John 1:1-14
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life,and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 6:25-59
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Luke 22:7-38
The Last Supper
7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”
9 “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.
10 He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11 and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.”
13 They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. 21 But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. 22 The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” 23 They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.
24 A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”
“Nothing,” they answered.
36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”
38 The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.”
“That’s enough!” he replied.
We as men and women physically live and breath and eat and we also die...But we also have a Spirit...Jesus came to teach us about the Spirit and the Spiritual, and not so much about the physical...When the Word became flesh, we can see that St. John moves the Spiritual right next to the physical...And it is often difficult for us to connect the Spiritual to the physical as John does throughout his gospel...It is difficult for us to read about the finite turning into the eternal...It is difficult to understand how we can physically die, yet Spiritually live a life in eternity...It is difficult for us to believe that One can come from above, and then walk the earth with us...But that has happened and did happen, when the Word became flesh and mad His dwelling among us...It is difficult to understand about a Spiritual Kind of Bread that can sustain us forever...But there is this Divine Bread, that can give us this sustainability into eternity...
Jesus said that He is the Bread of Life...There is no one that can come to Him unless God the One who sent Jesus draws them, and Jesus will raise them up on the last day...It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Jesus...No one has ever seen the Father except Jesus; only He has seen God...The one who believes in God and Jesus has eternal life...Jesus is this Bread of Life...Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died...But Jesus, is the Living Bread that came down from heaven and dwelt on earth...Anyone who eats this Bread will not die...Jesus is the Living Bread that came down from heaven...Whoever eats this Bread will live forever...This Bread is His flesh, which He will give for the life of the world...Whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood has eternal life, and He will raise them up at the last day...For His flesh is real food and His blood is real drink...Whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood remains in Him, and He remains in them...Just as the Living Father sent Jesus to us, He lives because of the Father...So those who believe in Jesus and His Father will feed on Him and will live because of Him...This is the True Bread that came down from heaven...Jesus said these things about Bread, while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum....
And in the middle of these statements about Bread and the comments about the Bread of Life, someone asks, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”...Our work is being always open to God...To receive Him in our minds and thoughts...Our work is then to believe in Him...Our work is to have faith in Him and His Son...Jesus answered the question this way, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”...
These things He said in Capernaum are hard to interpret...And He says similar things at His Last Supper, which helps us relate more to what He says in Capernaum...At His Last Supper Jesus tells us the He has awaited and eagerly desired to eat this Passover with His Disciples before He suffered on the cross...He said this would be His last meal and would not eat again until He found fulfillment in the kingdom of God...So He took a cup, He gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you...For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”...And Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,“This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”...In the same way, after the supper Jesus took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you...But the hand of him who is going to betray Me is with Mine on the table...The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed...But woe to that man who betrays Him!”...
Jesus is the Bread of Life, and when we eat our daily bread and our daily meals we remember Him...Those who follow Him and drink His blood and eat His flesh abide in Him...Jesus and His Father are the Ones who sustain us...
Jesus is different and unique...What Jesus said is different and unique...He is the most different and unique thing, we will put in our body and mind and our soul...His ideas and teachings are soul riveting...We will and do partake in Him, and yet we have the choice not to partake in His grace, forgiveness, and Truth...He allows us to pass on His Bread, His Flesh, and His Grace...How sad that is, when we think about these Divine things that He has said to us...Jesus came to fill our hearts full of God, and not fill our stomachs full of bread...Jesus' own physical body is completely unique and different...Yet, He has combined the physical with the Spiritual...He has helped combine our weak flesh, our bodies with the Spiritual...Our physical bodies are connected with the Bread of Life to sustain us forever...This cryptic way of saying the things He said, only make sense if He is Divine...These things only make sense if He is the Word, the Logos, and the Purpose of Life...Combining man's physical body to Him only makes sense, if we believe in Him and the One who sent Him...