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 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.”
Gospel Trivia:
This account connects two themes: faith and Jesus as the bread of life.
Faith:
Jesus distinguishes between seeing physically (seeing signs and being filled with bread) and seeing spiritually (believing in Jesus).
To do so entails "working for food of eternal life" which refers to faith. But not just faith as a one time act, but a life of faith, which refers to a total commitment of one's life when following Jesus' teachings and way of life.
Jesus as Bread of Life:
Jesus distinguishes the bread of eternal life from the manna in the desert:
- manna was given by God, and Moses was only an intermediary
- this manna is not the real bread; the real bread is the teachings of Jesus
- Jesus is the only real bread.
Thus, Jesus proclaims "I am the bread of life." The expression "I am" is inspired from the Old Testament expressions used by Yahweh himself, as in, I the Lord your God.
In other parts of John's gospel, Jesus also proclaims that he is the "light of the world," "door of the sheep pen," "good shepherd," "resurrection and life," "way, truth and life," and "true vine."
When we receive the Eucharist, we proclaim not only our faith in Jesus, but a total commitment of our life to his teachings and way of life.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Hungry No More (Makati: St. Paul's Publications, 1989), pp. 83-87.
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