The Bread of Life Discourse – Physical Bread is not the Bread of Life 1/4 (Jn. 6:22-34)

The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. 23 Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. 24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25 And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 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. 27 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.” 28 So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? 31 Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”'  32 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. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”  34 So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

After feeding the 5,000 men (Jn. 6:1-15) and walking on water (Jn. 6:16-21), Jesus and the disciples crossed to Capernaum.  The crowd knew that Jesus had not left with his disciples the evening before in the only boat available.  When they could not find Jesus, many got into boats and went to Capernaum looking for him.  The Sea of Galilee was also called Lake Tiberias, Lake Kinneret (the Hebrew name), and Lake Gennesaret (Lk. 5:1).  

The Bread of Life Discourse (Jn. 6:22-59) has Eucharistic overtones; it anticipates the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper (Lk. 22:15-20) and foreshadows Christ’s sacrifice of his body and blood on the cross (Lk. 23:26-49).  In the Bread of Life Discourse Jesus said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day (Jn. 6:53-54)."  

When they found Jesus, they wanted to know when and how he got to Capernaum.  Jesus told them that they were looking for him because they were fed and not because they recognized that he was the long-awaited Messiah because of the signs and wonders he performed.  Jesus encouraged the crowd to seek spiritual nourishment (Deut. 8:16) that endures for eternal life which the “Son of Man” will give them, rather than working for physical sustenance that would perish.  The Son of Man has the irrevocable divine authority from God the Father to give them food that endures for eternal life.  

The crowd understood “work” literally and asked Jesus how they could accomplish God’s works.  Jesus told them that God required them to believe in the one He sent and they asked Jesus to show them a sign that he was sealed and sent by God, that he was greater than Moses.  They were asking Jesus for a miracle greater than God providing Manna that fed the Israelites in the desert (Ex. 16:13-36; Ps. 78:24; v. 31).  Jesus told the crowd that Moses did not give the Israelites bread from heaven that led to eternal life.  The Father was now providing the true bread that came down from heaven which can give supernatural life to the whole world.  It is not just physical sustenance as Moses provided and as they expect the coming Messiah to provide (Eccl. 1:9).  The crowd asked for the bread from heaven.

Almighty God, grant us the grace to always seek spiritual nourishment that truly sustains us, which is found in Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.  Help us to believe in Christ and to trust that he will provide eternal sustenance for our spiritual journey.  This we pray through the same 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.

                Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.