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

This week we have been reading from the Gospel of John, Chapter 6, in which Jesus discusses the Bread of Life, after feeding 5,000 people in the wilderness. We recall that the crowd wished to forcibly make Him king, which He refused - and He has led them to think about the true depth of the bread He offers. In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the Galilean Jews, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." This is a depth of teaching of faith that takes them (and us) to new levels of understanding what it is to do the work of God. Jesus went on to teach about the bread of everlasting life, and that He will raise those up with Him on the last day. He said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. . . . 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." Today, we continue in this dialogue.

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'?" "The Jews," of course, refers in this Gospel most frequently to the temple leadership. In this case, we remember He is in His home territory of Galilee. We recall that earlier in John's Gospel, we were told, "For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country." John also reports the scorn He receives from His own brothers (in Chapter 7, which the lectionary gave us before this week). Here, we have another reflection of the derision He endures from those who know Him in His earthly identity, the ones who are familiar with Him already in one sense in His life, before His public ministry.

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." We have discussed in yesterday's readings Jesus' references to the Father at work within ourselves, revealing truth and faith. What the Father gives to Christ He will keep with Him, we were told, and lose nothing of what He has been given. This refers to the faithful. Here, He reinforces this teaching, citing Isaiah 54:13. The Father Himself teaches within us, is His great affirmation to all of us, that we are so loved that the Father Himself has a connection deep within our hearts. He affirms, also, that though only He who is from God has seen the Father, "everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." We may not have seen, but we can hear and learn! An extraordinary revelation about our own natures, and the gifts we can receive from God.

"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." Once again, Jesus affirms the "work of faith" and its great power, which is to lead us to His sharing of His power of everlasting life for all of us, for each of us. But finally, He alludes to the sacrifice He will truly make. My study bible says of the last verse in this reading (verse 51), and those which will follow in tomorrow's, "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."

Jesus will give His flesh for the life of the world. A friend of mine once made a comment about what that depth of offering really means, and how deeply we can understand the commitment to the life of the entire world -- and all that is in it, grows upon it, lives within it. How deeply can we take this love to mean all of Creation that we see around us, its welfare and well-being, its healing? Can we possibly understand the depth of love for all of us, and all that we see and live in this world, and the timelessness that is also conveyed here? God's grace reaches its rays into each one of us, and in turn, perhaps we, too, may consider what it is to mean that Jesus will give His flesh -- die His death on the Cross - for "the life of the world." What does it mean to us, and how do we conduct ourselves in the knowledge that this is His will? Nothing is excluded from that love, and nothing given to Him will be lost, to life everlasting and abundant.

This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent

"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 of Jesus walking toward His disciples across the water. He had gone up alone to the mountaintop, while they went across the Sea of Galilee in a boat. In the early hours of the morning, a storm came up -- as Jesus approached, He said, "It is I; do not be afraid." In the meantime, the people who had been fed on the mountain followed His disciples, and when they found Jesus there, too, they asked Him, "How did you get here?" Jesus said that they sought Him for the food He'd fed them on the mountain. He said, "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." So important is this statement, that we are given it twice: at the end of yesterday's reading, and the beginning of today's.

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." An extraordinary simple but immensely powerful statement, indeed! What is it to have this faith, to believe, to trust? My study bible notes, "The most fundamental work of God is true faith in Christ!"

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." There is a powerful persuasion at work here. Their focus is on the bread with which they were fed, and some sign or work Jesus must now perform so that they believe. The focus is on the material, on things designed to convince one way or the other. But Jesus shifts them to the spiritual perspective: Who provided the manna in the desert? He goes to the Source of all. And Jesus finally points to Himself as the Bread which has come from heaven, and is given by God the Father, "and gives life to the world."

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." I All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. "I am the bread of life" is the most simple yet explicit statement He can make. He is the source of spiritual nurturing and nourishment. But they do not believe: Jesus makes a clear distinction here about faith. He wants those who believe from their hearts, who make a connection with Him -- and not those who come for the "things" and who need convincing also by "things." Again, as with Peter's confession of faith, Jesus alludes here to the Father at work in us. Faith comes from a depth of connection to the Father, and the revelation possible through this depth in us. Those whom the Father brings to Christ, Christ will keep with Him always.

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." To me the picture given here is one of true family: Christ will keep us with Him, always. We are children of the Father, we belong to the Son, and their joint will is that they should lose nothing of us, and with Them, we also will lose nothing but gain abundant life. To lose nothing is a mirror of the Eucharist -- the bread on the mountaintop having been gathered up to twelve baskets full, one for each apostle. So precious is it that none should be lost. And of all that the Father has given to Christ, none should be lost. He is here for each of us, for every lost sheep, so that nothing should be lost.

We know the depths and heights to which our Savior will go for us -- even to His death on a Cross. All to save, to keep us with Him forever, so that nothing should be lost that the Father gives Him. I cannot help but ponder such a great love for each of us. My study bible points out that Father and Son are united in essence and will. But the human Jesus also has a human nature and human will -- and this is our great gift, what He has come into the world incarnate and brought to us. The great love that brings Him to us incarnate will also manifest in the very human Jesus as our Gift. What love can we learn from Him? How deeply does He require that none be lost? He will go through all for us. He is the love that manifests for us from heaven.

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 of the feeding of five thousand people. Jesus had crossed the Sea of Galilee, and was up on the mountaintop, where the people had followed Him, because of all the miracles of healing that had taken place earlier in His ministry. There were only five barley loaves and two small fish as food to eat. In a clear preview of the Eucharist, Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down. The people wanted to make Him a king, but He refused, and 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. Immediately after the feeding of the five thousand, we read of this episode of Jesus walking on the water. In other readings, the fear of the disciples is quite palpable here. My study bible notes that this is the fifth of the miracles or signs reported by John in his Gospel, and it is a re-enactment, or fulfillment of a type, of ancient Israel's passage through the Red Sea. Chapter 6, which we began yesterday, is a great passage on the fulfillment of Old Testament types - a great lesson on the nature of Christ and the identity of the person Jesus. While ancient Israel was led to liberty through faith, Jesus, as God of all, walks on the water to rescue His disciples and lead them to safety, out of their fear. In some sense, we must see His whole ministry as that of healing -- healing our fears and vulnerability in ways that only faith in a loving God can do. We must always remember this loving ministry as central to the reality of our faith: the Bread of Life comes to us incarnate, through all things for us, even unto death on the Cross.

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. Clearly, the people seek Him out. They have witnessed miraculous healings and experienced for themselves the feeding on the mountaintop, a fulfillment or reenactment of the feeding of the ancient Israelites in the desert. But it is important to remember why we seek Him out. We know He is here for us in our distress, and to liberate us in the spiritual and other senses. But why do we seek Him? He has already refused them when they sought to take Him by force and make Him king.

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." What does Jesus offer to us? What kind of people must we be to accept that offer, and to want what it is He offers to us. Here, He takes the people from one level to another: the bread with which they were fed is the obvious thing, but He wants something else. He desires in His followers that they want the true value He has to offer, and it is the Bread of Life - everlasting life - that He wishes for them to seek and value.

My study bible says, "He does not chide them for seeking and working, but for pursuing temporary satisfaction rather than eternal fulfillment." What is it to seek that which Christ truly has to offer, "the food which endures to everlasting life"? What does this mean for us? Christ offers us liberation in an extraordinary sense; that is, a liberation from sin. The food He seeks to give us feeds us on levels that explore our depths in every sense, and touch on every sense of life, even unto life everlasting. How many ways does this food nurture you, and feed you with life? It is inexhaustible, but it is something we need to desire with our hearts, and it comes from the depth of our relationship to Him. How have you been filled with this bread, and how have you come to know its nurturing in your life? When you fear, do you hear the words He said, too? "It is I; do not be afraid." Our Lord has manifest His life to us, in order to bring us His bread, His spiritual food. Let us understand all the ways in which we can be filled, and give thanks.

And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down

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 said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the 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

In today's readings, we turn back in the Gospel of John, from Chapter 8 where we were last week, to Chapter 6, and to Jesus' discourse on the Bread of Life. Today's reading begins Chapter 6, with the miracle of the loaves and fishes. My study bible says, "The theme of Christ as the Giver of Life is continued throughout this chapter. Jesus, who gives Himself 'for the life of the world' (v. 51), is depicted as the Bread of Life which is received through faith and sacrament." Today's reading follows the last of Chapter 5, here.

After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. My study bible notes that the Sea of Galilee is actually a lake, about 7 miles wide and 13 miles long. But the crossing of the sea itself, as is so much about this reading, is important and symbolic, a fulfillment of "type." It is reminiscent of the crossing of the Red Sea by Moses and the Israelites into a new land.

Then a great multitude followed him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. The multitude follows because of what they have seen. This episode of the feeding of the multitudes is reported in all four Gospels - it is so important and essential to the story of Christ. It is the fourth sign in John's Gospel. Healing is an essential way to understand all of what Christ does incarnate as Jesus, and central to the entire understanding of His ministry and continued presence with us, and the workings of the Holy Spirit in our world.

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?" We are near the Feast of the Passover, a time in which the Jewish families were "passed over" by the angel of death when under captivity in Egypt. The haste with which they were to leave Egypt was commemorated in the Feast of Unleavened Bread. My study bible notes that this feast also commemorated the first food from grain eaten in the Promised Land after the crossing of the Jordan. Jesus fulfills the "types" that echo in this passage by asking where the bread will come from to feed them -- as the ancient Israelites, they are in the wilderness, up on a mountaintop. The manna from heaven comes from God. From whence comes the multiplication of this bread? The questions written explicitly in the Gospel point to the earthly perspective of the apostles (in the persons of Andrew and Philip) as they, too, gradually have their eyes opened to the nature of Christ who is their master.

Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the 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. Of course, Jesus teaches them what they must do; after all, He is the One who knows what will be done -- despite His questions in the previous verses, which were used to pointedly draw out His disciples. To "give thanks" is from the verb eucharisto in the Greek, from which we receive our word "eucharist" in English. Everything is miraculously abundant, multiplied. First distributed to the disciples, who then distribute to the masses -- a true preview of the eucharist we understand. The key word here is abundance; this is the Bread of Life from He who is Life itself. The multiplication is the endless resource of God.

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. This bread is precious, and none of it will be lost (as with the manna in the wilderness, see Ex. 16:16-21). There is more than abundance here -- there are twelve more baskets full, one for each disciple.

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 says, "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." And so, in the fulfillment of "types," from the old to the new, we have another contrast. We also know what Jesus is not, and that He is to reveal Himself as a Messiah in ways that are unexpected, but yet teach us about the God who loves us so.

The depth of contrast in this passage is in some sense quite extraordinary. Jesus is the One who can fulfill all things in one action, multiplying the loaves and fishes to fill a multitude, as He Himself is the Bread of Life, the source of Life itself in its image of infinite multiplication. And at the same time, there is a reminder of the tremendous sacrifice this incarnate Messiah will make on the Cross. He is not to be king, not an earthly ruler with earthly powers, but here to show us love, to reveal God's nature of love. John's Gospel also tells us of the love that God has for the world - for all of us, each of us in the multitude of His creation: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). A Savior has come to the world to teach us love, and to leave us with one new command, to love one another as He has loved us. How can we fulfill that promise? How do we fulfill with faith the gifts He has given to us of love?

Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM

"He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and you say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.' Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?" Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

- John 8:47-59

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued in His dialogue with the temple leadership. They seek to stop Him, to have Him arrested, and to have Him killed -- but His hour has not yet come. They speak of their father Abraham, but Jesus says they are not like Abraham, but rather have a different father, the one who is the father of lies. See If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. In today's reading, He continues in dialogue with them.

"He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." Repeatedly, Jesus will make this point to the leadership, and to others. As we have stressed before, at the point of Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is Christ, Jesus also said that it was the Father who revealed Jesus' identity to Peter. So it is with the leadership as well, but in the opposite sense. He repeats that they are the children of evil, and they do not do as Abraham did. My study bible says, "They are not able to listen to His word because they are not willing to learn from Him. Spiritual truth can be genuinely heard only if there is willingness to know God and to do His will."

Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges." Once again, we remind our readers that when the Gospel of John refers to "the Jews," they are speaking in general of only the leadership of the temple (and among them we have also been told there are those who believe). All people involved in the reading are Jews. To call Jesus a Samaritan is intended as an insult: my study bible notes that Samaritans were viewed as demon-possessed heretics. And again, Jesus repeatedly stresses the honor that is of the Father, and not only of Himself. That is who He seeks to glorify, whose will He seeks to do. This is a pattern of humility and understanding for us all, in terms of how we learn to practice our faith. And it is also the judgment of God to which we seek to defer, just as He does. He contrasts His way of thinking with that of His opponents.

Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and you say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.' Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?" The Gospel leads us deeper into the contradiction between the surface meaning of these words, in a "fleshly" or "earthly" sense, and the sense in which Jesus teaches us about Himself. The leadership, of course, is now accusing Him of being evil Himself (after He has referred to their father as the "father of lies" or the devil). But we are learning, with them -- or perhaps despite them -- where Jesus is going in His teaching about Himself and who He is.

Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." The importance of putting God first is apparent in Jesus' speech here; and if we are united in true worship in our hearts, He seems to say, we can come to terms with an understanding of spiritual presence. But He will not deny His origins and His understanding in order to appease them. Moreover, He now takes us into the sense of time and eternity, by referring again to Abraham, whom He says they fail to honor by denying Him, whose day Abraham rejoiced to see. He is now, obviously, referring back to Himself in the Old Testament Scripture in which the leadership claim expertise, as guardians of the teachings and the Law.

Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. I AM is an unmistakable reference to divinity, to the One who is eternal, ever-present. He is making Himself equal with God in this pronouncement. In Greek it is ego eimi -- the name of God given to Moses at the burning bush. My study bible says that this is an open and direct claim made to the leadership in terms they understand without doubt. It notes, "John places special emphasis on the use of the expression for the purpose of revealing Christ as God. In context, this statement illuminates what He began saying in verse 51, that those who keep His word will neither see nor taste death. Only God has power over death, and Jesus is claiming such power." He is directly challenging them, and directly revealing Himself now. Claiming equality with God, according to my study bible, would have been regarded as the most abominable form of blasphemy. Stoning was the penalty for blasphemy required by the Mosaic Law. But it is not yet His time; and John also teaches us that what is under the law of God surpasses their efforts to stop Him.

Jesus does not stop from revealing Himself fully even to His enemies -- perhaps especially to His enemies. As the conflict intensifies, He does not back down from His statements but rather more explicitly reveals who He is, in ways that are unmistakable to the leadership, who already want to be rid of Him. This teaches us something about the Christ and Jesus' mission. He is here to offer everyone a choice, to reveal Himself and His mission, perhaps especially to those who should know better, who claim their Abraham as their father. Some among them believe in Jesus' words, we know, and we will be told more further on in the Gospel. But in some sense, we see this as timeless. The presence of Christ in our midst is always with us, and we always have this choice -- perhaps especially those among us who say we know better. How does Christ appear in your life? Are you open to receive Him, and His living, eternal presence? Ego eimi teaches us about who He is, always with us, always present and among us. How do you receive Him today? Can you receive Him? In some ways, I feel we always may fail, but prayer will show us the way, and lead us further into discipleship. His is a lifelong presence and reality in our lives for all of us to find for ourselves.

If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed

They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"

Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."

They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father." Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God, nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

- John 8:33-47

Jesus continues His dialogue in the temple. He is teaching at the Festival of Tabernacles, and has taught that He is the light of the world. He has repeatedly taught of His nature that is united with the Father, from whence He comes and to whom He will return. In yesterday's reading, we learned that there are those who have come to believe in Him as He taught. He told them that they must abide in His word. He said, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, 'You will be made free'?" Of course, the leadership continues to defy all understanding of Jesus' words and teaching. They answer seeking to repudiate Him.

Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father." My study bible asks the question, "Who are the true children of Abraham?" Those who would be Abraham's children must do as Abraham did. Jesus makes it clear that, as He is united with and will return to the Father, those who remain with Him will also live in the house forever. The Son therefore has the power to make free. But to recognize and embrace the Son, one must truly have the love of the Father. Jesus makes it clear here that He believes their "father" is evil, or perhaps more closely, we might say, the evil one. My study bible says, "There is no middle ground."

They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father." Again, this is an affirmation of the difference between one sort of way of thinking and another. Do they have the love of God in them? Or is their pride in their identity what suffices for them, a kind of arrogance that creates blindness to what is among them, that keeps from from being what Abraham was? Who is their father?

Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God, nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." And again, Jesus affirms, the power of the Father is in the love of the Father in each of us. With this love, one is able to hear and understand the reality of the Father's presence in Him and in His words. Why can they not hear though He tells the truth? To be firmly in the grasp of delusion and lies is to be in the hands of the one who "speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." Those who are of God can respond to God's presence and truth.

How do we respond to this text? Do we understand what it is to have the love of God in us first, before all things? Can we respond to others and listen in love? How far does our own pride take us, our own delusion in a secure place, which, in our arrogance, we think we are given not through our own understanding and reception but rather because we rest in pride, such as may come from association as with an ancestor? This is a very powerful piece of preaching Jesus does, clearly delineating the difference between a living faith, a life of truth, and the arrogance with which we may delude ourselves into thinking we are the elect. Discipleship is a constant ability to listen and hear and grow, and not to rest secure in the status of anything but real personal discipleship, a heart open to God who is love, and leads us into life. This is what He teaches; otherwise we delude ourselves and we are lost to a lie.

Note to my Readers

For the past two weeks, I have been traveling in the Far East, and my blog has not been accessible to me. I hope to catch up with the readings in the near future. Thank you.