Jesus had been attempting to elevate the concern of the crowds from bread which can satisfy for a day and then leaves one hungry to something more lasting, to the one thing that can truly satisfy the human heart. The crowd recognized within themselves that they had this spiritual hunger and asked for Jesus to give them the bread that could satisfy it. But the response of Jesus was precisely to offer them himself.
I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
In Jesus we see that wisdom "has mixed her wine" and "set her table" (see Proverbs 9). In him the "famine of hearing the words of the Lord" (see Amos 8:11) was definitively ended. If the crowds would "[l]isten diligently" to Jesus they would "eat what is good, and delight" themselves "in rich food" (see Isaiah 55:2). He could sustain those who came to him on their exodus journey through this life even more the the desert manna given by Moses. He could give them strength enough to walk forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God more than the cake baked on hot stones by an angel that gave strength to Elijah (see First Kings 19:4-8).
Yet that Jesus himself was the culmination of all of these promises meant that the bread he would give was not something one could take and then depart to return to life alone and under one's control. To receive the satiety promised by this bread meant coming to Jesus himself, and abiding with him. And that Jesus, who appeared to be a man, even if he might also be a powerful prophet, seemed to many to be overstepping his mandate in demanding this. The crowds saw him, but they did not realize or believe that they were also and at the same time seeing the revelation of the Father's heart. They saw him, but they could not accept that a mere man such as he appeared to be could give this bread that he promised. And this helps explain the clarification made by Jesus next.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
He was not acting from a prideful human will in order to build up his own ego. He was rather acting in perfect harmony with the Father's will. He was not a mere man who would accept some and reject others based on preference or on the way that they would redound on his own glory as their leader (and thank God for that). He was open to all and would reject no one precisely because it was his Father's will that he be available to any in the entire world who would come to him. He was not the centerpiece of his Father's plan because of his ego, but, just the opposite, because of his humility and openness. Only Jesus himself could be so completely open and available to fulfill this purpose. All others, and even the greatest of the prophets, still had too much self-will to truly be the savior of all, as only Jesus himself could be and was.
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.
When we think our salvation finally comes down to our own efforts we tend to lose heart because we know that we are weak. We know deep down that we could never be so good as to deserve or merit what God has chosen to give as the free gift of his grace. But it doesn't ultimately come down to our efforts, though by grace we must cooperate with his gift. Yet it remains true that the Father himself does not want Jesus to lose anything he gave him. He desires all to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth. Even in our own hearts it is he himself who works in us "both to will and to work" (see Philippians 2:13). This doesn't mean we should succumb to laziness. But it should give us confidence when our own shortcomings seem insurmountable.
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.
God is able to turn what appear to be obstacles into things expedient to his plan, as though they were a part of the path he intended for his Church from the beginning. So let us not be overwhelmed by circumstances, nor even by our own hearts. Instead let us trust in God enough to let him use us as Philip did.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
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