(Ref. Texts: Prov 9:1–6; Eph 5:15–20; John 6:51–58)
“In the Lord’s discourse on spiritual nourishment, we hear Him says: “Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life” (John 6:27). He then continued by talking about the true bread from Heaven, the bread of God, and the bread of life (John 6:32–35). Here, Jesus appeals to the soul for its nourishment and our thoughts to the spiritual way so as not to occupy our minds with the body and its needs” (Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria).
Contents
Introduction
Beloved reader, this week, we continue our reflections on ‘Jesus the living bread.’ In the first part of our reflection (last Sunday), the Jews reacted negatively, when Jesus told them he was the living bread and the bread of life that descended from heaven. In this Sunday Gospel reading, their reaction is even more intense as Jesus continues to enlighten them on the true meaning of his words. Jesus as the living bread, came down from heaven, that is, from God. And anyone who eats this bread, will live forever. Such bread in fact, is the flesh of Jesus. That is, his body. This sounds crude, isn’t it? There are series of misunderstandings in the Gospel according to John. Often, Jesus says one thing, but the Jews understood another thing, and they judged and related to Jesus according to their misunderstanding and misconception of the words of Jesus. One of such misunderstandings is found in this Sunday Gospel reading. Jesus teaches spiritual truths by referring to material things or physical objects, and people frequently misunderstand him by taking everything literal (cf. also John 3:4; 4:15).
Background of John 6:51–58
We hear the concluding verse of last week’s Gospel repeated in this Sunday Gospel reading: Jesus himself is the bread sent by God; Jesus’ flesh is the bread that is given for the life of the world. As already noted, on this 20th Sunday, we continue with the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to John. This Sunday Gospel elaborates further on the teaching that Jesus began in last week liturgy. In that reading, the crowd wondered about how Jesus’ saying that he had come down from heaven. This is because they knew Jesus’ family background. That is, that he is the son of Joseph. In this Sunday Gospel, the Jews have difficulty with Jesus’ teaching that he is the living bread appointed and sent from God. Recall that Jesus had told them that just as God gave the Israelites material bread to sustain them in the desert, so now God has sent spiritual bread that will give eternal life to the world. We must hearken to Jesus’ invitation to eat the bread of life. This is the voice of Wisdom (cf. First Reading).
Amen, amen, I say to you….
“Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53). To Jesus’ words that he is the living bread from heaven; that whoever eats this bread will live forever; and that the bread he will give for the life of the world is his flesh (John 6:51), the Jews reacted and argued among themselves. They wondered and questioned, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (John 6:52). This is another instance of misunderstanding in which, the Jews take Jesus’ words literally (cf. also John 3:4; 4:15). Jesus makes use of physical objects to teach spiritual truths. However, the materially inclined and mere carnal person cannot understand this.
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” When in John 6:35 Jesus said he is the bread of life, the same Jews murmured (cf. John 6:41). Now, he furthers his discussion and clarifies that the bread he will give is his flesh, the Jews got angry and started arguing among themselves. Their question (“how can this man give us his flesh to eat?”) must have been accompanied by anger. How can this be? Does this man (Jesus) take us to be cannibals? They must have reasoned this way. For them, this is a big insult. As I said last week, because the Jews were not spiritually disposed, there is no way they could have understood Jesus. As Jesus told his disciples, “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). Since the Jews lacked the spiritual disposition, there was no way they could have understood Jesus. They understood only that which they wanted to understand.
What are the meanings of eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus? After the feeding of the crowd with five barley loaves of bread and two fishes, the crowd went in search of Jesus. When eventually they found him, Jesus made it clear to them that they were not looking for him because they wanted to listen to his teachings, but because of the bread, they had eaten. Then, he advised them to cease from working for ephemeral food, and to work, instead for the food that gives eternal life. Consequently, the crowd inquired from Jesus what they must do to do the work of God. To save them from every misunderstanding, Jesus explained to them that the work of God is that they believe in him whom the Father has sent (cf. John 6:22–29). Doing the work of God is not working materially. Instead, it is a spiritual work. It is faith and faithfulness in the anointed One of God. The crowd however, did not understand this.
Jesus the living bread
Eating of the flesh of Jesus and drinking of his blood are theological and salvific expressions. But undisposed and unspiritual Jews, took them literally. As is his custom, Jesus uses material things to teach spiritual realities. And only the spiritually inclined (disposed) can understand this. We must trust and believe Jesus especially, as he offers his life for humankind (eat his flesh). Again, we must also believe in his atoning death (drink his blood). Eating of Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood also have a parallel theme to the Lord’s Supper. This is because, the receiving of eternal life through being united with him (Jesus) is represented in the Lord’s Supper, where and during which Jesus’ followers symbolically ate/eat his flesh and drank/drink his blood (cf. 1Cor. 11:23–32).
While not eating the flesh of the Son of Man, and not drinking his blood implies not having (eternal) life, on the other hand, whoever eats the flesh and drinks the blood of the Son of Man, will be endowed with the following:
- Eternal life;
- Will be raised up by Jesus on the last day;
- Lives in Jesus;
- Will draw life from Jesus; 5) and finally,
- Will live forever.
Jesus is the living bread because those who believe in him have their spiritual hunger and thirst satisfied. By sacrificing his own physical body in his death on the cross, Jesus becomes the spiritually satisfying bread. He becomes the bread of life and the living bread. In this sense then, he can convincingly say that this spiritual bread is “my flesh.”
Interrogations
During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminded his listeners to be careful because “not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven, only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matt 7:21). Faith and love that are not translated into real life are meaningless (cf. 1Cor 13:1–3; Jas 2:14–17). On the disparity between the faith we profess and our actions, Jesus asks, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46). In as much as Jesus assures us that whoever eats his body and drinks his blood will live forever, we should not relent in living our lives for others. On this, we must ask ourselves:
- How has the participation at the Eucharist affected my life?
- Has the Holy Communion influenced my words and my actions?
- Has it changed my relationship with others?
- Does it lead me to speaking the truth?
- Does it make me contribute to the well-being of the community?
- Is my participation at the body and blood of Christ an end in themselves?
- Does the Eucharist make me faithful, obedient, honest, just, and God fearing?
- Am I a convinced Christian or a mere churchgoer?
- How has my reception of the Holy Communion affected my relationship with my wife and my children?
- Has my participation at the Eucharist improved my spirituality?
Conclusion
“Jesus said, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (Jn. 6:35.51). This mystery is at the heart of the Catholic Eucharistic theology. In the elements of bread and wine, Jesus’ Body and Blood are made truly present. When we share in the Body and Blood of Christ, Jesus himself comes to dwell within us. This communion with the Lord makes us one body, brings us eternal life, and sends us forth to be Christ’s body for the life of the world. The Jews could not comprehend this mystery because they were spiritually indisposed. As Jesus warned, detached from him, we are nothing and can do nothing (cf. John 15:1–11). We must be wise (cf. Second Reading). To detach oneself from the One sent by God is to be spiritually porous. We must avoid this grievous error. Jesus as the “living bread” has a bilateral significance. It refers to the One sent by God and to the recipients of this Divine Love.
Just as Jesus is the living bread, whoever eats this bread also becomes living. Thus, by becoming living, the person will have eternal life and therefore, will live forever. Jesus as the bread of life means he gives eternal life to those who believe in God by believing in him. May you partake daily in this flesh and blood of the Son of Man by believing and trusting in Jesus and by taking part in the Holy Eucharist. In addition, and more importantly, may partaking in the body and blood of Jesus reflect in our words and actions. By so doing, we shall become authentic witnesses to the Gospel and to the truth. Taste and see that the Lord is good! Have a nice week and God bless you. Shalom!