Jesus had shut down one temptations of the Devil with the response that "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (see Matthew 4:4). He just so fully internalized and lived this dependence on the Father that he could say, "I have food to eat that you do not know about" which was "to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work" (see John 4:32, 34).
Wisdom was said to prepare a feast of meat and wine, inviting individuals to "Come, eat my bread and drink the wine I have mixed" (see Proverbs 9:2, 5). Seeing this convergence of how Jesus himself lived with the Scriptural precedents we can understand why Paul called him "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (see First Corinthians 1:24). It is with this background that we can approach the teaching of Jesus as he tells us that himself is the bread of life.
I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
Even before the Sacramental realism of the teaching made the crowd stumble we ought to see the degree to which Jesus identified himself with God's wisdom was surprising. It was as though he was implying here that he himself was living wisdom. It was as though the word of the Father once solidified in the law was now himself present and speaking to the crowd.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Already the crowds took issue with his claim. Already it seemed like he was saying far too much about himself, more than any man ought to say, no matter the mighty deeds he might perform. It was one thing to say it was important to depend on God's word. It was another thing to say that Jesus himself must be the focal point of this dependence. In spite of this, Jesus suggested if the crowd desired the blessings promised to those who heard the word of God and obeyed, if they wanted the fruits of wisdom, these could only by found by coming to Jesus and believing in him. And this was not to be seen as at odds with what Scriptures had previously said on the subjection, but rather as the culmination of it.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me
Coming to Jesus is not primarily something that we do, not a work that we ourselves initiate through our effort. Faith in Jesus is not first and foremost something that we figure out with our own cleverness, reason, or earthly wisdom. Faith in Jesus is rather a response to the initiative taken by the Father himself. If we seek him we should realize it was because he first sought us. The paradigm case for this was the revelation Peter received about the identity of Jesus.
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven (see Matthew 16:17).
Peter didn't achieve faith by his own efforts but rather by his openness to the Father. He was drawn by the Father to Jesus, and, though he was a sinful man, full of liabilities and limitations, Jesus did not reject him.
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
Jesus wasn't seeking to fulfill some need of his own by his mission. He was already perfectly content with the life he shared with the Father and the Spirit for all eternity. Because he did not stand in need, and had nothing to gain, he was entirely free to love and embrace all whom the Father would draw to him. Because he was not in competition with created reality there were no limits in the way he himself could love it, as though it were a zero sum game.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
If we imagine Jesus as something less than he actually is we might worry that if we don't live up to his expectations or hurt his feelings he will eventually give up on us, eventually throw us away so that he can build a following worthy of his majesty. But Jesus has nothing to gain from us but our loving response to him. No matter how many times we fail, even drastically, like Peter, as long as we return to him he will embrace us. He himself will guarantee that nothing, save our own willful and continuous resistance, can keep us from the promise of the resurrection and eternal life, that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.
There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
We can have great confidence that we have a God who is more than able to work through apparent setbacks and failures, who does not depend on only polished and pristine stories of success. He does not make use only of the perfect, whoever they may be, as though his own pride depends on it. It is rather the case that he delights to work through means that the world regards as unseemly and unworkable. Because it doesn't depend on us we should have great confidence when we receive the invitation to come to him. The Father himself is inviting us to an ever deeper relationship of dependence on his Son, offering us the living bread that alone can satisfy our hearts forever. May we have the grace to respond.
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