Word to the Wise
Tuesday, May 2, 2017 - 3rd Week of Easter - Tues
[Acts 7:51-8:1a and John 6:30-35]Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." So they said to Jesus, "Sir, give us this bread always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." [John]
Today, we move into the depths of the "bread of life" discourse, which takes its name from Jesus' declaration, "I AM the bread of life." It begins with several ways in which this gospel characteristically shapes these dialogues. There is an "Amen, amen...." statement, always an introduction to something very important. There is a misunderstanding when the audience, like the Samaritan woman in chapter four ("Sir, give me this water...." John 4:15), thinks Jesus is speaking about something material like the "manna in the desert." Then there is an "I AM" statement, which echoes the encounter of Moses with the burning bush in Exodus 3. All of these are cues that this discourse is important and requires our close attention.
At this moment in the discourse, the meaning is not directed to the Eucharist as we receive it, but to faith in Jesus. It is this faith that gives life. That was the purpose of the multiplication of the loaves. That "sign" was performed to direct attention to Jesus, and not to provide something to eat for the hungry crowd, although that happened. Jesus was aiming at a different hunger. Perhaps we could see it as the hunger that faith creates, the desire for a closer relationship to him. Eternal life, in the Gospel According to John, begins with faith in Jesus and not with resurrection at the end of time.
As we move further into the Bread of Life discourse, we will experience a shift in the meaning of bread of life. Right now, we can reflect on our own spiritual "hunger and thirst" which Jesus' promises us will be satisfied if we believe in him as the one whom God has sent. This is the "work of God." AMEN
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