SCRIPTURE JOHN 1-15
multiplication of the loaves.
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” He said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little [bit].
One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet,* the one who is to come into the world.” Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
JESUS TOOK THE LOAVES, GAVE THANKS, AND DISTRIBUTED THEM
REFLECTION
Some like to deny this miracle of Jesus and say people, ashamed at the boy’s sharing, began sharing what they had with each other kumbaya style. No this was not a lesson about fellowship. Jesus did not do a lesson on sharing or accuse people of hoarding food in their robes.
This was another sign that Jesus is God, the Christ, the awaited one, the Messiah. Those that dismiss this sign also dismiss the divinity of Jesus, that he was just another prophet, teacher etc.
John’s Gospel is a Book of Signs, all about the divinity of Christ…From the very beginning of John’s Gospel “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, And the Word was made flesh.”
When the people saw the sign Jesus had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet,* the one who is to come into the world.” Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
Jesus knew the people weren’t ready yet for the kingdom He was here to build so He went off to give people time to reflect, chew on it for a while if you like. Do we read scripture, pray about it, search for meaning that God intends or do we just read to find things that justify how we feel about things?
Before meals do we give thanks to God who provides? And Do we share God’s bounty with others who may have not yet received? We demonstrate our love for God to God by loving our neighbor.
“One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments? Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-30
SCRIPTURE JOHN 26-69
the bread of life discourse.
“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, so 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 Father 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….
The Jews murmured about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven, and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me… Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 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…….
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat? Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats* my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever….
Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it? Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “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. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.” As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave? Simon Peter answered him, “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.”….
I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE
REFLECTION
Jesus realizes the crowds forming around him are looking for more material goods like the loaves and fishes. It is gimme, gimme, hands out for whatever this wonder worker has to give. Jesus knows their hearts are hardened and not yet filled with the Spirit but that does not mean He is going to avoid the truth nor water things down as we Christians sometimes do.
They challenge Jesus, What are you going to do, Moses gave us manna in the desert?” Jesus rebuts their ignorance, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.”
Well, then the crowd cried out, give us that, not really knowing what they were asking for but Jesus gave it to them straight on, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Harumpf! People didn’t like that answer. They thought they knew Jesus of Nazareth, his mother and father and his work as carpenter. And besides, Nothing good ever came out of Nazareth. . (John 1:45) But did the people really know Jesus? Do we sometimes dismiss some people too prematurely based on hearsay or prejudice and miss an otherwise grace filled encounter.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die…. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink
This Scripture passage prefigures what happens at the Last Supper,” Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; (for everlasting life) do this in memory of me. And likewise the cup after they had eaten, Luke 22:19-20 saying, “Take this and drink This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you and the many for the remission of sins” Matthew 26:27-28
At the end of Bread of Life Discourse, we find many of Jesus’ followers abandoning Him. Reminiscent of our Church today where polls show only 31 % of Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
It is not a symbol, folks. It is Jesus, body and blood, soul and divinity. I am saddened that so many do not take refuge in Jesus being present to us today. The story of Salvation is not an old folk tale or myth. It continues today with us configuring ourselves to Jesus and participating in His grace filled sacraments. Just as His apostles embraced Jesus, we can, today, embrace Jesus in the Most Holy Blessed Sacrament!
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave? Simon Peter answered him, “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. Are we convinced like Peter and the Apostles? Or do we abandon Jesus for the lures of this world?