HOW DO I PARTAKE OF THE BREAD OF LIFE?

HOMILY FOR THE 19^TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

The story of the ministry of Jesus (John 1:19 – 12:50) in the Johannine Gospel can actually be read under the optics of oppositions to revelation. The first opposition is seen in the fifth chapter where there is a witness to the harassment of Jesus by the Jews on account of the cure of a sick man at the pool of Bethsaida. This happened in Jerusalem. The next chapter would be another form of opposition in Galilee which borders on the discourse of Jesus as the bread of life (chapter 6), after which we witness the great rejection (chapters 7-10), the decision to kill Jesus (chapter 10) and the movement of Jesus towards his death (chapters 11-12). And actually, we must mention that these oppositions did come as a consequence of Jesus’ miracles and wonders. And so, one can then be left to place the Gospel of today (John 6:41-51) in its proper position: another form of opposition to revelation, where the Jews began to murmur/complain to one another and raising questions that were meant to contradict the claim of Christ that he is the Bread of Life. Jesus corrects them and inadvertently offers them (and us) the way to respond to the Bread of Life which He is.

Jesus’ first reply to them was tough and direct: STOP COMPLAINING TO EACH OTHER. The murmuring against the teaching of Jesus refers to the discontent that arises from a crowd that is upset and confused. We are left to imagine that such a crowd is one that misunderstands, rejects and opposes a speaker. They were radically disagreeing with Jesus that he had come down from heaven. They questioned his origin because they were ignorant of the incarnation and his mission. The stark appeal to the crowd to stop complaining is an invitation to listen. And this links us to the first verse of the Shema prayer of the Jewish Liturgy: Listen, O Israel (Deut. 6:4-5). Traditionally, this prayer is recited with hands placed over the eyes, most probably to emphasise that the first approach to divine revelation is not to see but to listen. The invitation to revelation calls for listening without which its response would be impaired. As long as they murmured, they would never be willing to listen to the truth. Murmuring impedes our ability to pay attention to God and to others. If we need the Bread of Life, we must pay attention. And this is the first approach in partaking of the bread of life.

Jesus further said to them: NO ONE CAN COME TO ME UNLESS DRAWN BY THE FATHER WHO SENT ME, which he further explained in the exceeding verses. For there to be that initial motion, a person must be drawn by God. But this is not to suggest that there are persons who are not originally drawn by God, as there may be an inclination to argue that some are predestined to be drawn towards salvation, while others are not. We all are drawn, but only those who accept to be drawn by the Father have the potency of believing in Jesus. God has to draw man because we are prone to resistance, and man’s resistance is chiefly seen in the word ‘draw.’ The word has the idea of constraint and resistance; for instance, the same word is used for the pulling in of a net loaded with fish as this involves both the actions of pulling and resistance (cf. John 21:6). One can also understand the sense of the word ‘drawn’ in terms of divine initiative. Yes, we do get this spark of divine initiative to come to Christ. But, remember, God can draw men, but a person’s resistance can defeat God’s pull. We can also be drawn by God by teaching which may come from the voice of a preacher, the observation of nature or a myriad of other sources. And this is a very vital way of partaking in the bread of Life; being ready and docile to be drawn by God.

We can then actually grasp what happened to Elijah in the First Reading (1 Kings 19:4-8) from this wavelength of God’s effort to draw us to himself and our stubbornness to resist such a draw. Elijah’s life was under threat by Jezebel, and for this reason the prophet fled for his life to the desert. He ran away from his mission. He was wishing himself dead, but the Lord never wished him dead. He fed him with food and drink, and getting back his strength, he moved on to the mountain of Horeb. This divine visitation was a reawakening message, a kind of a push to Elijah not to give up. It was this message passed in the form of a food that sustained Elijah and rejuvenated his zeal for the journey and his ministry. This can be likened to why we must partake of this bread. When we consider ourselves weak and hopeless, then it is the best prescription for us. It is a food that sustains us even when we are trying to give up. It re-enkindles our spiritual strength to move on in our firm decision for God.

Jesus’ explanation was further made solid with a very striking truth: EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES HAS ETERNAL LIFE. I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. And this is a very important way of partaking in the bread of life; we must believe in Christ. Believing in Christ would imply four things: 1) believing that Christ is the Bread of Life; the bread that feeds and nourishes man spiritually, and that saves and gives life, 2) believing that Christ came down from heaven to deliver man from death; the bread that gives us an assurance for heaven, 3) believing that Christ is the Living Bread; the bread that gives life eternally/forever 4) believing that Christ is the Life-sustaining bread; the body of Christ given for for the life of the world. And so, would it not be true to say that in refusing the offer of Jesus, one is prone to miss life in this world and in the world to come? Everyone who believes has eternal life. It is this eternal life that we seek. We pray it becomes our portion after here on earth. Amen. Happy new week, and God bless you.