39-40. And this is the will of the Father Who
hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but
should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent
Me, that every one who seeth the Son, and believeth in Him, may have
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
The Lord repeats the phrase “all the Father hath given to Me,” in
order to impress upon the Jews their unworthiness to receive God’s gift. If the
Father bestows belief in Christ as a wondrous gift, and they do not have this
faith, it is evident that they have spurned God’s gift. “Therefore,” He says, “I
will not lose those whom the Father has given Me, namely, those who believe in
Me, but will raise them up,” which means, count them worthy of a joyful
resurrection. There will be two kinds of resurrection: the common and universal
resurrection which all men will undergo; and that in which the righteous alone
will be lifted up into the clouds to meet the Lord with joyful confidence. The latter
type of resurrection Paul calls exanastasis [Phil. 3:11] because it
entails being lifted up from the earth. The righteous are both raised from the
dead and lifted up on high [ανιστανται
και εξανιστανται]. Sinners, on the other
hand, are raised from the tombs but not lifted up into the air. They remain
below as one condemned. The Lord explains His words, that of all which He
hath given Me I should lose nothing, by restating them differently: that
every one who seeth the Son, and believeth in Him, may have everlasting life.
The meaning is one and the same. All which He hath given Me, means the
same as, every one who seeth the Son, and believeth in Him. And the
words that I should lose nothing mean the same as may have
everlasting life. He frequently mentions the resurrection to encourage men
not to restrict their understanding of God’s providence to visible, earthly
blessings, buy to yearn for that other realm in which most assuredly we will
enjoy the rewards of virtue. Though no physical reward is now apparent, by no
means should we abandon the path of virtue.
41-44. The Jews then murmured at Him, because
He said I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this
Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that
He saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them,
Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to Me, except the Father Who hath
sent Me draw Him; and I will raise him up at the last day. The
Jews murmured and grumbled when Jesus said, I am the bread, because they
felt deceived. As long as they thought He was speaking of physical bread, they
were meekly attentive to Christ, hoping to receive more food with which to satisfy
their bellies. But when the Lord revealed that He was referring to spiritual
bread, they despaired and grumbled. And how could the Jews comprehend spiritual
food, and life, and resurrection? Seeing His mother, and at the same time
hearing Christ say that He came down from heaven, they were offended at
His words, taking them to be unable to comprehend that Jesus is also God, they
muttered, Is not this the son of Joseph? The Saviour does not deny that
HE is the son of Joseph, for the Jews could not understand His ineffable birth
from the Virgin. And if His nativity in the flesh was beyond their grasp, how
much more His pre-eternal genesis from the Father. How then does He answer? No
man cane come to Me, except the Father . . . draw him. Saying this, Christ
does not deny our free-will—far from it! Rather, He reveals how greatly in need
of God’s help and cooperation [συνεργεια] is
the man who would believe. Furthermore, the Father draws to Himself those who
freely incline to Him, He does not coerce those who choose to be disinclined.
Like the magnet which attracts only what is iron, and not just any object, so
too God is near to all, but draws to Himself only those who are wiling and who
show an affinity to Him. In this way, then, the Father draws and leads a man to
the Son. And the Son resurrects and quickens him, breathing the Holy Spirit on
him and bestowing on him the blessed life which is in the Spirit. Not the
Father or the Son alone, but the Holy Trinity is the Benefactor of those who
believe. As there is one divine nature, so there is one divine energy that
bestows blessings—of the Father Who draws, the Son Who quickens, and the Holy
Spirit Who is the Breath of those brought to life (for everyone who lives must
have breath). Behold the authority of the Son! I will raise him up, He
says—not, “My Father will raise,” but I. Christ does not always speak in
a lowly manner—here He unveils HIs exalted divinity. (Theophylact, The
Explanation of the Holy Gospel According to John [Blessed Theophylact’s Explanation
of the New Testament 4; trans. Christopher Stade; House Springs, Miss.: Chrysostom
Press, 2007], 107-8)
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