The Jews murmured about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” 42 and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets: ‘They shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
After telling the crowd that he was “the bread of life (Jn. 6:35),” Jesus told the crowd that he was of divine origin “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” The crowd murmured in disbelief, reminiscent of the grumbling of the Israelites during the Exodus journey as documented in Exodus 15:24, 16:2, 7, and 12. Jesus had previously told them that he was the true bread from heaven, not Manna (Jn. 6:32-33). The Jews rejected Jesus’ assertion that he was sent from God because they knew his earthly origin so he could not have been of divine origin. They were certain that he was the son of Joseph and Mary (Jn. 1:45; Mk. 6:3).
Faith is a divine gift from God and people cannot come to Jesus unless they accept the gift of faith and are drawn by the Father who sent him. Jesus promises to raise to new life on the last day those who come to him. Faith does not override man’s free will. It is an interior action. It is the Law written into our hearts by God (Jer. 31:33) that draws men to Jesus. God promises to teach his people (Is. 54:13) and those who are taught by God will listen to the Father, come to Jesus, and acknowledge him as the Son of God. Jesus told them that no one has seen the Father except him, the Son who is from God. He will reveal to them what the Father tells him. He is the true revelation from God, the true bread of life (Jn. 6:32). Whoever believes in him has eternal life.
Almighty God, help us to open our hearts and minds to your truth, and may the Bread of Life nourish our souls. Grant us the grace to believe in your son, adhere to his teachings, and walk in his ways all the days of our lives. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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