Word to the Wise
Monday, April 15, 2013 - 3rd Week of Easter - Mon
[Acts 6:8-15 and John 6:22-29]"Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal." So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."
For the next several days, the gospel scripture is taken from what scripture scholars call the "Bread of Life discourse" in the Gospel of John. Many of the dramatic mechanisms that I have referred to from time to time will be present: misunderstanding, sharp contrasts, etc.. We see this in the brief quote above. Just as the Samaritan woman at the well mistook what Jesus said about "living water," [cf. John 4:10-11] so the "crowd" in John 6 misunderstands the meaning of "living bread" which is imperishable. It is also possible that we can misunderstand if we jump immediately to a "Eucharistic" interpretation of Jesus' words at this point. The Bread of Life discourse is like a long "spiral" that will offer us different perspectives as we work our way through it the next several days.
For the moment, we should take Jesus "at his word" and believe in him as the one whom the Father has sent. He has just provided a "sign" - the multiplication of the loaves and fishes - of his power. At this point, it is his word that feeds us. Soon we will see that there is another way in which we will be fed. I recommend an initial reading of vv. 22-70 so that we have the "big picture" in sight before working with the pieces of the "puzzle." We will find much to "feed on." AMEN