If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" So there was a division among the people because of Him. Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed." Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?" They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

- John 7:37-52

We are currently at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. Jesus has gone up from Galilee in secret, as it were, as contrasted to the time when He will make His Triumphal Entry. At this time, the leadership wishes to arrest Him and rid themselves of Him. In yesterday's reading (and that of the day before) we read of the turmoil that surrounds Him, those who discuss His identity are also among the people. They form a kind of chorus as background and part of the drama. In the middle of the feast Jesus begins to teach in the temple. Among the leadership, they asked, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?" Jesus said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?" He was told that He had a demon, and asked who sought to kill Him. He told them, "I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." People marveled at His speaking openly, when the leadership was after Him, and wondered if they knew He was the Christ. But they said that when the Christ comes, no one is to know where He is from. Jesus said, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me." Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?" The leadership heard the crowds and sent officers to arrest Jesus. He taught, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come." Then the leaders wondered among themselves where He meant to go -- would it be among the diaspora of the Jews in Gentile territory? "What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John's Gospel again gives us an instance of Jesus' words and teachings which are given, and yet not fully understood. The rivers of living water reflects (there is another metaphor!) events at the feast. On the last day, the great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, refers probably to the 7th or 8th day of the feast. My study bible says that on this day "ceremonies include a procession from the pool of Siloam, carrying water and pouring it as a libation at the temple. This commemorates the water flowing from the rock which Moses struck in the wilderness (Ex. 17:1-7)." Hence, Jesus' words, "if anyone thirsts." John tells us this refers to the Holy Spirit, which at this point, not even Jesus' closest disciples understand. My study bible notes here: "Living water is the gift of the Spirit and the new life which springs forth by the power of the Spirit. Christ gives the Holy Spirit, and the believer's heart consequently flows with new life. Christ does not force us, but is always available if we desire Him."

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" So there was a division among the people because of Him. Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. The Gospel gives us the response of the crowds to Jesus. Everything is "stirred up." The Prophet was one type of expected figure, as was Messiah (or Christ), who would be a second Moses. According to my study bible this would be "one who would lead Israel out of bondage (Deut. 18:15-19)." Others debate still about Jesus' origin. He was born in Bethlehem, the city of David, and of the lineage of David. But people think He's from Nazareth in Galilee. But Jesus will also teach throughout John's Gospel of His divine origins, the One from whom He's been sent and whose doctrine He teaches. His hour - the hour of His Passion - has not yet come.

Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" We remember from yesterday's reading that these officers were sent to arrest Him in the middle of the feast. Now it's the last and great day of the feast. Jesus' words are those of spirit and life. They make a tremendous impact on these officers. My study bible points out the contrast noted by St. John Chrysostom between them and the leadership on whom the words are lost, although the leadership has also been witness to signs and knew the Scripture that prophesied Him. He wrote: "When the mind is open to conviction there is no need of long speeches. Truth is like that" (Homily 52).

Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed." We hear the outrage of the leadership, who care for their control and their places of authority. Therefore even the crowd becomes subject to their accusation. But the real threat, of course, is Christ, who is not among their number, who speaks only for the One who sent Him and not for the glory of man, His personal reputation or standing.

Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?" They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee." We remember Nicodemus from chapter 3 of John's Gospel, who was taught by Jesus about being reborn in Spirit. Jesus' words of living water remind us again of His words to Nicodemus, about being born of water and the Spirit. The leadership here is wrong, by the way - although they are the experts in the Scripture. The prophet Jonah was from Gath Heper, a town in Galilee three miles from Nazareth. But their words reflect a kind of grasping desperation for control, not at all unusual in the circumstances of human experience.

In today's reading, we can think a lot about the power of words. Jesus has told us that His sayings, His spoken words are life and spirit. He uses the example of the feast day's events of the miraculous water from the rock as given through Moses to teach about living water, the Spirit who is life, the life-giver. To Nicodemus He has already taught about being reborn of the Spirit. In the action of God in the world we see the Spirit at work, and in the words of truth we feel His presence and His work. Every facet of our lives can be interwoven with this gift, this living water, the spirit and life in the sayings of Jesus. How we receive it is another matter. Throughout Matthew's Gospel, which we went through before we began John's, Jesus teaches in the words of Isaiah that one must have ears to hear and eyes to see this reality. So today's reading speaks to us of what it is to truly hear and to see, and what it is to be blind and deaf. But the power of the word comes back to us, over and over again. What is it to truly hear? To be clapped round about with the power of the truth in a word? It is the Spirit that gives life, we are told, but life comes to us in so many ways, and we can block out that word and that truth through so many of our own concerns and cares and aggravation and emotions and need for control. But the Spirit, like the wind, blows where it wishes. Let us be open to words of truth, to the Spirit as it may work in our every day lives, through all things, through the beauty of the world and through the elements of life as they come to us. Let us be available to its life in us and through the world.

My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me

Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?" Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?" The people answered and said, "You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?" Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this Man is from, but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from." Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me." Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come." Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

- John 7:14-36

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was in Galilee. He is avoiding Judea, because now the leadership seeks to kill Him. It is the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. His brothers, extended family, also do not believe, and they taunt Him, telling Him to go up to the festival. They said, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things show yourself to the world." But Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come." When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. But after His brothers had gone, Jesus went to the festival, not openly, but in secret. There the authorities sought Him. The people debate about Him. Some say, "He is good." Others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people." But none of them spoke in the hearing of the leadership, for fear of them.

Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?" Where does Jesus' doctrine come from? How can He know what He knows? These questions at once suggest a kind of resentment, an envy, and a questioning that comes from regarding only the "authority of men." But what about what He is actually saying? Once again, this is the leadership speaking about Him, those who do have titles and authority and credentials.

Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him." Here Jesus gives us a picture of faith in action, in Him and His ministry. What does it mean to do the will of God, and to love the Father? He teaches us about true humility and service. Jesus doesn't seek His own authority - that is, the glory of His own name, but the glory of the Father. Thereby, through Him, the Father and the Father's name is glorified. He is sent, and His loyalty is to the One who sent Him. St. John Chrysostom comments on this passage that it is their envy, anger and hatred which blinds them to what Christ is saying, and for Whom He speaks. My study bible says, "Jesus identifies the source of spiritual blindness: unwillingness to do the will of God."

"Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?" The people answered and said, "You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?" Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." Jesus refers again to the healing of the paralytic on the Sabbath, which took place at the previous festival reported in John's Gospel. At that time, He called it His Father's work. Here He compares the work they do through the things Moses taught (circumcision on the Sabbath) with the work He did, to make a man whole. Which one is a greater work of God? Or a greater obedience to God's will? To judge with righteous or truly just judgment means one has to go beyond appearances and the mere letter of the law, but find something deeper, more true. This statement alone could be the whole theme of John's Gospel, in which truth unfolds to us through time and through the road of our faith.

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this Man is from, but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from." My study bible calls this an ignorant claim, filled with irony: they know Jesus' human origin but not His divine origin. Again, John's Gospel illustrates for us the things we allow to get in the way of truly seeing and hearing.

Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me." Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?" What is the real root of just judgment, of truly being able to see? It is the love of God, the welcoming in the heart of God who is love and who teaches us truth. Christ claims He is sent from God, and if they knew the one Who sent Him, the One who is true, they would understand and know Christ.

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come." Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?" Jesus begins to speak again of His hour, His time, when He will be crucified. He speaks of His death, Resurrection and Ascension. Of course, they have no idea what He is talking about. My study bible points out that He shows Himself to be Lord of time, "a prerogative possessed by God alone. He comes to the Cross of His own free will and in His time, not as a result of the political machinations of the Sadducees, Pharisees, and Romans." To go among the Greeks means they are wondering if He will go to the communities of Jews in the Gentile, Greek-speaking world. (At the time, Greek was the lingua franca or international language of communication, and therefore the language of the Gospels.) My study bible notes, "In those days, there were communities of Jews scattered throughout the Mediterranean world, especially in Syria, Asia Minor, Greece and Egypt. Their question bears a tinge of irony. By the time this gospel was written, the Christian faith had spread throughout much of the Gentile world."

What is it to know the truth, and to judge righteous judgment? John's Gospel constantly seeks to unfold to us what is truth, how truth works, how we know and understand with righteous judgment. It begins with the love of God in the heart. That means a kind of trust in God who is love, a basic sense that we are drawn to this love. It doesn't mean we know everything from the get-go. It doesn't mean we understand everything, and have all knowledge, and know all mystery. It means that we start from that place of love, and that from there we grow in it. Even Jesus is not a lettered man, not one with certificates and diplomas. He hasn't been taught by a famous rabbi. But He has been sent by the Father. John's Gospel will constantly unfold spiritual truth to us, wave after wave of a kind of revelation, teaching what it is for us to learn and to grow in this love and trust. In this way, the Gospel unfolds for us just what this spiritual path or Way of Christ is, and what it is like. The more deeply our faith unfolds, the more deeply into the life of faith we go. And that means that along the way, we discard the things in us that block us from righteous judgment or from seeing. (Things illustrated for us in the Gospel, like envy, anger, resentment, greed. And Jesus tells us so Himself, about those who seek merely their own glory.) We can't know truth from surface appearance alone, not this kind of truth. How do you really come to know someone? Where does love start in you? Where does righteousness come from, and righteous judgment? These are the powerful questions this Gospel asks us to answer, and in the drama and Passion of Jesus' life, we see it all unfolding. We are still compelled to come to that decision within ourselves. We still come to that place where we have to ask ourselves what do we love, and how do we know?

My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things show yourself to the world." For even His brothers did not believe in Him. Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come." When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?" And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, "He is good." Others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people." However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

- John 7:1-13

In yesterday's reading, we read of the aftermath of Jesus' discourse and teaching on Himself as the bread of life. Earlier, He had taught, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed." But now, many of His disciples complained, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" Jesus asked, "What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe." He knew what was in their hearts, and which would fall away. He taught again, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Again, in John's Gospel, the term "the Jews" here refers to the leadership, which actively opposes and seeks to destroy Him, not to the Jewish people nor to Jewish spiritual heritage. Jesus is wary of Judea, the central place of temple leadership, because by now the opposition has become open and fierce.

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things show yourself to the world." For even His brothers did not believe in Him. Those who oppose Him are not just in Judea! Here His own relatives oppose Him, at least in their hearts at this point. They taunt Him to prove Himself and show Himself openly. "Brothers" can mean extended family and is still used in the Middle East today for extended relationships such as cousins. My study bible notes that the Eastern Fathers understood "brothers" as stepbrothers, sons of Joseph by a previous wife; while the Western Fathers understood them to be first or second cousins. They're never called sons of Mary. Regarding the Feast of Tabernacles, my study bible notes, "The Feast of Tabernacles (Heb. succoth) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival commemorating the wanderings of ancient Israel in the wilderness of Sinai, a time when the chosen people lived in tents (or 'tabernacles'). Along with Passover and Pentecost, Tabernacles was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews."

Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come." When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. Jesus' time will be what is referred to also as His hour, the time of His Passion - His glorfication, and at the Triumphal Entry when He "openly" goes to Jerusalem. But here we have the contrast between the "worldly" and Jesus' testimony of the Father. His spoken word becomes judgment; the truth He brings is something in which one trusts or does not. His own relations apparently cannot share in this trust, either.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?" And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, "He is good." Others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people." However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews. We're now in the time of open persecution of Jesus, short of what is to come at the Passion. And I think we have to recall that in the times when John wrote his Gospel (and the Revelation), the Church was also undergoing a terrible and vicious persecution on a number of fronts. John's focus on opposition and betrayal tells us a lot about what the Church was to experience. Here, he gives us Jesus going to festival in secret, as it is not yet His time. But opposition and violence and threats are everywhere from the leadership ("the Jews"). The people themselves are torn about Him. Some call Him good, others do not. But the people themselves do not speak where the leadership can hear them, out of fear. So the people themselves are not "openly" at the festival, either, in some sense.

The menace of persecution is something we can palpably feel in the Gospel at the point of this reading. It comes to us in many ways, including the taunting of Jesus' "brothers." John gives us this picture of what it is to be Christ with His mission, to testify of the Father, and there is so much in opposition to this testimony. It's not a "hearts and roses" sort of picture, a sentimental do-gooder who's everyone's idea of a friend or companion. On the contrary, the Jesus we receive in this Gospel has "hard sayings" that not even His followers can accept (see yesterday's reading). Again, I feel we'd best go back to understand the persecution under which John and the Church suffered in John's lifetime, and know that in the other Gospels as well Jesus warns repeatedly not just of persecution to come, but also betrayal, and even wolves in sheep's clothing among His own, whom we as His followers are always to be vigilant about, on the watch for. In other words, this is not a fairy tale. It's a true story about human beings, about struggles, and even about the ongoing struggles we may receive in our own lives as faithful. Jesus doesn't promise us a rose garden without the thorns. In the "hard saying" of yesterday's (and recent) readings, we find many of His own disciples come to a crossroads: they can't understand about the bread of life, His words about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. And they can't trust past those words. But the twelve, with Peter speaking for them, find themselves at the place of faith where they trust more deeply. Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, is an affirmation of that deeper step, even as many fall away from them. Here in today's reading, Jesus goes up to the Festival in secret, not openly. He has work to do, but His hour has not yet come. There is persecution and danger. But through it all, there is a mission and a plan, to which He must be faithful. As He trusts in the Father, so He asks our trust in Him. And that's where faith goes; that's the road we're on. Sometimes we encounter danger, and separation even from family, and friends. We come to a crossroads where we have to decide: can we follow in faith, in trust? We don't know where it leads us. But our trust is in love, in the Father of love, in God who is love, in the One who truly has our best interest at heart. Which path do you choose?

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

- John 6:60-71

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continues His discourse on the bread of life. He has just told them in the synagogue at Capernaum, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." They dispute among themselves: "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?" Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" Up until this point in Jesus' ministry, He has been quite successful in some populist sort of sense. Many people - especially from Galilee - follow Him because of the miraculous signs they've seen, such as healings and the feeding of 5,000 men in the wilderness. The opposition has been coming from the leadership. But here the opposition comes from among His followers.

When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe." The disciples (at least "many of them" John's Gospel tells us) are scandalized, and Jesus understands this about them. He then refers to the sight that the Apostles will see at His Ascension. What will it take for them to believe His words and teachings? In the Greek, the phrase translated "it is the Spirit who gives life," has directly given to the Church the text in the Nicene Creed, in which the Spirit is called the "giver of life" (το ζωοπoιον). So in some sense, it seems that He is contrasting "the flesh" in a worldly sense with the sense in which He is speaking of His flesh as "bread indeed" or "true bread." And finally, it is His very words which are spirit, and are life (note that it is not simply that they have life in them). Again, we have to note the Greek carefully: "words" is translated from a word that implies sayings, or that which is spoken. There are powerful meanings here; it is God who speaks things into existence; and we know already He is God the Word, Logos. So, what He speaks is life -- yet there are some who do not receive, do not believe. Again, we can take this to be a kind of layering of meaning. As His followers, His words spoken in our hearts are still that which give us life. And yet again, we look at the Greek, where to "believe" is a word that is more closely translated to trust, to put one's trust in something. In the Mystery of faith we may be drawn in, we may yet not know and not see, but faith is all about trust, where we place our trust, and in Whom we place that trust.

For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." If we understand belief as trust then this statement may come to have yet more meaning for us. We all know what it is to meet someone and have an instant sense of trust, or even mistrust. So imagine what it is to trust in this Teacher, and to follow, and we will have a sense of what it is to believe and have faith. We will also have a sense of what it is about trust that is so close to love. It is the Father who inspires this trust, God who is love.

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve. Although many of His disciples leave Him at this point, Simon Peter makes his confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, speaking for all twelve of the Apostles. But of course Jesus knows what is in people's hearts, He is the heart-knower, and He knows who will betray Him, who is turning away.

It's important to consider the idea of trust. Trust is something we do when we put our faith in someone, in something. Here, it is most assuredly someOne. This is why we understand our faith as something linked to love. When we really put our trust in someone, we are on the road to love, we are there in that place where love can take root, and relationship can grow. Without it, this cannot really exist. So trust then becomes the root of the faith, the root of relationship to God. His disciples may not understand all that He is telling them, all that He is saying, but in their faith -- in their trust -- they follow. And that's really what faith and belief are about. They are about a relationship of trust. It's in trusting someone that you begin to believe them, to have faith in them, to form relationship and love. Without trust, love doesn't come into it. So, let's think about Jesus' living words, the words of spirit and life. They lead us somewhere. They lead the disciples somewhere, on a road they know not where, they don't know the end. But they trust. As long as we stay on that road, that road of trust, we don't know where we're going or the final outcome. But we know, we trust the One that leads us there, His Way. All along that route there is the life of love, and there is life itself. This is what He offers, this is how we learn and grow and how life is given to us. Bit by bit, in faith and trust, this is how we become who He calls us to be and to become.

For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed

The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?" Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

- John 6:52-59

In Saturday's reading, we read about the complaints in response to Jesus' statement that He is the bread of life. He's in the synagogue at Capernaum, and they say, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus responded: "Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. . . . Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?" It's a reasonable question - but one that has to be answered in the context of the Gospel, which the leadership haven't accepted in any form. Once again, we remember that the term "the Jews" in this Gospel almost always refers to the leadership and their followers in Jesus' time who actively opposed Him. My study bible says of this entire reading: "The eucharistic significance of this passage is indisputable. Jesus' declaration that He is Himself the living bread which brings us life is intended to reveal the eucharistic feast. His offering is not for His people only but for the life of the world."

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." We will see that even some of His disciples have trouble with these statements! But in the context of the Gospel message and His teaching, they tell us something of the power of His ministry, and all that He will do in His sacrifice. Again, it is linked to Judgment, and Christ's power of life and death which has been given by the Father.

"For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me." My study bible notes, "Christ's body was crucified and His blood shed on the Cross. We receive the benefits of Christ's sacrifice by coming to Him in faith, and by communion with Him: we eat His flesh and drink His blood. These words refer directly to the Eucharist, the mystery of Christ our life. . . . St. John Chrysostom teaches we must not understand the sacrament carnally, that is, according to the laws of physical nature, but spiritually, perceiving a true but mystical presence of Christ in the Eucharist." Of course we know that John's Gospel will continue to unfold these teachings, culminating in Jesus' discourse at the Last Supper. But we note especially the depth of relationship implied, and our complete dependence upon this life itself. He tells us literally in the Greek that His flesh is true food, His blood is true drink.

This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. The bread which came down from heaven is the life which He lived as human being, which He will sacrifice for all of us. That is, two natures united: one human, one divine. Therefore in the institution of Eucharist is a mystical reality, one in which we partake and in which we are filled with His life, upon which we are dependent, and through which we receive the gift of life He offers. My study bible also quotes St. Hilary of Poitiers: "What we say concerning the reality of Christ's nature within us would be foolish and impious were we not taught by His very words. . . There is no room left for doubt about the reality of His flesh and blood, because we have both the witness of His words and our own faith." It adds: "This reality, however, is a profound mystery of faith and grace."

My study bible notes that Orthodox theology teaches that in the Eucharist we partake not simply of the physical/material, but of the deified and glorified Body and Blood of Christ which give resurrection life. However we look at it, Christ's sacrifice provides us with the eternal life He shares with us. In this we take our sacrament. The Last Supper will be an institution of this Eucharist or "giving thanks." But Christ's sacrifice means so much more to us than even a mystical sacrament. Or rather, this sacrament contains so much more than we can know. Why the mystery of His death and crucifixion and also Resurrection? Why His terrible suffering? In Him, we have our life, and on Him we rely. If the world would hate His followers, He will teach, then we must know that the world hated Him first. The power of His life sustains us through all things. And there is the depth of faith to which His sacrifice can take us, into the very power of life itself, which really doesn't need the whole world's approval to build and support and create and live in His sacrifice for us. That is, our faith is in the gift of life itself, in the One who has in Himself the power of life and death. Whatever we experience in life cannot diminish this power. And that's what we put our faith in. That is His sacrifice and its meaning for us. In His flesh and blood, then, this mystery of His presence to us, we rely and take our sustenance. So as the Father gives Him life, so He gives us life. It is one in one, and all in all. The power in His sacrifice continues to build and grow and sustain. How does it call you forward out of your own experience and suffering? What does it help to build and create in you? How does His life call you ahead?

For the life of the world

The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

- John 6:41-51

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was speaking of Himself as the bread of life. The people who were fed in the wilderness had sought to make Him king, which He eluded. At Capernaum, across the Sea of Galilee, they seek Him again. But He told them they were merely seeking Him because they were fed. He told them, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." They asked what was the work of God. Jesus told them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." They asked for a sign, saying Moses gave their fathers manna from heaven to eat in the wilderness. Jesus replied, "Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They asked, "Give us this bread always." Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?" Let us remember that Jesus is in Galilee, home territory to His extended family and relations. In John's Gospel, the term "the Jews" is used mostly to refer to the leadership. We also remember that John has already mentioned Jesus' saying as He returned to Galilee, stating that a prophet has no honor in his own country. John himself is a Galilean, and has reported as well that Jesus would not entrust Himself to those who believed simply because they saw His signs at the Festival. Those who know His family, here, refuse to accept His statements about Himself.

Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." Here again on display is Jesus' supreme confidence in the action of the Father, and the pull of the Father's love within those who will embrace Him, and accept Him. It all begins there, somewhere deep within ourselves, where we have a link with God the Father. In this is teaching, and the promptings of faith. Somewhere in ourselves, we respond with love for God, and in this begins the bond of faith and teaching. In Matthew's Gospel, when Peter makes his confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus tells him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."

"Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life." Only the Son has seen the Father in the fullness of the Father's nature, as one of the same substance. But we each can have this connection of faith, and in that connection comes the bread of life -- the One to whom Judgment is given, and the power of life and death.

"Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." Jesus compares Himself as the bread of life to that which came down from heaven through Moses. The life He offers is one that is eternal, everlasting, something beyond what we can quantify. Finally, Jesus points toward the sacrifice that He will make when He is lifted up on the Cross. The words here are similar to those which He told to Nicodemus earlier in John's Gospel. We are given a purpose to all of this: it is for the life of the world.

Jesus brings us the statement that He is the bread of life. As living bread He fulfills many needs that we can think of. He sustains us in our daily lives, giving us direction, substance, strengths and purpose. He teaches us what we must be about, what gives us life and not merely subsistence. He gives us that which leads to an eternal life. He touches upon the things that run so deeply within us that we can't hide anything of who we are, and what our true needs are. In this, the bread of life works all in all, uniting us with a Kingdom that lives within us, among us, and leads to an eternal life. So is the bread of life at work within us and among us. In this powerful statement, Jesus gives us the beginnings of the understanding of the Eucharist, and we will learn more when we move on to the next reading, on Monday. But for now, let us consider His words. He will be lifted up on the Cross, sacrificing His flesh, His earthly life, for the life of the world. That is, for every single thing we can think of that needs life in the world. Actually, "world" is probably too limited a translation for our modern understanding of this word. The word in Greek implies not just this planet that we live on, but the whole universe; it is kosmos. The bread of heaven that He promises is a bread for all of us, that on some level we all need in order to fully experience what it is to be truly alive, in so many ways. Sometimes when we taste that bread, we may feel the pain of this life, in its lack of perfection, and all the things we need that He has to offer in His mercy and grace that come to sustain us, nurture us, and heal us in all ways. Sometimes we may taste of that bread and catch a glimpse of what it is to belong to that Kingdom. We feel the deep warm light of a love we can't quantify or contain. We know His love. Whatever way that daily bread comes to us, let us know that it is given from love (as John will later tell us in Jesus' words), and for the life of the world.

"I am the bread of life"

"Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

- John 6:27-40

In yesterday's reading, Jesus had previously fed 5,000 men (and more women and children) on a mountain in the wilderness. Afterward they wanted to make Him king, and He withdrew. His disciples were rowing back across the Sea of Galilee toward Capernaum. They'd gone about halfway when the wind began to blow and the sea rose. Then they saw Jesus walking on the water toward them; He said, "It is I; do not be afraid." He got into the boat and immediately it was on the land toward which they were going. The next day the people still sought Jesus, and they finally came to Capernaum. They asked Jesus how He got there, as He hadn't gotten into the boat with the disciples, saying, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

"Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." So essential is Jesus' statement to the world about the bread of life that we have it twice, repeated again in today's reading. Then comes the really essential question, as so often happens through John's Gospel. The people need to know: What shall they do to work the works of God? What does it mean to labor for the food which endures to everlasting life? And here's the answer: to have faith, to accept the Son. That is, to believe in the One whom God has sent. Again we note that Jesus points to the Father, just as His signs point to the Father. The work of God is to have faith in what God has sent into the world.

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always." Here the people are drawn in further by Jesus' teaching (again, a common device in John's Gospel). It's funny that they should ask once again about being fed in the wilderness and the manna in the desert, when Jesus has just produced this sign for these very people. But Jesus points further, more closely toward God Himself: "the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Just as the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well responded when told about the living water, so do these people respond to His teaching about the bread from heaven.

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." Here Jesus starts His powerful discourse on the bread of life. It will have a powerful impact and repercussions both with the Jewish leadership and with His disciples. It's interesting that He repeats the words to the Samaritan woman, that this bread will fill those who partake so that they do not hunger, and those who believe shall never thirst.

"But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." Here is a powerful statement about just what Jesus is here for. Why is He sent? The ones given by the Father will come to Him; that is, those with love for the Father, who can worship in spirit and in truth. This is His saving mission, that He lose none of these, but that they should live in the Kingdom.

That Jesus should lose nothing of what is given to Him by the Father is a very powerful statement. We need to ponder exactly what this means for us. It's a statement about how faith works, what it wants and what it does. Faith is a connection of love between the Father and all else that is in His Kingdom. It begins with depth inside a person and it extends to all else upon which the Father has set His seal. What God has sent into the world bears His seal, and therefore the presence of God. So Jesus teaches about Himself, and indeed will teach about the work of the Spirit in the world, even as He sends His own out into the world. "Apostle" comes from the Greek word to send. It's the same root word He uses here when He speaks of Himself as sent. And so, the Apostles enter into His labor, and we enter in to His labor, so that the One who is sent may lose nothing of what is to be gathered to Him. So how do you participate in the mission of the One who has been sent? What is the bread of life that we partake and also share it with others? In Jesus' mission, there is one extraordinary kind of confidence, and that is in the response of those who love the Father. There is no squabbling or quibbling here. Christ's supreme confidence is in that love. And in the hope -- the mission -- that none of these will be lost. So let us think about the bread of life and our faith. Where does the love for Christ come from? How is it engaged? What do we do with this love? In Christ's I AM we find again the name of God from the Old Testament. Everything reflects back to the Father.

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life

Now when evening came His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

- John 6:16-27

In yesterday's reading, we read about Jesus' feeding of five thousand men (and more women and children) on a mountain. They had followed Him as He crossed the Sea of Galilee, because of the signs they had seen when He healed many people. The feast of Passover is approaching. As Jesus saw the multitudes coming toward Him, He tested Philip, asking, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" Philip replied, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." Andrew said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" Then Jesus, "Make the people sit down." About five thousand men sat. Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks and distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." They filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the barley loaves which were left over. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." When Jesus understood that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Now when evening came His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. My study bible has an extensive note here: "This, the fifth of Christ's miracles reported by John, reenacts ancient Israel's passage through the Red Sea. Moses led the old Israel through the sea to liberty. Christ walks on top of the water and leads His disciples over the sea to the land where they were going. Christ's walking on the water is a sign of His lordship over creation."

On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. The same people who wanted to make Jesus their King by force are still pursuing Him. We remember that Capernaum forms a kind of headquarters at Peter's home there.

And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." Jesus has eluded this crowd by walking on the water to His disciples. But the salient point is all about why they seek Him in this case. My study bible says, "The multitude had continued to pursue Jesus in the hope that He might miraculously solve all of their earthly problems as He had miraculously provided them with food. He tries to turn their minds to spiritual concerns, telling them not to labor for perishable food, but for the food of eternal life, which is available in the Son of Man. He does not chide them for seeking and working, but for pursuing temporary satisfaction rather than eternal fulfillment." There are a couple of important things Jesus points to here. The first is what they are seeking. Jesus emphasizes the power of the life He has to offer them. It is a much greater gift than the food they ate in the wilderness. Standing before them is One who has the gift of life itself to offer, and all that means in terms of what kind of life we lead. That the Father has sent His seal on Christ gives us an inkling of the power that is at work in Him; just as that which the emperor may have set his seal upon had the power of Caesar behind it. It is again an emphasis on what kind of Person Jesus is, what kind of Kingdom He comes from and bears in the world.

What does it mean to labor not for the food which perishes but for that which endures to everlasting life? In Christ is a kind of life that we can't quantify. We can't say "it will do this" or "it will do that." It's not up to us to label it, and put it in a box, and say, "It must be this" or "It must be that." Christ offers everlasting life, something unlimited. As such, His Kingdom is also something which we can't limit. So the food which endures to everlasting life is the food that He gives, that He brings. As we noted in yesterday's reading, Christ's food is not that which we demand but rather that which He brings, an unquantifiable, eternal, everlasting, timeless and boundless reality in which we participate through relationship with Him. It is this that He brings us and offers us. Christ appearing on the water to His apostles is the One who is with us when we are desperately afraid. In the times we really don't know and can't see our way forward, it is this power, this life upon which we call to be with us and to take us into a place where we deepen our relationship with Him. "It is I; do not be afraid," is the response of the One with everlasting life. In Christ we rejoice, and to Christ we turn when we need to know the Way. Let our spirit of gratitude, as well as the times of deep need, turn us toward this unquantifiable and everlasting life. In Him, we find the reality of His Presence, always with us. Let us labor for the food He gives.

Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" Then Jesus, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So them men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."

Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

- John 6:1-15

Yesterday's reading continued a series of readings beginning on Saturday, in which we read of Jesus healing the paralytic by the Sheep Gate at the pool called Bethesda. After this, the authorities sought Him, because He had violated the Sabbath rest. He told them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Therefore they sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. On Monday, Jesus began to teach about His identity as Son, His power to Judge which has been given to Him by the Father, the alignment of His will with the Father's. Jesus taught, " For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man." In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued, teaching them about His union with the Father in judgment. He gave them witnesses to Himself: the first is John the Baptist. He said, "Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light." Next are His works, and the Father Himself as witnesses: "But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me." He taught the witness of the Scriptures: "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me." Jesus taught them: "But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. In the various Gospels, we read frequently of Jesus sailing on the Sea of Galilee, or crossing over. Sometimes He's in Gentile territory, sometimes among the Jews. But there is always a lot of movement over the Sea, here in Galilee. It's actually a large lake about 7 miles wide and 13 miles long. We recall the disciples central to His ministry who are former fishermen on the Sea, and come from towns along its coast. Peter's home, in Capernaum on its north coast, is a sort of headquarters for the ministry. My study bible says of the Sea of Galilee here, "Its crossing by the Savior is reminiscent of the crossing of the Red Sea by Moses and the Israelites." A great multitude of people has followed Him across the Sea, to this mountain, because of the signs they've seen.

Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" My study bible points out that the Passover coincided with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, "which commemorated not only the Exodus from Egypt , but the first food from grain eaten in the promised Land after the crossing of the Jordan." This particular approaching Passover Feast is the second reported in John's Gospel, during Jesus' ministry. Many of the signs in this Gospel focus around events celebrated in the feasts, just as today's reading recalls the events celebrated in Israel's spiritual history.

But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." The story, and Jesus' question here, emphasizes the impossibility of feeding these people in this wilderness on a mountain, far away from cities. Two hundred denarii is about 200 days wages for these working men. As is so common in John's Gospel, Jesus' questions are drawing them in to the problem, and the answer, at hand.

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" Andrew draws attention to the loaves and fishes, but, as my study bible points out, cannot see the potential in them. It is another way of drawing us into the story, the teaching at hand. Barley, says my study bible, "was generally used by the poorer people -- it cost less than wheat and was ready for harvest in the springtime at Passover."

Then Jesus, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So them men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. Jesus takes charge, teaching what must be done. This feeding miracle is reported in all four Gospels, so central is it to the ministry, teachings, and Person of Jesus. To give thanks is from the Greek verb eucharisto. The overtones of the Eucharist are unmistakable in the giving of thanks, and the distribution to and by the disciples. Fish are, of course, symbols of abundance, and also an important early Christian symbol. The ancient Greek word for fish (ΙΧΘΥΣ) forms an acronym for Iησους Χριστος Θεου Υιος Σωτηρ: "Jesus Christ God's Son Savior." This phrase reflects the teachings of Jesus about Himself and His identity to the leadership in our recent readings. In the distribution of the food, all have as much as they want. It is a fulfillment of the "type" of the feeding of Israel in the wilderness with the miraculous gift of manna.

So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. As with the manna, Jesus says that "nothing should be lost." But here is more abundance: there are twelve baskets left of the bread, one for every apostle to continue His work.

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. My study bible has a note which explains the use of the term the Prophet: "The Galilean Jews, with their misguided messianic enthusiasm, equate Jesus with the Prophet of Deut. 18:15-19, whom they expect to be an earthly, political leader who will lead them against the occupying Romans, as Moses led his people out of bondage. Because He is not to fulfill these expectations, Jesus withdraws from the crowd." What we note for ourselves is Jesus' firm lines about who He is and what He is. He will not be persuaded by the desires of the people who follow Him. Whatever gifts He gives, whatever miraculous sign He produces, it is clearly with a mission in mind, and the will of the Father for His work in the world.

What does it mean that these crowds want to make Jesus a king because He's fed them? It shows us the warnings He's made all along, concerning the shallowness of belief that comes strictly from His signs, without understanding the power of God that is truly there, and the depth of relationship toward which each is called. John's Gospel has already told us that Jesus would not entrust Himself to those who believed only through signs (especially true of the Galileans who had seen His signs at the Festival), and so we are prepared for this response. But the power of Christ's ministry rests in something deeper than the signs He performs, although the signs truly do point to His origin and His identity. So we are left with the question for ourselves: why do we believe in what Christ offers to us? What are we after? Is it His love that guides us? Do we take to heart what He has to teach? Or do we suspect that Christ will provide us with everything we need in a material sense? The difference between these two types of expectation is the difference between love and want. Faith asks of us a kind of trust that we will be led to what is best for us. Want merely demands, and offers a list of what others should do for us. Jesus never merely gives in to the wants and the shoulds. His ministry is for the life of the world, and as such He is here to give us the life He offers, not the sort of life that we might demand. We must open our eyes to really receive this gift. We must make room in our hearts for His Way.

I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you

"I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

- John 5:30-47

In the present readings, Jesus is speaking to the authorities in the temple at Jerusalem. It began during the Feast of Pentecost (or the Feast of Weeks), during which Jesus was at a pool called Bethesda near the Sheep Gate. Many invalids waited there for the stirring of the water, which was believed to have been done by an angel. When the water stirred, it was believed that the first one in the pool would be healed. Jesus asked a man, who had been ill for 38 years, if he wanted to be healed. He told the man, "Take up your bed and walk." The authorities were upset that this man was carrying a burden on the Sabbath. When they found who Jesus was, He told them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Then they sought all the more to kill Jesus, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but called Himself equal to God. In yesterday's reading, Jesus began His discourse on the life and nature of the Son. He spoke of the Son as doing nothing of Himself but what has been given by the Father. He said, "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will." Therefore all Judgment has been committed to the Son. Those who fail to honor the Son fail to honor the Father. Those with faith in the word of the Son will receive everlasting life. He told them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

"I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." Here Jesus reaffirms His dedication to the Father, and the common will of both Father and Son. My study bible points out that in their divine Being, all Persons of the Trinity share the same will and energy. But as a human being, Jesus also has human energy: therefore in life in the world - as manifest human being - "all energy originates in the Father, being communicated through the Son in the Holy Spirit." His human will, then, is offered to God the Father as the source of all. "This," it says, "is His own will which must do the will of the Father." But Jesus has just finished speaking about the Judgment that is to come. So this is an extension of the teaching that all Judgment is in the hands of the Son.

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light." In Jewish tradition, a valid testimony required two witnesses. Here Jesus begins to offer witnesses to them. First there is John the Baptist - a very popular preacher, widely respected by the people as a holy man. But we note Jesus' words here: it's not the testimony of man that He thinks is essential. What He offers them is testimony that they may be saved. This is a testimony offered for their faith, their capacity to receive the life He offers to all. John's Gospel will continually remind us of the persecution to come to the Church at the hands of human beings and institutions; here the hint is clear that only for a time were they willing to rejoice in the light of John the Baptist.

"But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me." Here Jesus offers the signs or miracles He's done and puts them into clear context. These signs (such as at the wedding in Cana, or the healing of the paralytic) point to the Father; they bear witness that He's sent by the Father and bears the life of the Father in Him.

"And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe." The Father also bears witness to Jesus' status as Son. But only those who truly love the Father are capable of hearing His word within themselves, which comes through faith, manifesting in the form of faith and trust in the One who's been sent by the Father and represents the Father in the world..

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" Finally, there are the Scriptures themselves, in which the leadership are authorities and experts, keeping the Law and all rabbinical interpretation. But, says Jesus, the Scriptures testify of Him, and they can't see it; they don't understand it, they can't really read it. If they had the love of God truly in them, they would recognize Him as the One of whom the Scriptures speak. But all they believe in is the glory of man, the honor of men. If a famous rabbi were to say one thing and another, they would believe. But the real faith that comes from the Father? It's not in them. They don't receive Him. Finally, He has no need to accuse them Himself, but rather Moses - whom they claim to love - will testify against them. But they fail even to understand Moses, who has written about and pointed toward the Christ. And so, how can they receive His word when they don't really believe Moses?

Jesus gives us the idea here that Scripture is the living word of God. It's not something written long ago, heard once upon a time, relevant to some people at one time. But Scripture is something else altogether. It has a life and a presence that comes from what is holy. And there we enter into a kind of communication that goes beyond language, and words, and time, and place, and all the things we understand of human life minus the Kingdom. Scripture brings an energy with it. We can have a blinding insight from one passage that reflects to us something making clear a personal situation. We can meditate with it and pray with it. So the love of God is in this living word, as Christ Himself is the living Word. So the language of the holy becomes something strong and living to us. In this is the life of Scripture and the life of faith, the word of those who tell us spiritual truth, the life of John the Baptist, the teachings of Christ, the word of Moses, and the reality of the Father's word in us, prompting us to faith, to worship in spirit and in truth. So the holy things live to us and live in us. In the life of the spiritual realm, the Kingdom, all things are present all the time. And there is where we start with faith. How do we know what we know -- or rather, trust what we trust? In this is the life of faith, something present and alive, in which we hear the words of the ages in the present moment right now. It starts with love, as Jesus says here, with the love of the Father in the heart. And everything builds from there in relationships of love.