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 in My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

 

- John 6:41-51 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the crowds who had wanted to make Him king:  "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."

 

 

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."  Here is an interesting exchange, taking place in Galilee.  These religious leaders know Jesus and His extended family:  the reference once again is to the earthly things they know.  How can Jesus claim such things?  But Christ answers in a most interesting way.  All along, He has spoken about His connection to the Father as Son, the close union of obedience.  Here, He shares something about every human being:  that those who are drawn to Christ are also drawn by God the Father.  He also specifically indicates His particular relation as one who is from God and 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 in My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."   Jesus emphasizes the life-giving quality of the bread that He offers, and moreover reveals a hint that He Himself will voluntarily die in the flesh, for the life of the world.  My study bible comments that the eucharistic significance of this passage (and the verses which will follow in Monday's reading) is indisputable.  Jesus' declaration that He is the living bread that gives life is a revelation of the Mystical Supper of the New Testament Church. 

To my mind, there is no statement of greater significance than the one in which Jesus tells us that He will give His flesh "for the life of the world."  This is because, in the collective wisdom of the Church, this statement has come to be understood in every dimension possible.  That is to say that "the life of the world" means the life of the world:  all of creation and everything in it.  I would be remiss if I did not recommend here a wonderful book, which can be read and re-read time and again:  For the Life of the World, by Fr. Alexander Schmemann, who gives so much to our understanding.  The word for "world" in the Greek text is not planet earth, but cosmos/κοσμος, the entire created order.  That means a universe of existence, both seen and unseen, and everything in it.  This event of the Passion and Christ's voluntary human death on the Cross, will not be given only that we human beings may be with Him in that promise of life that is eternal, but for all of the created reality -- and that means all things that are part of it.  Christ's sacrifice will be for the life and renewal of everything and everyone.  What is a world touched by this life?  My study bible speaks of the sacramental (specifically eucharistic) significance of Christ's words.  In the Eucharist, bread becomes "living bread," mystically imbued with life, His Body and Blood.  But in this very sense of sacrament, the whole created order can be returned to Christ to be given this life that He is going to offer, enacted and given through His voluntary sacrifice of His human life, His flesh.   Because of His sacrifice, and the life He offers which transforms the dreaded Cross into an instrument of salvation, anything can become a part of a sacramental life.  We can devote our careers, no matter where they are or what they might be, to Christ.  We can dedicate our entire lives to living His gospel, no matter what events may shape our histories.  We can take a garden in our house and dedicate it to the life of God, seeking in prayer how to make it beautiful, finding a purpose in that cultivation of beauty for the glory of God.  We can teach our children, we can nurture a friend or help a stranger, we can cook a meal, we can pray over anything.  Our prayers mean far more than we think for the renewal and help of those living and who have passed.  The smallest effort is not wasted, and time and space are of no barrier to such sacramental practice.  We just cannot limit the dimensions into which this understanding can be placed, put to use, come to help, to survive and to thrive, and especially to save.  A single word in the right place and the right time can save a life, can give the hopeless hope.  An abused and neglected animal can be shown love.  There is no forgotten corner of the universe that cannot be sprinkled with Christ's transfiguring love and mercy through us, through our prayer, through our compassion, in imitation of and work for Him in faith.  Christ our Creator is the author of all creation; therefore His life is for all creation.   Let us consider what we call the world, for it is so much broader and more deeply expanded than what we can imagine -- and He calls us to use our imagination in this service and this sacrament, His call for salvation.  Let us follow and truly hear all that He offers!