Word to the Wise
Sunday, July 29, 2018 - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[2 Kgs 4:42-44; Eph 4:1-6; John 6:1-15]When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone. [John]
The "sign" Jesus had done in this instance was the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. This event appears in all four of the gospels, but in the Gospel According to John it takes on a different purpose. The real sign is Jesus himself, not the food. Scripture scholars warn us about eucharistic interpretations of this sign. That will come in the discourse which follows. The event itself is revelation, but the people misunderstand what Jesus is trying to reveal. He is, indeed, the One whom God has sent, but not to rule politically. He will later tell Pilate, "My kingdom does not belong to this world." [John 18:36 NAB] Nevertheless, in the Johannine account, Jesus is completely in charge of things. He knows what he is going to do. He does not give the loaves and fishes to the disciples to distribute as in the other gospel accounts or as Elijah does in the first scripture for today. He does it himself!
The first and fundamental meaning of the sign is given in the "discourse" which will follow in the rest of chapter 6. Scripture scholars refer to it as "the Bread of Life discourse." The discourse starts with the basic meaning of the "sign" itself, i.e. Jesus is the bread of life. "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." [6:35] The crowd was interested in the bread, not the person. It is faith in Jesus that gives life. He is the one whom God has sent. Once this truth is stated, the discourse turns to the matter of eating and drinking the body and blood of Jesus. This is a divisive point because the audience is looking at a human person in front of them and thinking he is advocating cannibalism!
The eucharist can make sense only if we believe in the first place that Jesus is the One whom God has sent. If he is, then his power to transform bread and wine into his own person is a matter of faith in him. The Gospel According to John shows that this was a difficult point for many, including some of his own disciples [John 6:66]. but it is the faith that has been handed down to us. The signs in the Gospel According to John are recorded so that we may have faith in Jesus. [John 20:30]. AMEN