John 6:57
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
John 6:57
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.
Chapter Context
John 6 is a theological gospel chapter in the New Testament that explores themes of judgment, mercy, holiness. Written during the late first century CE (c. 90-95 CE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: Addressed late first-century challenges from both Judaism and emerging Gnostic thought.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-71: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it demonstrates God's faithfulness despite human unfaithfulness. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within John and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
John 6:57
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.
Analysis
As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This verse unveils Trinitarian relationality as the model for salvation. The 'living Father' (ho zōn patēr) possesses life inherently and eternally. The Son lives 'by' (dia) the Father—not that the Father causes the Son's existence (contra Arianism), but that the Son's mission and work proceed from the Father's sending. The parallel 'so he that eateth me...shall live by me' (kagō zēsō di' auton) establishes believers' relationship to Christ as analogous to Christ's relationship to the Father. As the Son derives His missional life from the Father, believers derive spiritual life from Christ. This is union with Christ—participating in the very life of the Trinity. Reformed theology emphasizes that salvation is fundamentally Trinitarian: the Father sends the Son, the Son accomplishes redemption, the Spirit applies it, bringing believers into fellowship with the Triune God.
Historical Context
This Trinitarian statement would baffle Jesus's Jewish hearers who knew God as one (Shema: Deuteronomy 6:4) but struggled to grasp the plurality within divine unity. Jesus claims to 'live by the Father' while being sent by the Father, indicating both distinction of persons and unity of essence. Early Christological controversies (Arianism, Apollinarianism, Nestorianism) wrestled with how Christ relates to the Father. The Nicene formulation (325 CE) used Jesus's own words to establish that the Son is 'begotten not made, of one substance with the Father.' The church fathers, especially Athanasius, saw in verses like this the full deity of Christ and the relational nature of the Trinity. Believers' union with Christ brings them into this eternal relationship.
Reflection
- How does the Trinitarian model of the Son's relationship to the Father shape our understanding of salvation?
- What does it mean that believers 'live by' Christ as Christ lives by the Father?
- How does union with Christ bring us into relationship with the entire Trinity?
Cross-References
- Parallel theme: John 3:17, 5:26, 17:21, Galatians 2:20, 1 John 4:9