Road to Emmaus Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time

Aug 19, 2009

First Reading – Josh. 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b

Responsorial Psalm – Ps. 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21

Second Reading – Eph. 5:21-32

Gospel Reading – Jn. 6:60-69

 

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading from St. John, the tension of chapter six, and the Bread of Life Discourse is raised to its climax. Through John 6, Jesus has been more and more explicit in terms of what it means when he says that he is the “Bread of Life,” and the consequences of that truth for humanity.

 

By this point in the narrative it is clear that Jesus is making a strict connection between the notion of bread and his flesh. “The bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51). The consequences of Jesus’ being the Bread of Life for humanity are also clear. The Bread of Life, which is the flesh that he shall give, must be eaten. “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).

 

Jesus has had many opportunities to clarify what he means throughout John 6. In John 6:41 we read: “The Jews murmured at him, because he said, ‘I am the bread which came down from heaven.” Here Jesus has an occasion to say, “you misunderstand, what I really mean is…” But this is not what he does.

 

In John 6:52 we read: “The Jews disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Here again Jesus has an occasion to say, “you misunderstand, what I really mean is…” But this is not what he does.

 

In the final section of John 6, which we hear this Sunday, the Jews are found murmuring once again. This comes right after Jesus has said, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (John 6:53-56). The Jews respond by saying, “This is a hard saying, who can listen to it?” Here again Jesus has an occasion to say, “you misunderstand, what I really mean is…” But this is not what he does.

 

However, Jesus again challenges them even further to believe what he has actually said. He says, “Do you take offence at this? What if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before?” (John 6:61-62). Earlier Jesus said that he is the “bread of God which comes down from heaven…” (John 6:33). Now, he who has come down talks about going back up, ascending, to where he was before, i.e. back at the right hand of the Father who sent him.

 

He challenges them to believe. They are trying to grasp what he is saying only according to human standards, but they must accept the gift of the Spirit that brings about faith in what he is saying. This is why he says, “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you that do not believe” (John 6:63-64).

 

What are they to believe? Jesus says clearly, “the words which I have spoken…” What are the words that he has spoken? That we must “eat his flesh and drink his blood.” Eating his flesh and drinking his blood, therefore, cannot be a metaphor for believing, because the two concepts are distinct throughout John 6. They must believe what he has said about eating his flesh and drinking his blood.

 

The Jews have found all of this “a hard saying.” Jesus could have said, “What is the problem? I only mean these things metaphorically, not literally.” However, after this final challenge to all of those listening we read: “After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66). Notice that it is not the murmuring Jews that walk away from Jesus, but “many of his disciples.”

 

Jesus makes no effort to draw them back to himself, he lets them go. It is amazing what Jesus doesn’t do. You might expect Jesus, if everyone has really just misunderstood what he is saying, to clarify his remarks. Jesus has in fact been clarifying his remarks all along, just not in the way many of them had hoped. He meant what he said.

(Column continues below)

 

There are other times in Jesus’ life that the people did not fully understand what he was saying. However, Jesus usually makes an effort to at least clarify matters for the Apostles. One of the astonishing things in John 6 is what Jesus does next. He doesn’t turn to the Apostles and say, “The people just don’t get it…But I am going to tell you what I really mean.” He does, however, turn to them and say, “Will you also go away?” (John 6:67). The response to this question would have catastrophic consequences for Jesus’ plans. If the Twelve walk away, then what? Jesus puts his plans in the hands of the Twelve. He meant what he said, now the response. Obviously this is a serious point of belief.

 

Simon Peter then proclaims, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69). Here there is a profession of faith, “we know who you are, and we believe what you say, even if we don’t fully understand.”

 

Jesus will then go through one more year of his public ministry before he celebrates the Last Supper during the third and final Passover of his earthly life. At the Last Supper he will say, “Take, eat; this is my body…Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant…” (Matthew 26:26-28). This is exactly what we are supposed to do at every Mass. Let us praise the Father for the glorious gift of the body, blood, soul and divinity of his dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ!