For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world

 

 "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 

 

Yesterday we read that, when evening came (following Christ's feeding of five thousand in the wilderness), 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."

 

  "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."  It's important that we consider the implications of Christ's words here.  To "work the works of God" implies both doing something, a deliberate act (work), and also those things which God gives us to do (works).  But to understand this properly we need to consider the word "believe" because in the Greek the root here means to "trust" in Christ.  If we trust in Him, we follow His teachings, we do the things He teaches us to do.  It describes a way of life, not simply a purely intellectual assent to His identity.  That He is sent by God implies something far more profound, that God has given us this work, to trust in Christ, to follow Him.

 

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."  The people demand a sign, a work, and they refer to Moses and the manna given in the desert.  Here Jesus clarifies that He is the gift of God the Father.  He is the bread of God, the true bread from heaven which gives life to the world.  

 

"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."  My study Bible comments on Christ's purpose stated here:  "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."   It notes that, as Christ has two natures, He has two wills, one divine and one human -- although He is one Person, fully human and fully divine.  At the Sixth Ecumenical Council, held in Constantinople (AD 680-681), it was proclaimed that the two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another, but rather "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and to His omnipotent will."  

 

When Jesus tells us, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me," He is in fact stating a profound kind of attitude regarding grace and the gifts of God.  He has not been sent into the world to abuse human beings with selfish behavior, or even to do His own will, but in fact in order to grant eternal life, He must live His worldly life in accordance with the will of the One who sent Him.  We should keep in mind once again (as mentioned in yesterday's commentary) the words of St. James' Epistle, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17).  For Jesus Himself is part of that tremendous concept named by St. James as "every good gift and every perfect gift."  We must understand what a true gift is in order to appreciate it, to approach it properly, and with the respect and honor due to both the gift and the giver.  This Jesus shows Himself in His own graciousness and honor to God His Father who has sent Him into the world as incarnate human being.  In Christ, as He's just said here in these verses, we receive the ultimate gift of eternal life; this is an infinite, inexhaustible, unending gift to us from an infinite almighty God, and it is given of love (John 3:16).  This is a cosmic salvation, meant for all of creation, all that exists, and for all time.  Jesus treats this grace, even the gift of Himself to the world, with the proper reverence due to the ultimate Giver, the Father by honoring the Father's will in all He does, and fulfilling the purpose of the gift.  So how should we approach this gift?  Do we look at it as something merely to exploit, or to use for our own purposes, as did these people when they wished to forcefully make Christ king?  Now they demand a sign.  What is the purpose of that sign?  Must Christ who fed them in the wilderness also prove to them who He is before they will also honor His purpose and His mission, and His identity as the gift of God that gives life to the world?  In every way, Jesus' words invite us all to think about gifts and the giver (or in this case, the Giver).  For if we are to receive extraordinary blessings, does not our own honor and homage also belong to the Giver?  Perhaps to understand this concept more clearly, we need to understand the love with which a gift is given, and, in this case, the goodness that goes with it.  In the Old Testament, we find such relationship between God and God's people, beginning with Abraham.  In Genesis 12:3, God tells Abram (later Abraham) to leave his home and his kin and travel to another country to establish God's people.  God says to Abram, "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."  In what is called the Prayer Behind the Ambon (Pulpit), said in every Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, we pray, following God's words to Abram, "O Lord, Who blesses those who bless You and sanctifies those who put their trust in You, save Your people and bless Your inheritance."  In this mutual respectful relationship of honor, we learn what it is to receive a gift and to live its promises for us, even to honor the Giver as we are cherished in turn by God.  Let us remember the bread of heaven who is sent to give life to the world.