Beyond What Eyes Can See
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 6:41-51.
The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said,
“I am the bread that came down from heaven, “
and they said,
“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?
Do we not know his father and mother?
Then how can he say,
‘I have come down from heaven’?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Stop murmuring among yourselves.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
“I am the bread that came down from heaven, “
and they said,
“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?
Do we not know his father and mother?
Then how can he say,
‘I have come down from heaven’?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Stop murmuring among yourselves.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”
—
Reflection
The Jews murmured against Jesus because they thought they knew Him fully. But they didn’t know Jesus’ true identity and mission. For although they knew Jesus’ parentage, they didn’t know his true origin. Their knowledge of the person of Jesus is limited.
This is why Jesus invites them to faith. There are realities that escape our grasp because we cannot fully understand them. These we call mysteries. The small hole that our intellect can make cannot contain the ocean of God’s truth. What the intellect does not fully understand, faith provides. Faith is a gift but it also is a response.
The outlandish claim of Jesus that He is the bread of life is more than enough for the Jews. Cannibalism is not part of their menu. Faith however allowed early Christians to see that the Bread they partake in is really the Body of the Messiah, that the meal is also fellowship and communion, and such food is Life Himself. Faith allows us to see beyond what eyes can see.
This is why Jesus invites them to faith. There are realities that escape our grasp because we cannot fully understand them. These we call mysteries. The small hole that our intellect can make cannot contain the ocean of God’s truth. What the intellect does not fully understand, faith provides. Faith is a gift but it also is a response.
The outlandish claim of Jesus that He is the bread of life is more than enough for the Jews. Cannibalism is not part of their menu. Faith however allowed early Christians to see that the Bread they partake in is really the Body of the Messiah, that the meal is also fellowship and communion, and such food is Life Himself. Faith allows us to see beyond what eyes can see.
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