John 6:37Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

See how He does everything for the salvation of men. For this very purpose He added this, lest it seem that He was occupied with unnecessary subjects and spoke without purpose.

What does He say? "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me; and I will raise him up at the last day," Jn 6:40.

But why does He mention the general resurrection, in which the impious also will take part, as a special gift of those who believe in Him? Because He is not speaking simply about resurrection, but precisely about such a resurrection.

After first saying, "I will not cast him out," and "I will lose nothing of all that He has given Me," Jn 6:39, He then speaks of resurrection.

Showing that faith in Him is not a matter of chance, but a gift of God given by the Father to those who are worthy and well-disposed in heart, He says: "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me."

That is, those whom the Father gives Me will believe in Me. "And the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." That is, I will not destroy him, but will save him and grant him great delight.

For I came down from heaven not to do anything other than the will of the Father. He says this so that they may know that the one who does not receive Him is opposed to God, as one resisting the Father's will.

Since they called Him an adversary of God, He turns this accusation upon them. Though not openly, He says: by not receiving Him who follows the Father's will, you yourselves become adversaries of God.

It was not enough for the Lord simply to say, "You have both seen Me and do not believe." It was necessary to add to what was said the reason for their hardness, so that they might know they had fallen under divine wrath.

Thus, like some very skilled physician, He points out their disease and reveals the cause of the sickness. This is not, of course, so that they might know it and remain peacefully in the same state.

Rather, it is so that they might in every way propitiate the Master of all, who was offended by them for sound reasons. For He is never offended unjustly. He who knows how to judge rightly would never have made such a judgment against them unless there were reasons that made Him entirely free from every accusation.

"Therefore, the one who comes," He says, "I will not cast out." Why? Because I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me (Jn 6:38).

Is this, then, the very reason why You must not cast out the one who comes to You, because You came down from heaven not to do Your own will, but the will of Him Who sent You? It is indeed. Why, then, do we ask whether this is the reason? It is the very reason. He Himself says so.

We are not permitted to suspect anything other than what He says: "The one who comes to Me I will not cast out." It is as if you asked, "Why?" He answers, "Because I came not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me."

I fear lest the soul depart away from God because it is proud. Indeed, I do not doubt it. If through pride we fall away, through humility we return.

When a physician treats an illness, he may treat something that has arisen from some cause. Yet if he does not root out the cause from which it arose, he will seem to heal only for a time. If the cause remains, the disease returns.

Therefore, to root out the cause of all diseases, that is, pride, the Son of God humbly came down from heaven. Why are you proud, O man? God humbled Himself for your sake. Perhaps you would be ashamed to imitate human humility. Then imitate the humility of God.

Since God teaches humility, He said, "I came not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me." This is the testimony of His humility. For pride does its own will, while humility does the will of God.

Therefore, "the one who comes to Me I will not cast out." Why? Because I came not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me. I came humble. I came to teach humility. The one who cleaves to Me is humble. He will be humble, because he does not do his own will, but God's. Therefore he will not be cast out. If he were proud, he would be cast out.

What is inside there, from which He will not cast him out? Great halls and sweet chambers. O chambers without burdens, without the bitterness of evil thoughts, without temptations and deceits!

Are these not the halls into which the one will enter to whom the Lord says, as to a good and faithful servant, "Enter into the joy of your master" (Mt 25:23)? "The one who comes to Me I will not cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me" (Jn 6:37-38).

You will not cast out the one who comes to You, because You came down from heaven to fulfill not Your own will, but the will of Him Who sent You? Ineffable mystery! I beg you, let us knock together. May that come to us which will satisfy us by filling us with joy.

Ineffable and sweet mystery: "The one who comes to Me." Listen, listen, and consider: "The one who comes to Me I will not cast out." Therefore, "the one who comes to Me," He says, "I will not cast out." Why? "For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me."

Is the reason why You do not cast out the one who comes to You precisely that You came down from heaven to do not Your own will, but the will of Him Who sent You? Precisely so. Why do we ask whether it is so? This is the very reason. He Himself names it.

We should not suppose something different from what He said: "The one who comes to Me I will not cast out." It is as though you asked Him, "Why?" He answers, "For I came not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me" (Jn 6:37-38).

I fear lest the soul be cast out by God because it was proud. I do not doubt this. For it is written, "The beginning of sin is pride" (Sir 10:15). And again, "The beginning of pride is man's departure from the Lord" (Sir 10:14). So it is written. This is certain and true.

Moreover, what is said in Scripture about the proud man, clothed in the rags of flesh, weighed down by the burden of a sinful body, and yet exalting himself while forgetting what skin he wears? "Why are earth and ashes proud? Why are they proud?" (cf. Sir 10:9).

Let Scripture say why earth is proud. "Because in his life he casts out his inward parts" (cf. Sir 10:10). What does "casts out" mean if not "throws away," that is, "casts outside"?

To enter within is to strive toward what is within. To cast out is to eject what is within. The proud man casts out what is within. The humble man thirsts for what is within. If we are cast out because of pride, let us return through humility.

Pride is the head of all diseases, because pride is the head of all sins. If a physician, removing an ailment, treats only the disease caused by something, and does not treat the cause that produced it, then the ailment will seem to depart for a time. Yet while the cause remains, the disease will return.

For example, to speak more plainly, fluid or an ulcer arises in the body. Fever and considerable pain seize the body. Certain medicines are taken to soothe the ulcer and reduce the fever caused by the abscess. The medicines are taken and have success.

You see healed the man who was covered with ulcers and abscesses. But because the fluid was not removed, it will again produce an ulcer. The physician, understanding this, removes the fluid. He eliminates the cause, and there will be no more ulcers.

From where does unrighteousness grow? From pride. Be healed of pride, and there will be no unrighteousness. Therefore, so that the cause of all diseases, namely pride, might be healed, the Son of God came down and assumed humility.

Why are you proud, O man? God accepted humility for your sake. Perhaps you are ashamed to imitate a humble man. Then imitate the humble God. The Son of God came in the form of man and accepted humility.

He teaches you to become humble. He does not teach you to become an irrational beast from a man. He, God, became man. You, O man, recognize that you are man. All your humility is for this, that you may recognize yourself.

Since God teaches humility, He said, "I came not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me" (Jn 6:37). This is indeed the confession of humility. Pride, of course, does its own will. Humility does the will of God.

Therefore, "the one who comes to Me I will not cast out." Why? "For I came not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me."

"I came humble. I came to teach humility. I came as the teacher of humility. The one who comes to Me becomes one body with Me. The one who comes to Me becomes humble. The one joined to Me will be humble. For he does not do his own will, but God's. Therefore he will not be cast out, although he was being cast out when he was proud."

See what is entrusted to us in the Psalm concerning what is within: "The sons of men shall hope under the shadow of Your wings" (cf. Ps 35:8). See what it means to enter within. See what it means to flee to this refuge.

See what it means to flee there, even while enduring a father's scourging, for He scourges every son whom He receives (Heb 12:6). "The sons of men shall hope under the shadow of Your wings." What are they within? "They shall be satisfied with the abundance of Your house" (cf. Ps 35:9).

When You lead inward those who enter into the joy of their Lord, they shall be satisfied with the abundance of Your house. From the torrent of Your delight You shall give them drink. "For with You is the fountain of life" (Ps 35:9-10).

Not outside You, but within: with You. There is the fountain of life. "In Your light we shall see light. Extend Your mercy to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart" (Ps 35:10-11).

Those who follow the will of their Lord, not seeking their own things but the things of the Lord Jesus Christ, are upright in heart. Their feet are not unsteady. "For God is good to Israel, to the upright in heart. But my feet," says the Psalmist, "had almost stumbled" (cf. Ps 72:1-2).

Why? "Because I envied sinners, seeing the prosperity of sinners" (cf. Ps 72:3). To whom, then, is God good, if not to the upright in heart? In my perverse heart I was displeased with God. Why was I displeased? Because He gave happiness to the wicked.

Therefore my feet trembled: Have I served the Lord in vain? My feet had almost stumbled for this reason, that I was not upright in heart. What does "upright in heart" mean? It means following the will of God.

One man prospers, another labors. One lives destructively and yet is happy. Another lives righteously and yet is sorrowful. Let the one who lives righteously and labors not be irritated. Within, he has what the happy man does not have.

Therefore let him not grieve, let him not be tormented, let him not lose heart. That happy man has gold in his chest. This man has God in his conscience. Compare gold and God, chest and conscience.

The former has what perishes, and he keeps it where it disappears. The latter has God, Who cannot perish, and keeps Him where He cannot be stolen. This is so only if the man is upright in heart. For then he enters within and does not go out.

For what did he therefore say? "For with You is the fountain of life," not with us. Therefore we must enter within in order to be alive. We must not calmly gaze upon the fact that we will have to die, while refusing to drink so as not to die of thirst.

Rather, we must press our lips to the fountain in which there is no lack of water. Because Adam wished to live according to his own understanding, he fell through the one who had fallen before him through pride and offered him the cup of his pride to drink.

Since "with You is the fountain of life," and "in Your light we shall see light" (Ps 35:10), let us drink within. Let us direct our gaze inward. Why do some depart from there? Hear why: "Let not the foot of pride come to me" (cf. Ps 35:12).

Therefore the one to whom the foot of pride has come departs. Show that he departs for this reason. "And let not the hand of the sinner cast me out," precisely because of the foot of pride. Why do you say this? "There the workers of iniquity have fallen" (Ps 35:13).

Where have they fallen? In pride itself they were cast down and cannot rise (cf. Ps 35:13). If pride cast them down so that they cannot rise, then humility enters within those who will be able to stand forever.

Therefore, the one who said, "The bones that are crushed shall rejoice," had first said, "Make me hear joy and gladness" (Ps 50:10). What does "Make me hear" mean? It means: I am happy by listening to You. I am happy through Your voice. I am happy by quenching my thirst within.

Therefore I do not fall. Therefore the bones that are crushed shall rejoice. Therefore the friend of the bridegroom stands and listens to Him (cf. Jn 3:29). He stands because he listens. He drinks from the inner fountain, and therefore he stands.

Those who refused to drink from the inner fountain have fallen there. They have been cast down and cannot rise.

Therefore the Teacher of humility came not to do His own will, but the will of Him Who sent Him. Let us come to Him. Let us enter into Him. Let us become one Body with Him, incorporemur, so that we may do not our own will, but the will of God.

He will not cast us out, because we are His members. He wished to become our head, teaching humility. Finally, hear how He calls: "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart. When you have learned this, you will find rest for your souls" (cf. Mt 11:28-29).

From there you cannot be cast out. "For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him Who sent Me" (Jn 6:38). I teach humility. No one except the humble can come to Me. Pride alone drives outside.

How can one go out who preserves humility and does not depart from the truth? Concerning the hidden meaning, as much has been said as could be said, brothers. This meaning is quite hidden. I do not know whether I have been able, with suitable words, to open it and bring it forth.

"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me." These words show that the Father brings believers to Him. The Apostle Paul also says: "by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son" (1 Cor 1:9).

Therefore Jesus Christ said: "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me." That is, everyone who is given to Me by the Father, everyone brought by Him, will come to Me and believe in Me, not simply everyone without distinction.

By this Jesus Christ proves that the Father wills people to believe in Him, and that the one who does not believe in Him resists the will of God.

The Father gives to the Son by bringing people to faith in Him. The Son gives to the Father by leading them up to Him through this faith.

"Good," the Jews answered, "then give us always such bread." They were asking for more than they themselves clearly understood, like the Samaritan woman when she asked for living water.

"Do you wish it? I Myself am this bread of life." Of course, this bread can be eaten only by faith.

So you see that you again come to the same conclusion. To receive life, you must believe in Me. You yourselves wish to eat the bread of life.

And this bread of life, which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world, is I Myself. It can be eaten by faith.

The Jews did not expect to come to such a conclusion. Without confirmation by new miracles, they did not wish to acknowledge such a high dignity in Jesus.

Like the Samaritan woman (4:13-15), the hearers of Jesus Christ understood His words about the bread of life in a sensual sense. By this bread they meant something like the manna in the wilderness.

But Christ says: "I am the bread of life. Therefore you need not ask for this bread to be sent down. It has already been sent down to you from God, and you need only receive Him, that is, believe in Me.

Yet you have seen Me, and do not believe. But if you had faith in Me, I would impart eternal life to you. For all that the Father gives Me, all who obey the Father's grace calling them to salvation, come to Me.

With full and all-embracing love I answer this obedience to the Father's saving call. For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of the Father who sent Me.

This unbelief of the people in their Messiah, and this carnal direction of the national spirit, now expressed so clearly before the Lord, was for Him as a sign that God had rejected His beloved people in the mass.

It gives the Lord's thought and feeling a new, higher flight. Because of this, He withdraws for a time from the main subject of His discourse, as though immersing Himself in contemplation of the divine judgments in the ordering of His Kingdom.

Behold, a sensual people does not understand Him or His whole work. What, then, will become of Him and of this work?

Then Jesus Christ speaks directly: "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst" (v. 35).

In these words Jesus Christ speaks, as it were, in this way: "You ask that the bread of which I speak always be given to you.

But this depends on you yourselves. Come to Me and believe that I speak to you the truth, the truth which God has made known to Me.

Then you will not be tormented by the search for truth and for the path to the blessedness of eternal life. You will know both the truth and the way.

You will no longer suffer from the unsatisfied demands of the spirit, from the hunger of the soul. But for this you must believe that I have been sent by My Father."

Verse 37. "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me." Although people like the majority of His hearers do not believe in Him, there will be those who come to Him.

These are those who will be brought by the heavenly Father, or, as He says later, those who will be taught by God, v. 45.

The Savior humbles human self-confidence, which thought it need only see a miracle and it would take heaven into its possession.

Miracles lead to faith, but they lead a humble soul, one that sincerely seeks salvation and is equally convinced of its own weakness and its need for heavenly help.

"All... will come to Me." Those who come will not be only people of a certain tribe and a certain faith, such as the Jews.

In verse 37 the Lord points to the community of believers whom the Father gives to the Son. Faith arising in the heart of the believer is reckoned to him as merit, for it is the consequence of a person's good will.

By faith a person gives himself to God, and God receives him as a son with love. Yet all things are known to God, including the movements of every person's heart.

Therefore it is said of believers: "whom God foreknew, He also predestined, and called, and justified, and glorified" (Rom 8:29-30).

These people, whom good will has led to God and whom God the Father gives to the Son, must come to the Son.

They cannot remain deists and perceive God only from a philosophical point of view. They must come to the Son and become Christians.