73. Murmurs of Unbelief

The Jews murmured concerning him, because he said, “I am the bread which came down out of heaven.” They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he say, ‘I have come down out of heaven?’”

Jesus answered them, “Don’t murmur among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who hears from the Father, and has learned, comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the one who is from God. He has seen the Father. Whoever believes in me has eternal life. 

I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever. The bread I will give for the life of the world is my body.”

The Jews said to one another, “How can this man give us his body to eat?”

Jesus said to them, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and will be raised up at the last day. My flesh is food, and my blood is drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood live in me, and I in them. As the Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me will also live because of me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven—not as our fathers ate manna, and died. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

Many of his disciples, when they heard this, said to one another, “This is a hard saying! Who can accept it?”

Jesus, knowing his disciples murmured at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? Then what if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life. But there are some of you who don’t believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who didn’t believe, and who would betray him. He said, “For this cause have I said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been made possible by my Father.”

At this, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 

Reflection

One of the biggest challenges in understanding the Bible is knowing what is meant to be literal and what is metaphorical. Early Christians were thought by some to be cannibals who worshipped by eating the body and blood of Jesus. Do you find the symbolism of bread and cup, body and blood, helpful and powerful or does it seem archaic and confusing? Would you have murmured with the others who first heard Jesus speak of such things? 

Prayer: Let the bread and cup nourish me, Lord, even when I am unsure of all it means.