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• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
  • The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary & sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • The Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto.
  • "Supper & Eucharist," The Jesus Database, an online annotated inventory of the traditions concerning the life and teachings of Jesus. Dr. Gregory C. Jenks, FaithFutures Foundation.
  • XVIX.43-52; Tatian's Diatessaron (c. 150-160).
  • Chapter XVI, On Baptism,  Tertullian (c. 198)
  • I.6, Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
  • Chapter XIII, On the Flesh of Christ, Tertullian (c. 211)
  • Chapter XXXVII, On the Resurrection of the Flesh,  Tertullian (c. 211)
  • V.III, The Refutation of all Heresies (Philosophumena), Hippolytus of Rome. (c. 225)
  • VI.26, X.13, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Philocalia [anthology of Origen prepared by St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen], Origen. (c.230)
  • XI.14, XII.5, XII.33, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Origen. (c.247)
  • On the Lord's Prayer -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 252)
  • From Augustine's Tractates on John: Tractate XXVI (6:41-59).
  • From the Geneva Notes.
    • "Flesh cannot make a difference between fleshly eating, which is done by the help of the teeth, and spiritual eating, which consists in faith: and therefore it condemns that which it does not understand: yet nonetheless, the truth must be preached and taught."
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "We partake of Christ and his benefits by faith. The soul that rightly knows its state and wants, finds whatever can calm the conscience, and promote true holiness, in the redeemer, God manifest in the flesh."
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "We keep his doctrine by believing, his promises by hoping, his command by obeying."
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
    • "...when He added that they "had no life in them unless they thus ate and drank," it was impossible they should think He meant that the temporal life they were then living was dependent on their eating and drinking, in this gross sense, His flesh and blood."
  • From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
    • "Whosoever by faith trusts in the death of Christ and is "baptized into his death" (Rom. 6:3), spiritually partakes of the body and blood of Christ. So does he also who eats in loving remembrance of him the emblems that represent his body and blood."
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
  • Commentary, John 6:51-58, Brian Peterson, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
    • "If this text is at one level a meditation on the Eucharist (and I believe that it is), then part of the point is that the Eucharist is life-giving because it is Jesus who gives it, and it is life-giving because it is Jesus himself who is given."
  • Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • "First Thoughts on Year B Gospel Passages in the Lectionary," Pentecost 11, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "Ultimately all hunger cries out for satisfaction and the oldest Jesus traditions report the promise and agenda of the kingdom: ‘Blessed are you who hunger; for you shall be satisfied’ (Luke 6:21); so will those ‘who hunger and thirst for justice’ (Matt 5:6). The two must not be divorced, because in the bread of life we are being nourished by the one whose being is love and compassion."
  • Holy Textures, Understanding the Bible in its own time and in ours, John 6:51-58, David Ewart, 2009.
    • "Thus, the crowd listening to Jesus would hear his words, 'eat my flesh and drink my blood,' as blasphemy, as an abomination, as a violation of a core belief about the Holy and our proper relationship with the Holy. These words of Jesus are akin to the words of the snake in the Garden tempting his listeners to eat a forbidden fruit; to violate a God-given commandment; to violate the sacred ordering of creation."
  • Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen, CrossMarks Christian Resources.
    • "This crude image of eating and drinking can also be a corrective to an overly emotional, subjective understanding of "Jesus-in-me." Whether we feel it or not, the objective truth is, when we chew the bread and drink the wine, we are receiving the flesh and blood of Jesus in some way and we are receiving the benefits that Jesus promises us."
  • Join the Feast, John 6:51-58, Martha Rollins, Union PSCE, 2009.
    • "To eat or not to eat was the question before Adam and is before us in this 'do-over' offered by Jesus."
  • "An Abiding Meal," Bill White, Sabbatheology, The Crossings Community, 2009.
    • "Because we now fully participate in Christ's word, i.e. Jesus abides in us and we in him, we have both the promise of eternal life AND a meaningful life with God now."
  • Gospel for Gays, John 6:52-58, Jeremiah Bartram, 2009.
    • "I think – indeed, I know – that he is present to us in the hopeful silence of our hearts, transforming us and transforming our partnerships by his presence, making us fully a part of a new and unexpected creation where the old either-ors are confounded, and the ox and the lion lie down peacefully together."
  • "Whose Casserole?" Paul Stroble, The Christian Century, 2006.
    • "Christ’s living bread is quite adaptable to all kinds of circumstances; Christ feeds us anywhere, anytime, in all of the ways I’ve listed and more."
  • "Holy Communion," Gospel Analysis, Sermons from Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington. Detailed background and exegesis.
  • "Eucharistic Symbolism in the Gospel of John," David E. Fredrickson, Word & World, 1997.
    • "A metaphorical reading of eating Jesus' flesh in John 6 is insufficient. It keeps the reader from seeing the connection between Jesus' self-giving and his divinity; it does not reckon with the communication of divinity to communicants; it does not allow for our participation in the life of God through the ascent of the incarnate Word."
  • 13th Sunday after Pentecost, John 6:1-71 -- The Bread Which Gives Life to the World, Paul S. Berge, Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1985.
  • Marginally Mark, by Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in Western Australia.
  • "The 'Dangerous Memory' of Jesus," Ordinary 20B, Fr. Gerry Pierse, C.Ss.R., from Sundays Into Silence: Reflections on the Sunday Gospels in the Light of Christian Meditation. Claretian Publications.
    • "We must be in touch with our blessedness, brokenness, given-ness if our Eucharist is to be a living bread for us. We must have the interior attitudes of Christ."
  • Wellspring of the Gospel, Ordinary 20B, Catherine McElhinney and Kathryn Turner, Weekly Wellsprings.
  • "The Scandal of the Living Bread," Ordinary 20B, Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's Story, Family Activity, Support Materials.
    • "In what ways does Christianity cause scandal?"
  • "'I Am the Living Bread,'" Jerry Goebel, One Family Outreach. "Focus on scripture from a justice perspective." Exegesis, study, and teen study and activities.
    • "There has never been a greater promise in all of history.  Sadly, those who questioned Jesus on that day missed it entirely.  They did not want eternal bread; they wanted everyday bread.  They desire to grab a free meal disabled them from hearing Jesus’ invitation to the eternal."
  • "Receiving Jesus," Martin B. Copenhaver, The Christian Century, 1994.
    • "John's Gospel does not include an account of the Last Supper, but the sixth chapter is soaked with eucharistic imagery."
  • Commentary by Hall Harris at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
• Articles & Background:
  • "The Sociology of Secrecy and the Fourth Gospel." Jerome H. Neyrey, in What Is John? Vol. II: Literary and Social Readings of the Fourth Gospel, 79-109. F. Segovia, ed. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1998.
    • "Once we start to pull back the veil, we notice numerous instances of hiding-revealing, secrecy, ambiguity and even lying. The following is an attempt to catalogue the primary and related instances of secrecy and "information control" in the document."
  • "Food For Thought: The Bread of Life Discourse (John 6:25-71) in Johannine Legitimation," by James F. McGrath, from Theological Gathering 2 (Winter 1997).
    • "...the bread of life discourse represents a christological exposition of the Old Testament manna tradition. Eucharistic language is thus probably used not as an end in itself, but because it enables faith in Jesus to be expounded in a way that is relevant to the Johannine community's legitimation of its beliefs and practices in the context of its conflict with the synagogue."
  • "Drinking Blood at a Kosher Eucharist? The Sound of Scholarly Silence," Michael C. Cahill, Biblical Theology Bulletin, 2002.
    • "The element of drinking blood in the Eucharistic rite is at once a religious and a theological problem..."
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  • Bailey, Raymond, "John 6," Review and Expositor, 1988.
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  • Berge, Paul S., "The Bread Which Gives Life to the World," Word & World, 1985.
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  • Crossan, John Dominic, "It Is Written: A Structuralist Analysis of John 6," Semeia, 1983.
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  • Fredrickson, David E., "Eucharistic Symbolism in the Gospel of John," Word & World, 1997.
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  • Hanna, Eleanor B., "Biblical Interpretation and Sacramental Practice: John Calvin's Interpretation of John 6:51-58," Worship, 1999.
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  • Harrill, J. Albert, "Cannibalistic Language in the Fourth Gospel and Greco Roman Politics of Factionalism," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2008.
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  • Holeton, David R., "The Communion of Infants and Hussitism," Communio Viatorum, 1984.
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  • John Paul II, Pope, "Through the Eucharist Christ Invites Us to...." AFER, 1985.
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  • Kilmartin, S.J., "Liturgical Influence on John 6," Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1960.
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  • Koester, Craig R., "John Six and the Lord's Supper," Lutheran Quarterly, 1990.
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  • Lilly, Joseph L., "The Eucharistic Discourse of John 6," Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1950.
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  • Phillips, Gary A., "'This Is A Hard Saying. Who Can Be Listener To It?': Creating a Reader in John 6," Semeia, 1983.
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  • Ruland, S.J., Vernon, "Sign and Sacrament: John's Bread of Life Discourse," Interpretation, 1964.
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  • Rusch, Frederick A., "The Signs and the Discourse - The Rich Theology of John 6," Currents in Theology and Mission, 1978.
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  • Stroble, Paul, "Whose Casserole?" The Christian Century, 2006.
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  • Temple, Patrick J., "The Eucharist in St John 6," Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1947.
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  • Voelz, James W., "The Discourse on the Bread of Life in John 6: Is It Eucharistic?" Concordia Journal, 1989.
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  • Von Wahlde, Urban C., "Literary Structure and Theological Argument in Three Discourses with the Jews in the Fourth Gospel," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1984.
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  • Yeago, David S., "The Bread of Life: Patristic Christology and Evangelical Soteriology in Martin Luther's Sermons on John 6," St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, 1995.
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• Reviews:
  • Anderson, Paul N., The Christology of the Fourth Gospel: ITs Unity and Disunity in the Light of John 6. Tubingen: Mohr (Paul Siebeck), 1966.
    • Review by Andreas J. Kostenberger, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 1999.
    • Review by Sidney G Sowers, Anglican Theological Review, 1998.
  • Webster, Jane S., Ingesting Jesus: Eating and Drinking in the Gospel of John. Society of Biblical Literature, 2003. Reviews by Francis J. Moloney, Peter-Ben Smit and Robert Baker in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2004.
• Sermons:
  • "To Be Or Not To Be," Pentecost 11, 20 August 2006, Walter W. Harms, Göttinger Predigten im Internet: Every Sunday Sermons based on the RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors.
  • "Holy Communion," Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington.
  • "A Taste of Freedom Food," the Rev. Harvard Stephens, Day 1, 2000.
  • "Discipleship - Communion with Christ," John Jewell, 2000.
  • Father Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist," Commentary and Homily
    • Ordinary 20, 2009
    • Ordinary 20, 2008
    • Ordinary 20, 2006
    • Ordinary 20, 2000
    • Body and Blood of Christ, 1999 (Dr. Mary G Durkin)
    • Body and Blood of Christ, 1996
• With Children:
  • "The Bread of Life," Charles Kirkpatrick, Sermons4kids.com.
  • "Jesus Gives Life," Fr. Max Bowers, Kid's Church.
  • "James and the Chewy Peanut Butter Sandwich," "Donny's Choice," children's story by Larry Broding, word-sunday.com.
  • John 5 & 6 Word Search, Don Crownover's Bible Puzzles.
• Drama:
  • "In Front of the Synagogue of Capernaum," from A Certain Jesus by Jose Ignacio and Maria Lopez Vigil. Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today's gospel. Claretian Publications.
  • "Tough Teaching," Jane and Mark Lewis, Potted Jam.
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Art in the Christian Tradition, Jean and Alexander Heard, Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike 3.0 License.
  • Clip Art Images: John 6:51-58, Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú.
  • John 6:51-58, at Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration. Liberation emphasis.
  • Images for this week's readings, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
  • John 6:51-58, John 6:51-58, John 6:52-59, Liturgical Drawing, Maria d.c. Zamora, Claretian Resources, Philippines. ("Download and use these for free.")
  • Commercial Site: "True Food and True Drink," "Bread of Life,", Visual Liturgy/Film, The Work of the People.
  • Bulletin Cover/Art, John 6:51, John 6:57, John Stuart, Knoxville, TN. (Free use by churches.)
• Hymns and Music:
  • Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: John 6:51, 55, 56, 57, 58. The Cyber Hymnal.
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
  • Eating/Feeding/Eucharist
• Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
  • Communion/Eucharist
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of John