Drawing Parallels to the Eucharist in John Chapter 6

John Chapter 6 and the Eucharist

The disciple John wrote his Gospel at a different time from the other three synoptic Gospels. While those three were trying to appeal to Jewish Christians, John wrote his at a different time, and was trying to appeal to only Christians. In John Chapter 6, Jesus performs two miracles and gives a speech, and John tries making connections to the Eucharist. In the first miracle, Jesus takes five barley loaves and two fish, given to him from a small child, and turns it into enough food for the over 5,00 men, along with women and children, to east until they are full, and have enough to spare. This miracle can be taken in two ways, both of them connecting to the Eucharist. First, Jesus could’ve literally found a way to physically turn such a small amount of food into enough to feed so many people through magic; if this is the way people want to interpret it, that means Jesus’ supply is neverending. This supply can be a metaphor for any of the good things He had given to us. Since Jesus is a part of the Trinity, this means God also gives us an abundant supply of anything we need. The second way this miracle could be interpreted is that people were so moved by the little boy offering his food, that they decided to bring their own food to share with everyone. This is an extension of the Eucharist, because everyone is sharing with each other, which is really what God wants Christians to do. Either way, God is helping us through the Eucharist in one way or another. Also, in specifically verse 11, Jesus takes the bread, gives thanks, and distributing it to those sitting. John really emphasizes this because it is a huge connection to what happened when the Eucharist was first instituted by Jesus, and he makes this connection because he was trying to show Christians that Jesus really is the Messiah and the Word made Flesh. Also, John says Jesus gave thanks; the word Eucharist is derived from the Greek word eucharisteo, which literally means “giving thanks,” so John was obviously trying to make a connection to the Eucharist. Finally, Jesus taking the small amount of food and turning it into an abundant supply is an allegory of the small amount we have to offer God, and him turning it into an abundance.

The second miracle of John Chapter 6 happens when Jesus walks on water. When the disciples see him walking on water in the dark, they’re frightened, and Jesus tells them not to be afraid; this is like how Catholics are not afraid to accept Jesus through the Eucharist. The disciples let him on the boat, and automatically they arrive at their destination. What John was trying to teach is that we should not be afraid to accept the Eucharist, and once we do, Jesus helps Christians get to where they want to be. Later in the chapter, the crowd is confused as to where Jesus is, so they go looking for him. They found him, and he tells them that they seek him because they took the loaves and were filled, and that they should keep eating these loaves if they want eternal life with God; John is trying to make an obvious connection to the Eucharist, saying that people seek Jesus in the Eucharist so they could be filled with the Trinity. In whole, John is trying to teach that Catholics should not be afraid of God’s power, and they should partake in the Eucharist in order to receive the fullness of God, and he does this through Jesus’ miracles of the multiplication of the loaves as well as his walking on water

The disciples then start talking to Jesus about how they can perform the works of God. Jesus goes on a huge speech about how the work of God can be done through believing in the Trinity, the eating of His flesh, and the drinking of His blood. He says God gives them the true bread out of heaven. By writing this, John is trying to teach that through the Eucharist, Christians can gain the true connection between themselves and God in Heaven. The disciples ask Jesus to never stop giving them the bread, because they are the true followers of the Trinity. Jesus is the bread of life, and if people believe, they’ll, never be hungry or thirsty; John does not mean this in a literal way, but again, he’s saying this to show that there is a deeper meaning behind the Eucharist. Jesus says that just because the people have seen his miracles, doesn’t mean they believe; they must also believe in the one who sent the Son: God the Father. God the Father is the one working through Jesus and will have Jesus raise up everything on the last day, and those who believed will be redeemed. Jesus says that anyone who beholds the Son will have eternal life.

John could’ve been trying to show people that Christians receive the Eucharist through God in Heaven. At this point, the crowd was wondering how Jesus could’ve possibly come from Heaven. Throughout several verses, Jesus basically explains to them his role as the mediator between them and God, as well as the Redeemer. He also says that this this bond between the two parties can be made stronger through the Eucharist. John is trying to say that Jesus tells them to take the bread, physically through the Eucharist, as well as spiritually through himself to eternal life with God in Heaven. John writes that Jesus said unless the people ate the Son of Man’s flesh and drank His blood (an obvious reference to the Eucharist), they will never have eternal life with God or life on earth through the spirit. Jesus knew who would betray him, which is why people must only come to him through God the Father; Jesus knew that people didn’t believe, and knew from the beginning who those people were, including Judas. In a way, Judas could represent all sinners who do not believe in the Trinity or participate in the Eucharist, while the disciples who stay and participate in the Eucharist are the ones who will have eternal life with God. The big idea of John Chapter 6 is, John is trying to teach Christians that should not be afraid of Jesus, and through the Eucharist, they can become closer with the Trinity and have eternal life.