The bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give 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 our recent readings, Jesus has been speaking to those whom He fed in the wilderness, and who subsequently wanted to take Him forcibly to become king.  Here, they have followed Him to Capernaum after He eluded them, and He has begun to teach 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."  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'?"  We recall that in John's Gospel, the term the Jews is used most often to designate the religious rulers, as a type of political term.   So far, we've been aware that Jesus is speaking to the people who were fed in the wilderness, through His sign of feeding the five thousand.  But here the tone shifts a bit, and this criticism becomes more personal and focused on Jesus Himself.  John's Gospel continues to use contrasting meanings for "earthly" terms in revealing the teachings of Christ.  Here they focus on Christ's own lineage, His father and mother.

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."  Throughout our readings in this chapter so far, Jesus has been speaking of His connection to God the Father, and Himself as Son (or  incarnate "Son of Man" in Tuesday's reading).  Again, Jesus shifts back to the Father who sent Him, for us to distinguish between His earthly guardian Joseph, and God the Father.  And He makes a Scriptural connection between those for whom the love of God is written on the heart, those who have heard and learned from the Father, and faith in the One sent, Himself.  That is, those who will be drawn to Him, who will come to Him.  Again, He emphasizes His divine identity, that He is from God, and has seen the Father.

"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."  We know that Christ has fed this crowd by multiplying the loaves and fishes, and that they have demanded a sign, such as the manna in the wilderness.  In Exodus 16:1-17:7, we read about God feeding the people manna, and water from a miraculous source.  In yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."  Here, He shifts the meaning from the manna in the wilderness, declaring Himself to be the living bread which came down from heaven, and nourishes to eternal life.

"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 reminder of the Eucharist becomes stronger here, as Jesus refers to His flesh, which He shall give for the life of the world, and the Cross, His Passion, death, and Resurrection, become linked to the bread of life.

 

In today's reading, Jesus speaks of the sacrifice He will make, when He refers to the bread that He shall give.  He explicitly names that bread as "My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."  The concept of sacrifice is important in this context, and it's important that we understand it.  In ancient religions, sacrifice was common.  Sacrifice meant that one was sharing a meal with one's god (or God); it became the food of a common meal.  In other words, it was part of the work of community, of creating community.  We will leave aside the ancient pagan religions that demanded various forms of sacrifice in order to appease or appeal for favor, because that is not what we are talking about here.  In the Psalms we read, "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord," and "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise" (Psalms 4:5, 51:17).  Let us note that brokenness and contrition are not for their own sake, but rather in the spirit of obedience.  In 1 Samuel we read, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22).  Righteousness and obedience to God who teaches us righteousness and love are, effectively, the same thing.  This is the God who teaches us what community is and how to build it, the same God of whom Christ says that there are two commandments that make up all the Law and the Prophets, to love God with all one's heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love neighbor as oneself (see Mark 12:30-33).  Out of such a love is born obedience; and in this obedience is righteousness.  Again, in yesterday's reading (above), Jesus said, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."   Christ's sacrifice then is one of both obedience and righteousness.  In the story of Adam and Eve, they were told that if they ate of one particular tree, they would come to know death (Genesis 3:1-3).  In speaking about the bread from heaven, which endures to everlasting life, in offering Himself as this bread, Jesus turns the story of the Garden of Eden upside down.  It is His sacrifice which, effectively, reverses what is called our fallenness, the entry of sin and death, and all the effects thereof, into the world.  His sacrifice of righteousness, the final sacrifice that ends all other sacrifices forever, becomes the ultimate means of building community -- of Father, Son, Spirit and all the faithful; as Christ said in yesterday's reading:  "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."  Today we read of this effective reversal of the effects of death and its forms, for Jesus declares, that "the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."  So let us think carefully about what constitutes "the life of the world."  What makes life where we see forms of death, violence, abuse, extortion, exploitation, forced labor, toil, turmoil?  What is life but the righteousness and love that Christ offers?  And what does it teach us that it is His own sacrifice alone that can build this love, and offer to us life?  Shall we not bear our own cross, following His lead?  What else will give life to the world?  Let us consider what brings us true community.