1 Commentary

1.1 1 Kings 19:4-8

1 Kings 19:4 a day’s journey into the wilderness – The prophet Elijah is all alone.
He asked that he might die – Desperation has set in and life does not look
worth living.
take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors – It seems that every
generation has this feeling. We hoped and worked for change but nothing
ever improves.

1 Kings 19:5 an angel touched him – How often in our unconscious, do we

experience angels?
Get up and eat. – The L ORD provides food and drink for the journey.

1 Kings 19:6

1 Kings 19:7 the journey will be too much for you – In the end this world gets
the best of us. But the L ORD still sends us on our way and we hope against
hope that the reality of death is not an ending but a beginning.

1 Kings 19:8 he went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights
to Horeb the mount of God – Somehow, the L ORD’s food brings us through
this life.

1.2 Psalm 34:1-8

Psalm 34:1 I will bless the L ORD at all times – The author follows the great
commandment to devote his entire life to the L ORD.

Psalm 34:2 My soul makes its boast in the L ORD; let the humble hear and be
glad. – The psalmist life itself gives witness to the power of the L ORD.
let the humble hear and be glad – It is the duty of the sure to tell the rest of
the world about the L ORD.

Psalm 34:3 O magnify the L ORD with me – The work of the L ORD needs to
be clearly illustrated so that the people know who is responsible for real-
ity. The concept of showing others the work of the L ORD is echoed in the
Magnificat.

1
Psalm 34:4 I sought the L ORD, and he answered me – For those faith traditions
that say the L ORD cannot be found and always searches out the followers,
this verse is problematic.

Psalm 34:5 Look to him, and be radiant – The same theme of knowing where the
L ORD resides continues in this verse. The outcome of being with the L ORD
is a changed appearance. This illustration recalls the change in Moses’s face
after he had been on the mountain with the L ORD.

Psalm 34:6 saved from every trouble – For those people who talk about the God
of prosperity, this verse promises much. The unanswered questioned still
remains. What about the poor who pray? Why are they not saved?

Psalm 34:7 The angel of the L ORD encamps around those who fear him, and
delivers them – The same issue in verse 6 appears here. What is said to
those who are not delivered?
The psalmist asserts that the L ORD’s messenger protects the faithful. The
validity of this verse seems doubtful if one needs to see deliverance in this
life.

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the L ORD is good – The L ORD’s work is better
than what the world provides. This phrase could be the invitation to the
post modern world who wants to live life through experiences. Go and try
everything else. It will leave a bad taste in your mouth. Now eat what the
L ORD sets before you. It will truly satisfy you.

...

1.3 Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:25 putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neigh-
bours – The contrast here is between lies and the truth. The followers of
Jesus clearly tell everyone the reality of the situation.

Ephesians 4:26 Be angry but do not sin – The follower of Christ certainly can
be extremely upset about what they see in the world and in themselves.
However, this does not give them the reason to break the Law.
do not let the sun go down on your anger – The next constraint is that these
feelings cannot last past one day.

2
 Ephesians 4:27 do not make room for the devil – The assumption here is that
when Christ fills your heart, the confuser cannot find a place.

Ephesians 4:28 Thieves must give up stealing – The author provides a concrete
example of what must change.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths – Another illustration is
given here. This is the way of life for Christians.

Ephesians 4:30 do not grieve the Holy Spirit – Do nothing to upset the Spirit.

Ephesians 4:31 Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wran-
gling and slander, together with all malice – The author lists other ways of
life that must be abandoned.

Ephesians 4:32

Ephesians 5:1 be imitators of God – The way of life for Christians is to be like
God.

Ephesians 5:2 live in love, as Christ loved us – The illustration is repeated with
the Son.

1.4 John 6:35, 41-51

John 6:35 I am the bread of life – This is not who Jesus is but what Jesus does.
This is the first time in John that the ἐγώ εἰμι (“I am”) has a predicate
nominative. (The other verses in John without the predicate nominative are:
John 4:26; 6:20; 8:24, 28, 58; 13:19; 18:5, 7.)1
will never be hungry, and . . . will never be thirsty – Both of these promises
are in the future tense. (μὴ πεινάσῃ Aorist Active Subjunctive . . . οὐ μὴ δι-
ψήσει Future Active Indicative)2 Given that the Subjunctive Mood indicates
a hope, I would translate this as “might never be hungry.” Is Christ trying to
tell us something here about what is to come? That we will still hunger for
truth, justice, and food? Note that this type of translation is not found in the
NRSV, RSV, or KJV. What is wrong with my version?
1
Brian Stoffregen, John 6.35,41-51 Proper 14 - Year B, http://www.crossmarks.com/
brian/john6x35.htm.
2
S.D.B. Francis J. Moloney; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of John, Volume 4,
Sacra Pagina, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998), p. 214.

3
 ...

John 6:41 the Jews – The crowd now becomes the Jews and their hostility in-
creases.3 In the Anatomy of the Fourth Gospel, Culpepper suggests that the
“Jews” could be all Jewish people, just the Judeans, or they could refer to
those in power who are hostile towards Jesus. 4
to complain – It seems that the argument is internal to the group known
as the “Jews” and this might reflect the discussion about Jesus during the
writing of the Gospel.5
I am the bread that came down from heaven. Jesus has already said that
He is the bread of life. This difference might be due to the writer of John
wanting to make a theological point.6 Where do we think that Jesus comes
from? Do we overemphasize His divinity or His humanity? What does He
bring us in the time where bread is not a part of the daily meal?

John 6:42 whose father and mother we know – How does God have parents that
we know? Thus, how does Jesus descend from heaven? Because they have
seen Jesus’ family, they refuse to consider the idea that Jesus has any other
father.7

John 6:43

John 6:44 unless drawn – God brings us to Him. The other uses of ἕλκω (to drag
about, tear asunder) are in: κἀγὼ ἐὰν ὑψωθῶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς πάντας ἑλκύσω
πρὸς ἐμαυτόν John 12:32, Σίμων οὖν Πέτρος ἔχων μάχαιραν εἵλκυσεν
αὐτὴν καὶ ἔπαισεν τὸν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως δοῦλον καὶ ἀπέκοψεν αὐτοῦ τὸ
ὠτάριον τὸ δεξιόν ἦν δὲ ὄνομα τῷ δούλῳ Μάλχος John 18:10, ὁ δὲ εἶπεν
αὐτοῖς βάλετε εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ μέρη τοῦ πλοίου τὸ δίκτυον καὶ εὑρήσετε ἔβα-
λον οὖν καὶ οὐκέτι αὐτὸ ἑλκύσαι ἴσχυον ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἰχθύων
John 21:6, and ἀνέβη οὖν Σίμων Πέτρος καὶ εἵλκυσεν τὸ δίκτυον εἰς τὴν
γῆν μεστὸν ἰχθύων μεγάλων ἑκατὸν πεντήκοντα τριῶν καὶ τοσούτων ὄν-
των οὐκ ἐσχίσθη τὸ δίκτυον John 21:11. The only time that Jesus uses
this verb again is in 12:32, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth,
3
Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 217.
4
Culpepper p. 126 according to Stoffregen. (My book is in storage and I cannot check this
reference.)
5
Stoffregen, ‘John 6.35,41-51 Proper 14 - Year B’.
6
Ibid.
7
Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 217.

4
 will draw all people to myself. (NRSV)” According to Liddell on Pereus
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu) ἕλκω is an infrequently used
word. The general idea in Classical Greek is to draw or drag with force
or exertion. For example, “drag away a prisoner,” “draw ships down to the
sea,” “draw a chariot.” Other examples might be draw a bow or drawn by
a magnet. However, one must be careful when looking at the use of force.
Dr. David E. Fredrickson from Luther Seminary would remind us that we
do not want to make God into a Greek god who has their way with humans.
I will raise that person up on the last day – This text shows that the death
(ἀποθνῄσκω or to die off in verse 45) is a differ type of death.

John 6:45 And they shall all be taught by God. – This is a paraphrase of “All your
sons shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the prosperity of your
sons.” (RSV) “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall
be the prosperity of your children.” (NRSV Isaiah 54:13).8 This shows that
Christian education is needed.9 Or as others have said, “Jesus came to save
us from our sins, not our minds.”10

John 6:46 he has seen the Father – Only Jesus makes the Father known. “No one
has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has
made him known.” (RSV John 1:18).

John 6:47 Very truly - This is actually the double “amen” (ἀμὴν ἀμὴν).

John 6:48

John 6:49

John 6:50 one may eat of it and not die – The bread that Jesus gives “surpasses”
the bread given by Moses.11 The question that we must ask in this day where
everyone who eats of the Lord’s Meal dies a true death, “What death is Jesus
referring to?” Is this the death of the body or is it a much worse death where
God forgets that you exist?
8
Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 218.
9
Stoffregen, ‘John 6.35,41-51 Proper 14 - Year B’.
10
Ibid.
11
Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 218-219.

5
 John 6:51 my flesh – ἡ σάρξ μού – literally “the flesh of me” The language may
have overtones of the Lord’s Supper but it ultimately refers to His cruci-
fixion.12 This also refers back to the prologue. The Word became flesh (ὁ
λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο) (John 1:14).

References
Francis J. Moloney, S.D.B.; Harrington, S.J., Daniel J., editor, The Gospel of John,
Volume 4, Sacra Pagina, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press,
1998).

Stoffregen, Brian, John 6.35,41-51 Proper 14 - Year B, http://www.

crossmarks.com/brian/john6x35.htm, Last checked on August
7, 2009.

12
Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 220.