On the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, we now conclude readings from John 6 for the past five consecutive Sundays. The question is: do we accept the spiritual food offered by Christ and believe in him to be in full communion with Christ for eternal life ,or do we reject this spiritual food but stick to material food and die?
Those who taste and see the goodness of the Lord accept it and praise Him and continue to serve the Lord, enjoying being in oneness with the Son and eternal life.
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Since the 17th Sunday in Ordinary
Time, Sunday Gospel Readings have been
taken from John 6, up to this Sunday, the 21st Sunday in Ordinary
Time, on Cycle B. Though Sunday Gospel Readings on Cycle B during Ordinary Time
are drawn from the Gospel of Mark, we have an extended break from Mark’s Gospel
as we have been reading from John 6 for these five consecutive Sundays.
On the 16th Sunday, we read Mark 6:30-34,
and it was about Jesus responding to a large crowd with his deep compassion (splagchnon), as they were like sheep
without a shepherd (Mark 6:34). Jesus’ compassionate response to the crowd was
twofold: teaching many things (Mark 6:34) and feeding them miraculously out of
five loaves and two fish (Mark 6:35-44).
Rather than reading Mark 6:35-44, we read John’s
version of Jesus feeding the crowd (John 6:1-15) because the rest of John 6
(vv.22-71) gives how the crowd reacted upon being fed and how Jesus further
responded with a discourse (vv.26-58), followed by the crowd’s reaction to
Jesus’ discourse (vv. 60-66) and the disciples’ reaction (vv.67-71).
John
6:1-15 – the 17th Sunday
Jesus fed the crowd of
the size of nearly 5,000 out of five loaves and two fish to completely fill
their stomachs, as they kept chasing him as if nowhere else to go but to seek
him.
John
6:24-35 – the 18th Sunday
Though they were fully fed by Jesus with bread and
fish, the crowd continued to chase him all the way to another side (Capernaum)
of the Sea of Galilee (See of Tiberius), hoping to fed by him again. But, Jesus
confronted their motive to follow him and began his discourse, which is known
as the Living Bread of Life Discourse (John 6:26-58) with these words:
Amen,
amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but
because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give
you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal
(John 6:26-27).
And Jesus revealed that the food that endures for
eternal life to be sought (John 6:27) is he, who is the Bread of Life that
frees us from becoming hungry and believing in him will be freed from thirst
(John 6:35), in these words:
I
am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever
believes in me will never thirst (John 6:35).
Then, Jesus also revealed that he came from heaven
to do the will of the Father, giving eternal life to those who see and believe
in him, as he will raise them from the dead on the last day (John 6:36-40).
John
6:41-51 – the 19th Sunday
In reaction to the first segment of the discourse
(John 6:26-40), the crowd had a problem with Jesus being the Bread of Life from
heaven as it is not the kind of Jesus whom they knew as the son of Joseph (John 6:41-42).
So, Jesus revealed him in a Christological sense, in
his relation to the Father in heaven – rather than speaking of his relation to
Joseph, hoping that the crowd would understand why Jesus is the Bread of Life
sent from heaven by the Father – so that they would understand why he, who is
the Bread of Life from heaven can give eternal life, though Manna from heaven
did not (John 6:43-50).
And he further expounded on what he meant by the
food that endures for eternal life (John 6:27), which is he, who is the Bread
of Life (John 6:35, 48) in these words:
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 (John 6:51).
John
6:51-58 – the 20th Sunday
Now, Jesus revealed that what he meant by the food
that endures for eternal life (John 6:27), which is he, who is the Bread of
Life to liberate us from hunger, while believing in him will keep us from
thirst (John 6:35), from heaven (John 6:33, 38), is the Living Bread of Life,
which is the living flesh (sarx) of
Jesus, to be eaten by us for eternal life (John 6:51).
To this, the crowd had a problem with the fact that
Jesus called them to eat his living fresh (sarx),
not dead flesh (kreas), as the Living
Bread for eternal life (John 6:52).
So, Jesus further explained that Jesus’s flesh, the
flesh of the Son of Man, is the true food and his blood is the true drink for
eternal life through resurrection (John 6:53-55). And he also revealed that
eating his flesh as the Living Bread, the true food, and drinking his blood as
the true drink, is not only for eternal life but also to be in fully communion
with him (John 6:56; cf. John 14:20) for it is to be with the Father (John
17:21-23), as he is the only way to the Father (John 14:6), reflecting that
those who are drawn to him by the Father will be raised and have eternal life
(John 6:44).
Because of this, eating the living flesh of Jesus as
the Living Bread of Life from heaven, sent by the Father, leads to eternal life
though Manna sent by the Father from heaven did not (John 6:57). Jesus is not
just another Manna from heaven but the very life itself as he is the Living
Bread, which is his living flesh.
John
6:60-69 - the 21st Sunday
The above unfolding Christological revelation of
Jesus as the Living Bread of Life, in the discourse (John 6:26-58) is what
leads to today’s Gospel Reading (John 6:60-69). And it is about how the crowd
and the disciples reacted to the discourse.
The crowd murmured, saying how they could accept the
discourse as it is too difficult for them to make sense (John 6:60).
So, Jesus said to the crowd:
Does
this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he
was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life
(John 6:61-63).
This statement is the last straw that Jesus threw to
further explain the meaning of the Living Bread of Life discourse (John
6:26-58), especially why he called them to eat his living fresh and to drink his
blood for eternal life and for becoming one with him in full communion with
him.
Jesus mentioned his ascension to heaven (John 6:62),
which follows his death and resurrection, as it is the final part of his
threefold glorification, in connection to the meaning of eating his living
flesh as the Living Bread of Life and drinking his blood for eternal life.
Because Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, are due to Theos-Logos (God-Word) being incarnated
(John 1:1-2, 14) in the human flesh of Jesus, in the womb of Mary through the
Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:18), he
implied that the eating his living flesh as the Living Bread of Life and
drinking his blood as the true drink will entitle to being like Jesus: having
our bodies being raised from the dead and being taken up to (assumed into)
heaven with new incorruptible bodies (i.e. 1 Corinthians 15:12-58; 1
Thessalonians 4:16–17). And this is why eating the Living Bread of Life, which
is the living flesh of Jesus, and drinking his blood, leads to resurrection and
eternal life, while making us in full communion with him.
Though living flesh (sarx) is different from dead meat (kreas), the living flesh (sarx)
of Jesus as the Living Bread of Life is different from ordinary sarx, which itself cannot give life, but
what really gives life is the spirit , namely the Holy Spirit (John 6:63), as
the Theos-Logos (God-Word) became the
living fresh (sarx)(John 1:1-2, 14)
by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb (Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:18), leading him to his
threefold glorification in the climax of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus: his
death on the Cross, his resurrection, and his ascension to heaven, from where
he was sent to us as the Living Bread of Life to be eaten – to be in full
communion with him. And this is why we can have eternal life as Jesus have and
we can be taken into heaven as he ascended, as we eat this Bread.
The bottom line of Jesus’ discourse on the Living
Bread of Life as the true food that endures for eternal life (John 6:26-58)
really is about the Spirit of Life (John 6:63).
In other words, the Living Bread of Life, which is
his living flesh (sarx), together
with his blood as the true drink, for eternal life, is about the Holy Spirit. Because
the Holy Spirit give life to material matters (i.e. Genesis 2:7), we understand
that the Living Bread of Life is loaded with the Holy Spirit. And without the
Holy Spirit, the bread would not be the Living Bread of Life, and that is why
Manna, though it was also sent from heaven, did not give eternal life. And this
is why it is written that we cannot live on bread alone but to live on what
comes out of the mouth of the Lord, including the Word (Deuteronomy 8:3, cited
by Jesus in Matthew 4:4). As to reiterate this truth, Jesus reminds that the
Word in the words of kerygma, spoken out of his mouth to reveal himself as the
Living Bread of Life for eternal life and for the full communion with him (John
6:26-58) is the Spirit of Life, the Holy Spirit (John 6:63). And, the Living
Bread of Life is his living flesh of Jesus (John 6:51), which is what the Theos-Logos (God-Word) (John 1:1-2)
incarnated to be among us (John 1:14), by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; Matthew
1:18). Therefore, the essence of the Living Bread of Life is the Holy Spirit,
the Spirit of Life, while the substance of Manna is carbohydrates, which does
not give eternal life as flesh without the Holy Spirit does not give eternal
life.
Now it is revealed that the Living Bread of Life can
give eternal life because its substance is the Holy Spirit (John 6:63). In
connecting the Living Bread of Life, which is the living flesh of Jesus, and
his blood as the true drink, for eternal life, to the institution of the
Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (i.e. Luke 22:14-20), it is clear that Jesus’ Christological
self-revelation as the Living Bread of Life through the discourse (John
6:26-58) and his further explanation (John 6:60-63), upon feeding the crowd
(John 6:1-15), is to point to the Eucharist.
Perhaps, these words of St. Ephrem of Syria on the
Eucharist can help to see the role of the Holy Spirit in the Living Bread of
Life to be life-giving, while Manna did not give life, in regard to these words
of Jesus:
Our
Lord Jesus took in His hands what in the beginning was only bread; and He
blessed it, and signed it, and made it holy in the name of the Father and in
the name of the Spirit; and He broke it and in His gracious kindness He
distributed it to all His disciples one by one. He called the bread His living
Body, and did Himself fill it with Himself and the Spirit.
And
extending His hand, He gave them the Bread which His right hand had made holy:
“Take, all of you eat of this, which My word has made holy. Do not now regard
as bread that which I have given you; but take, eat this Bread, and do not
scatter the crumbs; for what I have called My Body, that it is indeed. One
particle from its crumbs is able to sanctify thousands and thousands, and is
sufficient to afford life to those who eat of it. Take, eat, entertaining no
doubt of faith, because this is My Body, and whoever eats it in belief eats in
it Fire and Spirit (Hymns of Praise, 4.4).
Though he offered his whole body and blood with soul
and divinity, as the true food, the Living Bread, and his blood as the true
drink, for us to have eternal life and to be in full communion with him, Jesus
already knew that not all who heard his words on the Living Bread would
believe. And, many did not believe as they rejected his words in the discourse,
rejecting the Living Bread, along with the true drink, for eternal life –
forfeiting eternal life and the way to the Father by being in full communion
with the Son (John 6:64-66).
And Jesus pressed the twelve if they, too, would
reject:
Do
you also want to leave? John 6:67.
And representing the twelve, Peter responded:
Master,
to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to
believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God
(John 6:68-69).
At least, the twelve believed in their master,
Jesus, as the Living Bread of Life, the Holy One of God, with the words of
eternal life, also as to echo what Jesus said:
It
is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have
spoken to you are spirit and life (John 6:63).
The Gospel Reading for the 21st Sunday
(John 6:60-69), as the contrasting reactions to Jesus’ Christological
self-revelation through his discourse of the Living Bread of Life (John
6:26-58), following his feeding of the crowd that kept chasing him (John
6:1-15), evokes the eschatological separation of those who will be saved in
heaven and those who will not (Matthew 25:1-46). And this is also reflected in
these words of St. Ephrem referring to the Living Bread of Life as the
Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist:
But if any doubter eat of it, for him it will be only bread. And whoever eats in belief the Bread made holy in My name, if he be pure, he will be preserved in his purity; and if he be a sinner, he will be forgiven.” But if anyone despise it or reject it or treat it with ignominy, it may be taken as a certainty that he treats with ignominy the Son, who called it and actually made it to be His Body (Hymns of Praise, 4.4).
In the first reading (Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b),
Joshua, the successor of Moses, pressed
the elders, judges, leaders, and officials, during an early period of the settlement in the promised land, if
they would really continue to serve Yahweh (the Lord), and they all made a
resolved response to serve only Yahweh, affirming their observance of Exodus
20:2 and Deuteronomy 5:6. And this is
echoed in Jesus pressing the twelve if they would believe in his words on the
Living Bread of Life for eternal life or not and how Peter, representing the
twelve, affirmatively responded with a reason that Jesus is the Holy One of
God, who have the words of eternal life (John 6:67-69).
Those who found the teaching of Jesus’ Living Bread
of Life too difficult to accept left him, forfeiting eternal life (John
6:60-61, 64), resulting in a division between those who believed and those who
did not.
The Second Reading (Ephesians 5:21-32)
is another example of a teaching difficult to accept, resulting in a
division between those who accept and those who reject.
Those who reject this Pauline teaching only see it
as a problematic gender issue. But, is that so?
In connection to John 6:26-69, we can see this
teaching of Paul on husband and wife, in juxtaposition to Christ and his
Church, we understand that Paul’s intension for this difficult teaching,
risking a controversy, was for us to see the Sacrament of Matrimony as the
sacred union of husband and wife, reflecting the eschatological matrimonial
union between Christ the Lamb and his bride, the Church (Revelation 19:6-9),
characterized with purity.
Through
his flesh in the Living Bread of Life and his blood as the true drink, Jesus
wants us to be in full communion with him: us in him and he in us as one (John
6:56), just as he is in the Father and He in him (John 10:30, 38)(John
17:21-23), Paul calls husbands and wives to be likewise.
This passage should not be reduced to a gender issue in marriage. Otherwise, this Pauline text can be a source of grumbling, as Jesus’ call to eat his flesh and to drink his blood has resulted in the crowd’s rejection to follow him.
So, as we believe and accept Jesus, the Holy One of God, with the words of eternal life, and accept him, whose living flesh (sarx) as the Living Bread of Life to be eaten for eternal life and to be in full communion with him, we can joyfully and gratefully “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord” as in the refrain of the Responsorial Psalm (34:9a), praising the Lord.
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