John 6:24-35
Dear Friends,
The folks in today’s Gospel were happy with the free meal of fish and the bread but they had their eyes on much bigger stakes. They were hoping Jesus would be the answer to the centuries old longing for a return to glory for Israel. They had visions of a new day of prosperity and wealth. They had a hunger in their hearts that went deeper than the hunger in their stomachs. They hoped that Jesus was the one to finally fulfill the promises that permeated the 2000 year history of the Jewish nation.
Jesus, in turn, offers them a very different alternative. Jesus was well able to see beyond their desires for power and glory, wealth and privilege. Jesus knew well that there was a great difference between what the crowd wanted and what they truly needed.
In the dialogue, they call Jesus “rabbi” but they do not want to be taught. They want more than the “bread” that Jesus was offering. They bought into the bread that would perish and not the bread that would bring eternal life.
So much of our faith journey struggles with these same issues. We all have a plan for God. We are clear on what we want God to do. We are clear on what we need to be happy. So often we catch ourselves trying to fit God into our plans and projects.
A great deal of our faith journey is struggling with a life experience that shows ever so clearly that God does not see things as clearly as they are in our mind and heart.
It comes back to that fundamental issue: How to understand the difference between what we want, most frequently wrapped up in goodness and virtue and righteousness, and what we need.
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus is quite clear: “Do not work for food that perishes but for food that endures for eternal life which the Son of Man will give you…This is the work of God that you believe in the one he sent.” (Jn 6:27-29)
Like the folks in today’s Gospel and with us, Jesus is always calling us deeper into the mystery. Jesus is always opening us to the more profound hungers of the human heart that was made for God and will not be truly satisfied until it is nourished by the true bread that God reveals and makes available in Jesus.
John shows us that Jesus is calling us on the long journey to grow in wisdom. He is inviting us to enter more deeply into the reality of life and search for happiness and satisfaction that passes the eternity test. What we want will slowly give way to what we need. This will happen when we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and walk in his light and truth. We need to grasp that Jesus is the true Bread of Life. Our continuing challenge is to know and discern the true bread that will cast away our hunger forever. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and let him speak his truth to you.
