Word to the Wise
Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - 3rd Week of Easter - Wed
[Acts 8:1b-8 and John 6:35-40]"Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the read 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]
In the Gospel of John, whenever Jesus begins a statement with, "Amen, Amen, I say to you..." we know that something important is about to follow. The same is true whenever he says "I AM..." In today's gospel passage, we have a sample of both! Furthermore, we know that in this gospel, the "signs" that Jesus works often serve as a "platform" for a "discourse" that will reveal the significance of the sign and tell us something about Jesus. In today's gospel we are given a part of the "bread of life discourse" that follows the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. I recommend getting your Bible out and reading the entire chapter six in order to get the most from today's gospel.
Scripture scholars warn us not to "read back" into this passage our subsequent understanding of the Eucharist as if John is speaking of the Mass as we know it. Nevertheless there may be "echoes" from that context that have shaped the understanding of the Christian community in regard to this discourse.. In the "bread of life" discourse, the context is the image of "manna in the desert" in the Old Testament [Exodus 16] that saved the Israelites from starvation. Jesus moves the physical manna to himself, and the cause from Moses to God. The challenge is to believe in Jesus and thereby have eternal life, which is far more than the manna could give!
The discourse will continue over the next several days in the daily scriptures, almost like a serial play or story, with tension building all the way. If you read all of Chapter Six of John in advance, you'll have a "sneak preview!" AMEN