not say "they departed," but "they went back"—from the faith which they had according to power, and, cut off from the body of Christ, they lost life, because perhaps they had not even been in the body, as Augustine says. For there are some who simply go back: namely, those who follow the Devil, to whom it was said, Matthew 4:10: "Get thee behind me, Satan." And of certain women it is said, 1 Timothy 5:15: "Some are already turned aside after Satan." Peter does not go back in this way, but after Christ; Matthew 16:23: "Go behind me, Satan." But these men went back after Satan. Hence it follows, "and after this they walked no more with him"—namely although it is required of us that we walk with Jesus; Micah 6:8: "I will show thee, O man, what is good," and it follows, "to walk carefully with thy God."

Next, when it is added, "Jesus therefore said to the twelve: Will you also go away?" the Lord examines the disciples who remained; and first the examination of the disciples is set forth by Christ's question; second the devotion of those remaining is added, by Peter's answer, at the place, "Simon Peter therefore answered him"; third Peter's answer is corrected, at the place, "Jesus answered them." Now the Lord examines the twelve who had remained, whether they wished to persist; and therefore he said to the twelve—namely, the apostles: "Will you also go away?" And this for two reasons. First, lest, because these had remained while the others departed, they should ascribe this to their own righteousness and grow proud, thinking that they had done Christ a favor by not abandoning him; and therefore, by showing that he did not need their following, he holds and confirms them the more. Job 35:7: "And if thou do justly, what shalt thou give him, or what shall he receive of thy hand?" Second, because it sometimes happens that someone has the will to depart from another, and yet is held back by shame; and therefore, not wishing them to be constrained by shame to remain with him (since to serve unwillingly is the same as not to serve at all), he removes even the shame and the necessity of remaining, placing it in their own judgment whether they wished to remain or to depart, because "God loveth a cheerful giver," as it is said in 2 Corinthians 9:7.

There follows the devotion of those who remained, by Peter's answer: for he, a lover of his brethren, a preserver of friendship, and bearing a special affection toward Christ, answers on behalf of the whole company, saying: "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we have believed." Here he does three things. First, he extols Christ's excellence; second, he commends his teaching; and third, he professes his faith. He extols his excellence indeed when he says, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" As if to say: you are driving us away from you; give us another better than you, to whom we may go. But certainly "there is none like unto thee among the strong, O Lord": Exodus 15:11, and Psalm 88:7: "Who is like to God?" And therefore we will not leave you; Psalm 138:7: "Whither shall I go from thy spirit?" And, according to Chrysostom, Peter's word is greatly indicative of friendship: for by now Christ was more honorable to them than fathers and mothers. But he commends his teaching when he says, "Thou hast the words of eternal life." Now Moses had the words of God, and likewise the prophets, but rarely the words of eternal life; but you promise eternal life—what greater thing, then, do we seek? Above: "he that believeth in me hath life everlasting"; and above, John 3:39: "he that believeth in the Son of God hath life everlasting." But he professes his faith when he adds, "And we have believed and have known that thou art the Christ, the Son of God." For in our faith two things must chiefly be believed, namely the mystery of the Trinity and of the Incarnation; and these two things Peter here confesses. The mystery of the Trinity indeed, when he says, "Thou art the Son of God." For in saying that he is the Son of God, he makes mention of the person of the Father and of the Son, and at the same time also of the Holy Spirit, who is the love of the Father and the Son, and the bond of both. But the mystery of the Incarnation, when he says, "Thou art the Christ"; for "Christ" in Greek is called "anointed" in Latin—namely with the invisible oil of the Holy Spirit; but not according to the divine nature, because one who is anointed with the Holy Spirit is made better by that very anointing, but according as he is God, Christ is not made better; therefore he is anointed according as he is man. Now he says "we have believed and have known," because to believe comes before to know; and therefore if we wished to know before believing, we would not know, nor would we be able to believe, as Augustine says. Isaiah 7:9, according to another reading: "Unless you believe, you shall not understand."

Now the Lord corrects Peter's answer when he says, "Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" And first the Lord's answer is set forth; second the Evangelist's explanation, at the place, "Now he meant Judas." Because Peter had been generous in his answer, including all of them, saying thus, "And we have believed, and have known that thou art the Christ, the Son of God," by which it seemed that all would attain to eternal life, therefore the Lord excepted Judas from the company of believers. But this indeed was a commendable confidence in Peter, that he suspected no evil of a companion; but in the Lord it is a wisdom to be admired, that he saw hidden things. And therefore he says, "Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" Not by nature, but by imitation of diabolical malice. Wisdom 2:24: "By the envy of the devil, death came into the world: and they follow him that are of his side"; below, John 13:27: "After the morsel, Satan entered into him," namely because he was made conformed to his malice. But if Christ chose Judas, and he became evil, it seems that he erred in his choosing. To this it is answered, first, according to Chrysostom, that this is not said of the election of predestination, but of election to some office, and to a state of present righteousness, to which someone is sometimes chosen not according to what is future, but according to what he presently is in fact; because by this kind of election free will is not taken away, nor is the possibility of sinning removed; hence it is said, 1 Corinthians 10:12: "He that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall." Thus, then, the Lord chose Judas not as one who was then evil, yet the possibility of sinning was not taken from him by this election. Second, it is answered, according to Augustine, that the Lord chose Judas though evil; and because it belongs to the good to use evil for good, although he knew him to be evil, God made good use of his evil, in that he endured being betrayed by him in order to redeem us. Or it must be said that the choosing of the twelve apostles is not here referred to the persons, but to the number; as if to say: I chose in you the number twelve. For this number is fittingly consecrated to those who were to preach the faith of the Holy Trinity through the four corners of the world; and this number indeed did not perish, because in the place of the perishing traitor Matthias was put in his stead. Or, according to Ambrose, he chose Judas though evil for this reason, that he might console our weakness, if it should ever happen to us to be betrayed by friends, since we read that the Lord and Master was betrayed by a disciple. But it is asked here why, when the Lord says, "One of you is a devil," the disciples say nothing; and afterward, when he says, below John 13:21, "One of you shall betray me," they said, "Is it I, Lord?" I answer that it must be said that the reason for this is that here the Lord spoke generally, saying that one of them was a devil, which can be referred to any kind of malice whatsoever, and therefore they were not moved; but there, hearing of so great a deed—namely, the betrayal of their Master—they were not able to contain themselves. Or it must be said to this, that when the Lord spoke these words, each of them had confidence in his own strength, and therefore they did not fear for themselves. But when they heard Peter told, "Get behind me, Satan," they were terrified, and thought more meanly of themselves; and therefore, wavering, they said: "Is it I, Lord?" Now this answer, which the Lord had made obscurely, the Evangelist explains, saying, "Now he meant Judas," as the outcome of the event proved, as is evident below, in chapter 13.