18th Sunday of Year B
✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 6:24-35
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said, “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.” So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
So they said to him,
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Fatherdd gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst”
1. Today’s readings talk about God’s care for the material and spiritual well-being of his people. The first reading from the book of Exodus (16:2-4,12-15) recounts the desert experience where God sent food and meat from heaven to nourish the complaining people of Israel. In this way he proved that he is a God who cares for the material needs of his people. The Gospel will refer to the desert experience and then move a step further to propose a food that cares not only for the body but also assures immortality.
2. Last Sunday the crowd followed Jesus because of the healings that he performed and his wonderful teachings. He ended up nourishing them not only spiritually but also physically by performing the miracle of the loaf. Today they dropped their initial intention: hearing the word of God and being healed of their diseases and picked up the idea of looking for a free food provider because he fed them the previous day.
3. Jesus addressed them directly on the matter telling them that their intention was no longer noble: you are looking for me not because you want to know God. You are doing this because you want free meal which is perishable. He advised them to purify their intention and concentrate more on goods that last forever. The goods that last forever consist in knowing Jesus as the one whom God has sent and knowing God as one and only God. This knowledge is a transforming one because it reconditions the knower and changes his/her attitude to life.
4. To show that the people understood nothing they pressed him to perform free food miracle for them: what sign are you going to do for us to believe in you, our fathers ate manna in the desert. So give us something. Their minds were still stuck on material things. This provided Jesus with more opportunity to expand his teaching. He spoke to them about the bread of God that came down from heaven, which gives life to the world. In this way, he implicitly referred to himself as the bread of God, giver of life. But the people could still not give up the idea of free meal. They asked him to give them that very bread.
5. Jesus remained progressive but respectful in moving them from material to spiritual perspective of survival where life depends not just on physical food. He clearly declared to them that the bread is himself.”I am the bread of life. He who comes to shall never hunger. He who believes in me shall never thirst.” Food and drinks are the most basic things for physical survival. By identifying himself as that which satisfies hunger and thirst, Jesus explicitly teaches that without him, no one can survive. In him is life, and without him, one should only expect death.
6. You see how Jesus established himself as the most basic necessity for survival. Acquiring this necessity requires two things: coming to Jesus and believing in him. How firm is your trust in Providence, in God’s unfailing power to care for you because you believe in him? Like the Jews, we are always flocking to Jesus with diverse intentions. Make effort to purify intention and grow in your personal relationship with Jesus not just because he solves your problems but because he is a worthy friend with whom you will spend eternity.
@ Vitalis Anaehobi
04/08/24
