I am the Bread of Life
Jesus has fed the 5000, reminding them that God had given them manna in the desert to fulfil
their physical bunger, but now Jesus has come from God to fulfil their spiritual hunger. The I am the Light of the World
bread Jesus brings is greater than that given by Moses; Jesus is going to lead the people away Light was identified with God in Greek and Roman thought, as well as in the Old Testament. The Jews accuse
from the past and into the Messianic age which is in the present. The law was symbolised as Jesus of not telling the truth because he cannot provide witnesses needed for a testimony, replying that God is
bread, so Jesus is teaching that he is the bread which supersedes the law of Moses. There are his witness, ‘I am the one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father who sent me’. Jesus says he has
overtones of the Last Supper, and Bultmann argues that these eucharistic overtones were been sent by the Father to reveal truth and lead men to spiritual understanding, so they will never walk in
added by a later redactor because the gospel wasn’t sufficiently sacramental. Jesus claims that darkness again, ‘whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’. Culpepper makes
he is the bread which can give eternal life: ‘I am the bread of life, he who comes to me will the point that even though they are the religious leaders and are very pious, they don’t understand spiritual
never go hungry and he who believes in me will never thirst’, ‘that which comes down from truths and that being Jewish won’t save them, only belief in Jesus will, ‘in their response to Jesus, they are the
heaven and gives life to the world’, ‘this bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the opposite of the disciples’, ‘whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is because
world’, ‘the work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’. So, believing in Jesus is the you do not belong to God’. The Jews see this as blasphemy, so try to kill Jesus. Jesus leaves the Temple, so leaves
first step to salvation and discipleship. Peter confesses his belief at the end of the passage, ‘we the centre of Judaism in darkness. The idea of Jesus as the light was first introduced in the Prologue, where John
believe, and we know that you are the holy one of God’. Tasker states ‘true nourishment, the Baptist was described only as a witness to the light, while Jesus was the true light. Jesus first described
which brings eternal life, is possible only for those who accept his sacrifice’, ‘this bread which himself as the light of the world during the Feast of Tabernacles, so Jesus’ claim is that he is the fulfilment of that
alone can permanently satisfy the spiritual hunger… is available only for those… who see the festival. The scene is followed by Jesus healing the blind man, bringing light to his darkness; there are many
son as he really is and commit themselves to him’. The religious authorities are unhappy about symbols that indicate that Jesus is from God and shares in his creative activity. The scene finishes with the
Jesus’ claims as he claimed to be from God, bring salvation and replace Judaism, ‘the Jews Pharisees not seeing God at work in the miracle, instead focusing on Jesus breaking the Sabbath law, ‘this man is
there began to grumble about him’. not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath’, the law is supposed to be a light, but they use it to keep
themselves in darkness. Even the cured man realises the Pharisees are wrong about Jesus, fulfilling the prophecy
of Isiah.
I am the True Vine
The nation of Israel was symbolised as a vine, and was a powerful symbol in the Old
Testament, particularly in Jeremiah, Isiah and Hosea. Jesus depicts himself as the true vine, I Am Sayings
‘I am the true vine and my father is the gardener’, and Marsh states ‘it was natural that I am the Good Shepherd
Jesus should use such an Old testament figure to make plain… what his nature and Bultmann notes it was Jesus’ last speech to the people, so it was his last chance to
functions were’. Believers in Jesus will be like the vine branches which receive life from the appeal to the whole world. Schnackenburg backs this up by saying that the imagery of
vine and bear fruit, but branches cannot bear fruit on their own, ‘no branch can bear fruit the shepherd was very common in the ancient world, ‘in the orient of ancient times,
by itself; neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me’. John has a strong as well as in Greece and the Hellenistic world, the use of ‘shepherd’ as a designation
replacement theology in this passage; he has already said that Jesus replaces the law, the for the divine or human ruler was widespread’. There are many references in the Old
temple, the festivals and the rites of Judaism, and now he replaces Israel. Where Israel had Testament to God as the shepherd, so by talking of himself as the good shepherd, the
been faithless, Jesus and his followers have been faithful, and the old Israel has been role reserved for God, Jesus makes another claim to be God. In the Old Testament,
replaced with a new community who inherit God’s promises to Israel if they believe in the shepherd was required to sacrifice his own life for the sheep, as was the leader of
Jesus. Staying in a close relationship with Jesus will bring eternal life and answered prayers, Israel, just as David did when he killed Goliath, ‘I am the good shepherd. I know my
‘if you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be sheep and my sheep know me… and I lay down my life for the sheep’. Barrett says
given to you’. this imagery emphasises the point that Jesus didn’t die as a common criminal, but
that his death was a sacrifice. This imagery also emphasises the universality of Jesus’
message as he refers to ‘other sheep that are not part of this sheep pen’. The Jews
responded by demanding more proof from Jesus about his identity and authority,
Introduction probably realising that he was referring to them as the ‘hired hand who cares nothing
The I am sayings are seven special sayings in which Jesus uses the phrase ‘I am’ to express a great truth about for the sheep’. The religious leaders are like bad shepherds who had not cared
himself. While Jesus uses the phrase 26 times in the gospel, these seven have special meanings as he follows them properly for the people, while Jesus claims that he is the true leader of God’s people.
with a predicate. Howard suggests that the evangelist deliberately used this phrase to appeal to his Greek speaking Jesus refuses to give any more proof, saying that the true sheep have already heard
readers as, in the Hellenistic world, when the gods spoke they also used this type of predicated saying. Kysar says his voice, and he gives the ultimate blasphemy, ‘I and the Father are one’.
that it is also a phrase used in Old Testament Judaism by God to refer to himself in the story of Moses and the
Burning Bush, ‘I am who I am’. Kysar says ‘when Christ speaks, it is God who speaks… Christ and God are one and
the same’. So, for both Hellenistic and Jewish readers, when Jesus uses the I am sayings, he is speaking of himself
as God. On top of that, the images he uses were often reserved for God, so Jesus is making a divine claim.
