“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother?”
Imagine that you were among the four hundred people who lived in Nazareth with Joseph, Mary and Jesus. You have known Jesus since he was a boy learning carpentry and other trades from Joseph and others in the small town, including yourself. You know that Jesus, like you, had very little education; that he learned the Torah, but had limited, if any, ability to read and write. Then, the Jesus you know says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” What would you think? Would you give Jesus the opportunity to explain what he meant? Would you wait to see what Jesus did to demonstrate that he is “the living bread that down from heaven”? In all honesty, we would probably have the same questions about Jesus.
Today we live in an age of instant news and statistics. The daily happenings from around the world are sent right into the palm of our hand almost as they happen. We live by ‘Googling’ and by percentages, and ratios, and averages and dollar values. We go to the doctor, and we are given percentages and millimeters and doses per deciliter! We can travel not just miles per hour but light years into the galaxy and those farther away by the inventions of NASA. We think we are all correct and each has become a scholar in their own right thanks to the internet! But, we must pause and remember that ‘correct’ for us as Christians should be more about truth than stats.
In today’s gospel we now have the testimony of those who did believe in Jesus as “the living bread that came down from heaven,” going back to the Apostles. Even though their initial reaction was one of too much familiarity, perhaps. There He was, in flesh and blood before them, and all many could do was disown what they knew inside to be true: this is the One! This is Jesus! This is the Messiah!
What of us? We can google all we want but the truth of Him is not found there or in any super-computer or galaxy. The trust – His truth and ours – is within us.
Do we learn about Jesus by frequently reading and reflecting on Scripture? How do we imitate Jesus in our life?