In this Gospel text, when the disciples asked Jesus for an impressive sign, He offers himself, as the bread of life to all who truly hunger. This gift enables all believers to grow in Christ and to become
one with his mission. [ Text: The next morning, back across the lake, crowds were beginning to gather on the shore, (waiting to see Jesus), For they knew that he and his disciples had gone off in their boat, leaving him behind. Several small boats from Tiberias were near by, so when the people saw that Jesus wasn't there, nor his disciples, they got into there boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him.
When they arrived and found him, they said, " Sir, how did you get here?" Jesus replied, " The truth of the matter is that you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you believe in me. No spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I, the Messiah, the "Son of Man." can give you. For God the Father has sent me for this very purpose. They replied, " What should we do to satisfy God?"
Jesus told them, "This is the will of God, that you believe in the one he has sent (Jesus)! They replied, "You must show us more miracles if you want us to believe you are the Messiah. Give us free bread every day, like our fathers had while they journeyed through the wilderness! As the scriptures say" Moses gave them bread from Heaven.' Jesus said, " Moses didn't give it to them. My Father did. And now he offers you true bread from heaven. The true bread is a person (Jesus) the one sent by God from heaven, and he gives life to the world" "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day of our lives!" Though our hunger will always return, Christ is ever present to nourish us with his very life. Verse 35 tells us that Jesus is saying he is the bread of life; that all who come to me will never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Jesus now makes a plain, frank statement. He had said that he would give wonderful bread that came down from heaven, which had the power to give eternal life. He himself is that bread. Whoever answers his call, will no longer suffer hungry, just as those who drinks of the living water of his salvation will never again be bothered by thirst. To Come to Jesus means to believe in him as Savior of the world. All the desires and longing of the soul find their complete gratification in him and his mercy. But, although the "Son of God" and with such perfect satisfaction was brought near to the Jews, yet they did not believe in him. Let's look at bread? The necessity of life. The symbol of the essential. Several story's come to mind about the thought of bread. A child, with a mischievous grin, saying to Grandpa, " Man does not live by bread alone- he needs peanut butter, too." A family meal during which an impatient child says too loudly, " Pass the bread!" Hungry people along the roads to Ethiopia pleading, " Bread, mister, please, because of Jesus Christ! A community of persons celebrating a beautiful experience of trust and support breaking and sharing bread together, remembering the promise of Jesus to be present in and with the breaking of bread.
Another vignette: Berke's face beamed with pride asTadessa took a big knife and began to cut the two-foot diameter Ethiopian bread. The huge thick loaf had been specially prepared and baked over a out door fire. If you were ever invited to spend an holiday with Berke and Tadessa in their mud and straw home, you would share of that loaf as it was being cut and shared, big hunks passed around to all their friends and guests and family, with twelve or ten children that gathered at the open door, they also shared big hunks of the course, brown delicious bread. Each child, in traditional Ethiopian style, received the gift in both hands with a graceful bow of the head, It is a beautiful scene...bread... of sharing together. Jesus's words re-echo from the Cathedral pulpit to simple home:" I am the bread of life. Just proceeding the the account in today's text from John in which Jesus declares and continues to remind us again, " I am the bread of life." There had been the feeding of the 5000. What a picnic that had been! Thousands fed on a hillside seeing the love of Christ tuned to bread, finally seeing him has the Father meant him to be seen. "Love in the flesh."
Just like the people in Moses time who were murmuring in the wilderness, the people who followed Jesus wanted to see more signs, more wonders, more tricks. But, Jesus was not a trickster! He wouldn't let them make him a King. He would not let himself be followed because of a few extraordinary things He did. Rather He called attention to the essence of his life...To his being. He was the leader of the "Way." So strongly and so directly was his own life tuned in to the Father, that He was able to say, "I am the bread... I am the light... " I am the Resurrection!" he was critical of those who came seeking him because of their narrow vision. He tried to challenge them to see more than just a free picnic on the hillside of green grass. just as now, many ignored his invitation to "Follow Me!" into the joys and sorrows of the world; and they are back on the hillside waiting for another course! He didn't call- and doesn't call- people people just to have good feelings about being in his "Picnic." There are times Jesus wants us to respond to the few. To those close to our own lives.
with the "Bread of life." The symbol of what is necessary, is sought by the few,too. The caring and, sharing relationship is one way of giving the true bread which does not perish.
It's an easy temptation to "Spiritualize" the life right out of this gospel text. Should we sit back and and enjoy our faith in the spiritual Jesus, " The bread of life." We must be concerned about the hungry
and rightly interpret his word, and be concerned with the bread that perishes. we must not be waiting for a new picnic. Remember, we our the bread of life right now, Jesus leading us into that community
, " that fellowship of persons, which are all our brothers and sisters.
Though our hunger will always return, to the bread of life, to remind us that Christ is always present to nourish us with life.
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