Sermon Tone Analysis

*JOHN 6:51-58  *

Jesus and the ‘bread of life’ discourse: “/I am the bread of life/…” [6:35].

§         Background of the miracle of the five thousand.

§         Background of the exodus and the associated imagery: “/passover/…” [6:4]; “/he gave them bread from heaven/…” [6:31].

§         Jesus’ confidence in the “/gift/” [6:37] of the Father and in the “/drawing/” [6:44] of the Father.

§         Our “coming to” [6:37] Jesus and our understanding [6:45-46] of who Jesus is the result of the direct operation of God in our lives.

The “murmuring” [6:41] of the Jews and the questions that they pose: “/how is it then/…” [6:42].

§         The question being posed in this section: “/How can this man give us his flesh to eat/” [6:52].

The actions of the sinner in “/coming/” [6:37] and in “/believing/” [6:47] in Jesus are further proclaimed in a graphic, symbolic way.

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*THE GIFT OF JESUS AS THE BREAD OF LIFE *

*1.        **The Promise *

The implicit invitation to believe: “/Verily, verily, I say unto you/…” [6:47].

§         ὁ πιστεύων - “/he that believes/” [6:47], present active participle, ‘to know, assent, trust’;

§         ἔχει - “/has/” [6:47], present indicative active, ‘to own, possess’;

§         ζωὴν αἰώνιον - “/everlasting life/” [6:47], basically means ‘pertaining to an age’; “everlasting life” means life proper to the age to come; the important thing about “everlasting life” is not its /quantity/ but its /quality/;

*2.        **The Personal Description *

*a.        **The Reiteration *

The reiteration: “/I am that bread of life/” [6:48].

§         The manna had its limitations: “/your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead/” [6:49].

§         The true bread: “/a man may eat thereof and not die/” [6:50].

*b.        **The Bread of Life *

*i.        **The Manna *

The manna could not bestow eternal life: “/your fathers did eat manna/…” [6:49].

§         The end result: “/they are dead/” [6:49].

*ii.

**The Incarnation *

The incarnation of the Son of God: “/I am the living bread which came down/...” [6:51],

§         ὁ ζῶν - “/living/” [6:51], present active participle, ‘physical vitality’; ‘able to communicate life’;

§         καταβάς - “/came down/” [6:51], aorist active participle, ‘to descend from a high level’;

*Application*

 

*3.

**The Participation in Life *

*a.        **The Promise *

The promise: “/if any man eats of this bread/…” [6:51].

§         φάγῃ - “/eat/” [6:51], aorist active subjunctive, ‘consumption of food’; ‘to devour’; ‘to take nourishment’;

§         ζήσει - “/live/” [6:51], future indicative active, ‘physical vitality’;

§         εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα - “/forever/” [6:51], ‘into the future age’;

*b.        **The Explanation *

The explanation: “/the bread that I will give is my flesh/…” [6:51].

§         καὶ ὁ ἄρτος δὲ ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω –

§         ὁ ἄρτος - “/bread/” [6:51], ‘loaf of bread’; ‘food, nourishment’;

*i.        **The Flesh >>> The Whole Person *

The bread that Jesus speaks of is “/my flesh/…” [6:51].

§         σάρξ μού - “/my/ /flesh/” [6:51], ‘human nature in its totality regarded from its earthly side’; ‘puts a marked emphasis on the physical side of life’;

§         The use of “flesh” is to be understood in the light of the incarnation statement: “/The Word became flesh/…” [1:14].

§         It is as the incarnate Logos that Jesus is able to give his “/flesh for the life of the world/” [6:51].

§         Jesus is referring to his whole self as the gift: “/for their sakes I sanctify myself/” [17:19].

*ii.

**The Gift  *

Jesus will give his flesh as a gift: “/I will give for the life of the world/” [6:51].

§         δώσω - “/give/” [6:51], ‘to put something in another place’; from the same root as dw'ron, ‘gift, present’.

§         The future active indicative points forward to Calvary????????

§          

*iii.

**The Variety of Gifts *

John speaks of so many gifts in relation to our salvation:

§         The incarnate Son is the gift of God: “/if you knew the gift of God/…” [4:10].

§         The Father gives life to the Son: “/so has he given the Son to have life in himself/” [5:26].

§         The Father gives the church to his Son: “/all that the Father gives me/…” [6:37].

§         Jesus gives eternal life to those who believe: “/but for that meat which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you/…” [6:27].

*iv.

**The Nature of the Gift *

The nature of the gift: “/I will give for the life of the world/” [6:51].

§         ὑπὲρ - “/for/” [6:51], ‘on behalf of’; ‘for the sake of’;

§         The preposition is used repeatedly in a substitutionary and sacrificial sense: “/I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep/” [10:11]; “/it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people/…” [11:50]; “/Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends/” [15:13]; “/for their sakes I sanctify myself/” [17:19].

§         τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς - “/life of the world/” [6:51], the “world” in its /qualitative/ sense as that which is alienated from God and in “/darkness/” [1:5].

*Application*

 

 

 

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*THE GIFT DEFINED *

*1.        **The Struggle *

*a.        **The Action *

The reaction to the message: “/they strove among themselves/…” [6:52].

§         Ἐμάχοντο - “/strove/” [6:52], imperfect middle or passive indicative, ‘to quarrel, dispute’;

*b.        **The Question *

The question raised by the Jews: “/How can this man give us/…” [6:33].

§         πῶς - “/how/” [6:53], ‘interrogative ‘determining how something happens’;

§         δύναται - “/can/” [6:53], present middle or passive indicative, ‘to have power’; ‘to have the ability to perform an act’;

§         οὗτος - “/this/ /man/” [6:53],

§         δοῦναι - “/give/” [6:53], aorist infinitive active, ‘put something in another place’; ‘deposit’;

§         σάρκα - “/his/ /flesh/” [6:53], ‘corporeal mass of human or animal’;

§         φαγεῖν - “/to/ /eat/” [6:53], aorist indicative active, ‘to consume food’; ‘to devour’;

*Application*

No-one should suppose Jesus was seriously advocating cannibalism and offering himself as the first meal.

* *

*2.        **The Gift Defined *

The “flesh” is presented in its twofold aspect as “flesh” and “blood,” and by this separation of its parts the idea of a violent death is presupposed.

*a.        **The Flesh *

The participation in Jesus’ flesh: “/eat of his flesh/…” [6:53].

§         σάρκα - “/flesh/” [6:53], ‘corporeal mass of human or animal’; ‘human nature in its totality regarded from the earthly side’;

§         τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου - “/Son/ /of/ /man/” [6:53],

*b.        **The Blood *

The participation in Jesus’ blood: “/drink of his blood/…” [6:53].

§         αἷμα - “/blood/” [6:53], ‘red life-fluid in humans or animals’;

*i.        **The Old Testament *

The mention of “blood” is to be understood in its Old Testament sense.

§         The first main use in the Old Testament is with regard to ‘death with violence’ (203 times).

§         The second main use in the Old Testament is with regard to ‘sacrificial death’ (103 times).

§         The primary symbolic reference of blood in the Old Testament is not to “life” but to violent death, i.e., to life violently and often sacrificially ended.

*ii.

**The Blood of the Sacrifice *

The “blood” is life given up in death: “/the life of the flesh is in the blood/…” [Lev.17:11].

§         The “blood” is the life given in sacrifice: “/I have given it to you upon the altar/…” [Lev.17:11].

§         The “blood” makes atonement for sin: “/to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul/” [Lev.17:11].

*c.        **The Passover *

The exodus background to the discourse is clear from the reference to the Passover: “/the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh/” [6:4].