In today’s Gospel Jesus declares: “I am the bread of life.” Bread and water were essential to life and survival in Jesus’ time. If you didn’t have bread you died of hunger and if you didn’t have water you died of thirst. Jesus uses water and bread to describe himself. When Jesus encountered the woman from Samaria he declared:
“If you knew the gift of God…he would have given you living water…whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:10, 14).
In very similar words in today’s Gospel Jesus speaks about both bread and water:
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Jesus has just feed the multitude right before the Jewish Feast of Passover (John 6:1-16). Now he teaches that he has come not only for physical feeding but also spiritual feeding. Our hunger is to know the one true God and to experience his love. Jesus tells us that he himself is that bread and water that can nourish that spiritual hunger and thirst. Jesus teaches that this is God’s Will: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life…”.
Later Jesus teaches that when we “see” Jesus we “see” God.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him…Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:7-9)
Today you and I are invited to not only recognize our deep-seated hunger for God but also to recognize that Jesus is eager to feed us. Jesus wants us to see and to experience the one true God, the God of mercy and love. God is with us each day. Jesus feeds our hunger and quenches our thirst. Let us come to this Bread of Life and this Living Water.
Image: “NT084.Jesus Feeds 5000” by pcstratman is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.