Church Fathers Commentary John 6:22-27

"On the morrow the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, save one, and that Jesus entered not with his disciples into the boat, but [that] his disciples went away alone (howbeit there came boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks): when the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate of the loaves, and were filled. Work not for the food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him the Father, even God, hath sealed." — John 6:22-27 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Although our Lord did not actually show Himself to the multitude walking on the sea, He still gave them the opportunity to infer what had happened. The day following, the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto His disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples were gone away alone.

What could this mean, except for them to suspect that He had walked across the sea when He left? For He could not have gone over in a ship, as there was only one there—the one His disciples had entered—and He had not gone in with them.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Knowledge of the miracle was conveyed to them indirectly. Other ships had come to the place where they had eaten bread, and in these they went after Him. However there came other boats from Tiberias, near to the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks. When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither His disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

St. John Chrysostom: Yet after so great a miracle, they did not ask Him how He had crossed over or show any concern about it, as appears from what follows. And when they had found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, Rabbi, when did you come here? Unless we say that this "when" meant "how." And observe their fickleness. After saying, This is that Prophet, and wanting to take Him by force to make Him king, when they find Him, they think of nothing of the sort.

St. Augustine of Hippo: So He who had fled to the mountain now mixes and converses with the multitude. Just a moment ago, they wanted to keep Him and make Him king. But after the sacrament of the miracle, He begins to speak, filling their souls with His word, just as He had satisfied their bodies with bread.

Alcuin of York: He who set an example by declining praise and earthly power also sets an example for teachers of freedom in their preaching.

St. John Chrysostom: Kindness and leniency are not always advisable. The lazy or insensitive disciple must be spurred on, and this is what the Son of God does. For when the multitude approaches with soft words, Rabbi, when did you come here?, He shows them that He does not desire honor from man. He does this by the severity of His answer, which both exposes and rebukes their motive. Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It is as if He said, "You seek Me to satisfy the flesh, not the Spirit."

St. John Chrysostom: After the rebuke, however, He proceeds to teach them: Labor not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endures to everlasting life. He means, "You seek temporary food, whereas I fed your bodies only so that you might seek more diligently for that food which is not temporary but contains eternal life."

Alcuin of York: Bodily food only supports the flesh of the outer man and must be taken daily, not just once; whereas spiritual food remains forever, imparting perpetual fullness and immortality.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Under the figure of food, He alludes to Himself. He said, "You seek Me for the sake of something else; seek Me for My own sake."

St. John Chrysostom: But since some who wish to live in idleness pervert this command, Labor not..., it is good to notice what Paul says: Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needs. And Paul himself, when he lived with Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth, worked with his hands.

By saying, Labor not for the meat which perishes, our Lord does not mean for us to be idle, but to work and give alms. This is the food that does not perish. To labor for the food that perishes is to be devoted only to the interests of this life. Our Lord saw that the multitude had no thought of believing and only wanted to fill their stomachs without working; this is what He justly called the food that perishes.

St. Augustine of Hippo: As He told the woman of Samaria previously, If you knew Who it is that said to you, Give me to drink, you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water. So He says here, Which the Son of man shall give to you.

Alcuin of York: When, through the hand of the priest, you receive the Body of Christ, do not think of the priest whom you see, but of the Priest whom you do not see. The priest is the dispenser of this food, not its author. The Son of man gives Himself to us, so that we may abide in Him, and He in us.

Do not think that this Son of man is the same as other sons of men. He stands alone in an abundance of grace, separate and distinct from all the rest, for that Son of man is the Son of God, as it follows: For Him has God the Father sealed. To seal is to put a mark upon something. So the meaning is, "Do not despise Me because I am the Son of man, for I am the Son of man in such a way that the Father has sealed Me." That is, He has given Me something unique, so that I should not be confused with the rest of the human race, but that the human race should be delivered by Me.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: A seal impresses a perfect image of the stamp, while at the same time receiving that impression into itself. This is not a perfect illustration of the divine birth, for sealing presupposes matter—different kinds of matter, with the harder impressing the softer. Yet He who was the Only-Begotten God, and the Son of man only through the sacrament of our salvation, uses this illustration to express the Father’s fullness as stamped upon Himself. He wishes to show the Jews that He has the power of giving this eternal food because He contained in Himself the fullness of God.

St. John Chrysostom: Or, "sealed" means that the Father sent Him for this purpose: namely, to bring us this food. Alternatively, "sealed" means He was revealed and the Gospel confirmed by means of the Father's witness to Him.

Alcuin of York: To interpret the passage mystically: "on the day following" means after the ascension of Christ. The multitude, "standing" in good works and not "lying" in worldly pleasures, expects Jesus to come to them. The one boat is the one Church. The "other boats which come" are the assemblies of heretics, who seek their own interests, not the things of Jesus Christ. Therefore, He rightly says, You seek Me... because you did eat of the loaves.

St. Augustine of Hippo: How many people seek Jesus only to gain some temporary benefit! One person has a business matter and wants the clergy's help; another is oppressed by a more powerful neighbor and flees to the Church for refuge. Jesus is hardly ever sought for His own sake.

St. Gregory the Great: In these people, our Lord also condemns all those within the holy Church who, when brought near to God by sacred orders, do not seek the reward of righteousness but the interests of this present life. To follow our Lord after being filled with bread is to use the Holy Church as a means of livelihood. To seek our Lord not for the sake of the miracles but for the loaves is to aspire to a religious office, not with the goal of increasing in grace, but of adding to one's worldly means.

The Venerable Bede: Those people also seek Jesus not for His own sake, but for something else, who in their prayers ask not for eternal blessings, but for temporal ones. The mystical meaning is that the assemblies of heretics are without the company of Christ and His disciples. And the "other boats coming" signifies the sudden growth of heresies. The crowd, which saw that Jesus and His disciples were not there, represents those who, seeing the errors of heretics, leave them and turn to the true faith.