John 6:48-58

A  (48)  I am that bread of life.

B  (49)  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

C  (50-51a)  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven:

D  (51b)  if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

E  (52)  The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

F  (53)  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

E’  (54-56)  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

D’  (57)  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

C’  (58a)  This is that bread which came down from heaven:

B’  (58b)  not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead:

A’  (58c)  he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

3 thoughts on “John 6:48-58”

  1. The parallel clauses up to D seem quite strong in this suggestion – the difficulty is making sense of the structure of verses 52-56. Is it one central section? Or perhaps the following…

    E (52) The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his FLESH TO EAT?

    F (53) Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye HAVE NO LIFE IN YOU.
    F’ (54) Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, HATH ETERNAL LIFE; and I will raise him up at the last day.

    E’ (55-56) For my FLESH IS MEAT INDEED, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

  2. To me there is a nested Chiasmus in vs 48 to 51 that is part of a larger form and that is then expanded through verse 58. Note that the same language exists in verse 51 as in verse 58. I think the comment from the jews is an interruption in the form and to me the central focus is verse 55.

    John 6:
    47 Verily, verily, I say unto you,
    A) He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
    B) 48 I am that bread of life.
    C) 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
    D) 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven,
    C’) that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
    B’) 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven:
    B’) if any man eat of this bread, (Note these are the same words as at the bottom in vs 58)
    A’) he shall live for ever: (Note these are the same words as at the bottom in vs 58)
    D) and the bread that I will give is my flesh, (D can be both a completion of the Chiasmus above)
    which I will give for the life of the world. (or a continuation of the larger form)

    {52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?}
    {53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,} {Interruption}

    E) Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
    F) a) 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
    b) hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
    G) 55 For my flesh is meat indeed,
    G’) and my blood is drink indeed.
    F’) a) 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
    b) dwelleth in me, and I in him.
    E’) 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father:
    so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
    D’) 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven:
    C’) not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead:
    B’) he that eateth of this bread
    A’) shall live for ever.

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