Homilies on the Gospel of John

“I am the bread of life; he that comes to Me shall never hunger, and he that believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, that you also have seen Me, and believe Me not.”

2. Thus also John cries, saying beforehand, “He speaks that He knows, and testifies that He has seen, and no man receives His testimony”; and again Christ Himself, “We speak that We do know, and testify that We have seen”, “and you believe not.” This He does to prevent them, and to show them that the matter does not trouble Him, that He desires not honor, that He is not ignorant of the secrets of their minds, nor of things present, nor of things to come.

“I am the bread of life.” Now He proceeds to commit unto them mysteries. And first He discourses of His Godhead, saying, “I am the bread of life.” For this is not spoken of His Body, (concerning that He says towards the end, “And the bread which I shall give is My flesh,”) but at present it referrs to His Godhead. For That, through God the Word, is Bread, as this bread also, through the Spirit descending on it, is made Heavenly Bread. Here He uses not witnesses, as in His former address, for He had the miracle of the loaves to witness to Him, and the Jews themselves for a while pretending to believe Him; in the former case they opposed and accused Him. This is the reason why here He declares Himself. But they, since they expected to enjoy a carnal feast, were not disturbed until they gave up their hope. Yet not for that was Christ silent, but uttered many words of reproof. For they, who while they were eating called Him a Prophet, were here offended, and called Him the carpenter's son; not so while they ate the loaves, then they said, “He is The Prophet,” and desired to make Him a king. Now they seemed to be indignant at His asserting that He “came down from heaven,” but in truth it was not this that caused their indignation, but the thought that they should not enjoy a material table. Had they been really indignant, they ought to have asked and enquired how He was the “bread of life,” how He had “come down from heaven”; but now they do not this, but murmur. And that it was not this which offended them is plain from another circumstance. When He said, “My Father gives you the bread,” they exclaimed not, “Beseech Him that He give”; but what? “Give us that bread”; yet He said not, “I give,” but, “My Father gives”; nevertheless, they, from desire of the food, thought Him worthy to be trusted to for its supply. Now how should they, who deemed Him worthy of their trust for giving, be afterward offended when they also heard that “the Father gives”? What is the reason? It is that when they heard that they were not to eat, they again disbelieved, and put forth by way of a cloak for their disbelief, that “it was a high saying.” Wherefore He says, “You have seen Me, and believe not”; alluding partly to His miracles, partly to the testimony from the Scriptures; “For they,” He says, “are they which testify of Me”; and, “I have come in My Father's Name, and you receive Me not”; and, “How can you believe which receive honor of men?”