“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.’” (John 6:35)
Once again, John stresses the importance of faith. As we continue to read the Discourse on the Bread of Life, Jesus focuses our attention on that God has sent Jesus as “food for the journey.” His flesh is our bread.
One small point to help us understand what Jesus is saying is the fact that bread is the staple in the diet of these people. Our refrigerators and cupboards are filled with many choices when we sit down to a meal. If we eat out, the restaurant menus offer us many choices. However, for the people of the Middle East in Jesus’ day, meals revolved around bread.
As the Israelites traveled through the desert, they found and collected manna in the morning. In the evening, they hunted quail. Manna was a substance that could be found on desert plants as the sun rose for the day. These flakes may have been the excretions of insects which dried on the desert flora in the morning sun. (Before anyone utters a quiet “ew,” remember that even today we eat honey, another excretion from the insect world.) The Scriptures tells us that manna had the consistency of coriander.
Some manna was gathered in put into a container that was then placed in the Ark of the Covenant along with the stone tablets of the commandments. For the Israelites, it was a reminder of their desert sojourn. This was how God sustained them in their travels. However, manna was perishable. If the Israelites gathered more than they needed for that day, it would turn rotten by the next day.
Jesus promises an imperishable bread, a bread that will sustain us on our journey. However, that sustenance is for those who believe. Faith is the key ingredient in this recipe. When we celebrate the Eucharist and bless the bread, break it and eat it, it becomes spiritual sustenance for those who believe. Each time I celebrate the Eucharist, I am mindful of the fact that it is the faith of those who are gathered with me around the table of the Lord which changes unleavened bread into the Body of Christ. For those who do not have the eyes of faith, nothing changes. For those of us who believe, Christ is present in our midst and walks with us through the journey we call life. If we believe, we shall never be hungry or thirsty for we shall be satisfied with the Bread of Life.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator