But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Just to see is not enough. One must see and believe. And this is not inevitable. Some saw Jesus and the signs he performed and were moved to faith. Some saw Jesus and his signs and yet did not believe. They did not understand the signs they saw. Their gaze did not penetrate beneath the superficial. They did not consider things in terms of true origin and destiny, the reason why things were, and for what they were made. Instead, they were caught up in the world of the ephemeral. They saw bread, and briefly thrilled, considering only the potential for unlimited effortless food. They saw Jesus, and may even have found him interesting, but still only regarded him in terms of his supposed human origin in Nazareth. The gift of the bread was meant to be a sign that was supposed to point to the one who gave true bread from heaven and the one who was himself that bread. It pointed to the true origin of Jesus in the heart of the Father, and to his true purpose in coming into the world. This bread was not about physical satiety, but spiritual, such that "whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst".
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me
They were invited to let themselves be drawn by the Father and so come to faith in Christ, just as Peter received his revelation about Jesus, not from flesh and blood, but from the Father (see Matthew 16:17). In this responding to this, they would, as Jesus said, accomplish the work of the Father by believing in the Son, since it would be the work of the Father within them.
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
Jesus didn't come only for some, for an arbitrarily chosen demographic, or a randomly selected population. He came for anyone who would come to him. He would receive all of those who did in fact hear and respond to the invitation that he gave to all those who labored and were heavy laden (see Matthew 11:28-30). Those who heard the invitation were expected to reply. But those who did not hear it but would have come if they had would not necessarily be rejected as long as they followed such light as they were given. We have a hard time being so all inclusive in our invitation to others and our willingness to welcome them. We still have too much desire to do our "own will", isolated and apart from the heart of God. We want to welcome those who are in some way convenient or expedient for us, those who will increase our profits or bolster or self-image. But coming to Jesus means imitating him in his humility, which means growing in our ability to love others without such egocentric boundaries.
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.
God desires all to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth (see First Timothy 2:4). And the promise of Jesus is that he will do his part. No one who comes to him will be lost on his account. They will not be able to say that he didn't provide sufficient grace or that he presented them with insurmountable challenges. Of the challenges and trials we may face Paul wrote, "God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (see First Corinthians 10:13). Of God's commitment to the ongoing project of each of our lives Paul wrote, "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (see Philippians 1:6).
The only way to sabotage salvation is ultimately self-sabotage. But even this Jesus will go to all possible lengths to prevent. He wants to spend eternity with us to such a degree that our refusal is the thing that most saddens his Sacred Heart. We saw this in his lament over Jerusalem, when he said, "How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" (see Matthew 23:37).
Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
Though it is grave to reject the invitation of Jesus it is not final, not while this life lasts. God can bring good even out of our refusal. But let us allow this good to avail for us, so that the Father's work can be truly accomplished in and around us.
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
7 May 2025 - all that the Father gives
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