This coming Sunday is the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time for Year B of our lectionary cycle. We had been following the Gospel of Mark’s narrative sequence of the life and ministry of Jesus. Starting last Sunday (17th Sunday of Ordinary Time), and continuing this and the following three Sundays, we hear the Bread of Life Discourse (John 6). Let us consider some context for what St. John describes.

John 6 marks the beginning of a new section in the Fourth Gospel narrative. In 2:1-5:47 there was a cycle that included the revelation of Jesus’ glory and the rejection of that glory. These chapters contain miracles and discourses by Jesus that point to the authority of Jesus’ words and works—the wine miracle at Cana (2:1–11); the cleansing of the Temple (2:13–22); two healing miracles (4:46–54; 5:1–9); Jesus’ conversations with Nicodemus (3:1–21) and the Samaritan woman (4:4–42)—and so fulfill his promise to his disciples that they would see “greater things” (1:50). Yet this cycle also contains the first story of Jesus’ conflict with the Jewish authorities (5:9–47), a conflict that includes the decision to kill Jesus (5:18). This first cycle establishes the themes and tensions that characterize Jesus’ public ministry in John—from the manifestation of Jesus’ glory (2:1–11) to the rejection of that glory (5:9–47).

The second cycle of Jesus’ public ministry follows the same pattern as the first—it begins with a miracle in Galilee, the feeding of the five thousand (6:1–15), and concludes with hostility to Jesus and renewed intention to kill him (10:31–39). The difference between the two cycles is that the urgency of that question is highlighted as the hostility to Jesus increases. There are no new theological themes introduced, instead the same themes are replayed in a new context: Jesus’ authority and relationship to God, Jesus’ ability to give life and judge, the consequences of faith or unbelief. [O’Day, 519] And, as you might imagine, the antagonism in response to Jesus’ words and deeds only grows. The second cycle poses the same basic question as the first: Will people receive the revelation of God in Jesus?

This and the following three Sundays our gospel is taken from John 6. So, perhaps it is best to see what lies ahead. John 6 follows the same basic pattern noted in chapter 5: miracle / dialogue / discourse. This pattern is more intricate in John 6 because the chapter narrates Jesus’ self-revelation to two groups: the crowd and his disciples. As such John 6 contains two miracles: one performed before the crowd and the disciples (6:1–15) and one performed in front of the disciples alone (6:16–21). This dual focus is reflected in the discourse material as well. John 6 can be outlined as follows:

Verses Sunday Content

6:1–15    17th Miracle of feeding the 5,000 (with crowd and disciples)
6:16–21   Miracle (w/ disciples alone) –Jesus walks on the water
6:22–24   Transition
6:25–34   18th Dialogue (crowd)
6:35–59   19th / 20th Discourse (crowd and disciples)
6:60–71   21st Conclusion (disciples alone)

The Feeding of the Five Thousand by William Hole (1846-1917) | Edinburgh University Library | PD-US