Whoever eats this bread will live forever, for the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. This Sunday’s Gospel Reading is a continuation of what has come to be known as the bread of life discourse (John 6:22-59) that was occasioned by the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves (John 6:1-15). As we saw in last Sunday’s Gospel reading, those who witnessed the miracle and fed of the multiplied loaves were impressed so much so that they decided to follow Jesus. Jesus understood the reason for their sudden enthusiasm and saw an opportunity to invite them to hunger for something bigger: the bread of life. Jesus’ invitation was not meant to lessen the importance of the miracle of the loaves. Providing for the needs of the body was part of the Good News of the kingdom that he came proclaiming. The fullness of life (eternal life) promised by God and fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ can only be said to have been realized when conditions such as hunger are eradicated. The proclamation of the Good News of God’s reign cannot be successful when the basic human needs are not met.
In today’s First Reading, we see the angel of God coming to the aid of the prophet Elijah who was crouched in a cave not only to shelter from the heat of the desert but also because he couldn’t carry on. He had gone several days without food and and water and as such was both hungry and tired. And even as he crouched in the cave, he was praying for death because of disillusionment. Carrying out his prophetic ministry had brought him constant mistreatment from Jezebel and the prophets of Baal. Even though he was ready to throw in the towel and call it quits, the Lord still had plans for him. The Lord still needed him to speak the words of the Lord to the people. But before he could be sent to his next assignment, the Lord had to take care of his most immediate need first: food. After eating of the food brought to him by the angel of the Lord, Elijah regained strength and was able to pick himself up and continue with his journey to the Mountain where he was to meet God. God providing food for Elijah, as are the other instances in the Old Testament where God uses prophets and angels to provide food for those in need, points to the heavenly banquet where God will satisfy all our needs. For us Christians, this heavenly banquet is foreshadowed in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
At Jesus’ invitation that they work of bread that endures for eternity, the crowd requested Jesus to show them where this bread can be found. In response, Jesus pointed to himself and told them that his body is the living bread. He told them that he is the bread of life come from heaven. It was a “claim” that did not amuse a particular group in the crowd. For when he had talked of the living bread from heaven, they had thought that he was talking about something like the manna that God had provided for the Israelites in the desert (the reason why they requested him to give them this bread always). Since they were yet to understand Jesus’ language, they did not understand or appreciate what Jesus was saying. What did he mean by him being the bread of life? How could he be the bread come down from heaven? They knew his parents and where he was coming from. They were thus pretty sure that he didn’t come from heaven. To them, he was Jesus the son of Joseph and Mary. To us, however, he is the bread come down from heaven. To us, he is the bread that gives life to the world.
Whenever we talk of Jesus giving his life to the world, we almost immediately think of the self-offering of Jesus on the cross, and rightly so for in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the world was gifted with a new lease of life. It was a self-offering whose sole end is the enjoyment (attainment) of the fullness of life by creation. In other words, Jesus gives his very life to the world so that the world can have a share in his life. In his self-sacrifice, Jesus steps out of himself, pours himself out, and gives himself to the world. But how does this give life to the world?
It is not the “death of Jesus” as such that gives life to the world, but rather the paschal mystery in its entirety, beginning with the incarnation. Jesus chose to share in our human nature so that we in turn can share in his divine nature. We share in Jesus’ divine nature (life) when we participate in his way of life. “I have come so that they can have life in abundance,” says Jesus (cf. John 10:10). This abundance of life does not necessarily mean more years added to our life-span (which can still be part of it, nonetheless) but rather points to the quality of that life. The life of the world is given quality by being co-opted into the life of Jesus. A life that has been co-opted into Jesus’ life is self-less, seeking the good of the other, charitable, loving, kind, compassionate, and above all, looks forward to being re-united with its creator.