Direct Talk

In John's Gospel, Jesus speaks directly about who he is and why he has come.

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who 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.” 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 be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” - John 6:27-40

When they ask Jesus what they must do to perform God's works, he tells them they must believe in him, so they want proof he is who he says he is.

Maybe his talk about not being hungry or thirsty confused them.  If someone is hungry and I tell them they will never be hungry again, they will surely be confused, especially if I don't give them any food, but only talk about it.

So, I think the message is more easily understood by those who have been fed, like the five thousand.

Jesus explains that when we hunger for food that perishes, we will be hungry again, but if we hunger for heavenly food, we will be sustained forever.  That makes sense to us when we are not hungry or thirsty.

This is why I think our mission is to feed the hungry.  If we want people to believe that God's love exists in the world, we should do all we can to satisfy the basic needs they lack, so they will have no obstacles to faith.

Feed me, they say.  And then we can talk.

More to come...