Topic > The Message Behind the Gospel of John

The disciple John wrote his Gospel at a different time than the other three Synoptic Gospels. While those three were trying to appeal to Jewish Christians, John wrote his at a different time, and was trying to appeal only to Christians. In John chapter 6, Jesus performs two miracles and gives a speech, while John tries to make connections with the Eucharist. In the first miracle, Jesus takes five barley loaves and two fish, given to him by a small child, and turns them into enough food for the more than 5,000 men, along with women and children, who travel east until they are full, and have enough to save. This miracle can be interpreted in two ways, both connected to the Eucharist. First, Jesus could have literally found a way to physically transform such a small amount of food into enough to feed so many people through magic; if this is the way people want to interpret it, it means that Jesus' supply is infinite. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay This offering can be a metaphor for all the good things he has given us. Since Jesus is part of the Trinity, this means that God also gives us an abundant supply of everything we need. The second way this miracle could be interpreted is that the people were so moved by the child offering his food, that they decided to bring their own food to share with everyone. This is an extension of the Eucharist, because everyone shares with each other, which is truly what God wants Christians to do. In any case, God helps us through the Eucharist in one way or another. Furthermore, specifically in verse 11, Jesus takes the bread, gives thanks and distributes it to those seated. John really points this out because it's a huge connection to what happened when the Eucharist was first instituted by Jesus, and he makes this connection because he was trying to show Christians that Jesus is indeed the Messiah and the Word made flesh . Furthermore, John says that Jesus gave thanks; the word Eucharist comes from the Greek word eucharisteo, which literally means "to give thanks", so John was obviously trying to make a connection with the Eucharist. Finally, Jesus taking a small amount of food and turning it into an abundant supply is an allegory of the small amount we must offer to God, and him turning it into abundance. The second miracle of John chapter 6 occurs when Jesus walks on the water. When the disciples see him walking on the water in the dark, they are afraid, and Jesus tells them not to be afraid; this is how Catholics are not afraid to accept Jesus through the Eucharist. The disciples let him get on the boat and automatically arrive at their destination. What John was trying to teach is that we should not be afraid to accept the Eucharist, and once we do, Jesus helps Christians get to where they want to be. Later in the chapter, the crowd is confused about where Jesus is, so they go looking for him. They have found him, and he tells them that they seek him because they have taken the loaves and have been satisfied, and that they must continue to eat these loaves if they want eternal life with God; John is trying to make an obvious connection with the Eucharist, saying that people seek Jesus in the Eucharist so that they can be filled with the Trinity. Overall, John is trying to teach that Catholics should not fear the power of God and should partake of the Eucharist to receive the fullness of God, and he also does this through Jesus' miracles of the multiplication of the loaves. while walking on the waterThe disciples begin.