Today we hear yet again how Jesus is telling the crowds how He is the bread which came down from Heaven. And in next week’s Gospel, this will continue. While the three are interconnected, they are not identical.

This conversation is getting more difficult for the crowd to hear. They are grumbling and complaining. “How can He come down from Heaven… we know His parents… He’s a carpenter. How is HE the Messiah?!”

The crowds’ self-assured “knowledge” stands in the way of seeing the truth. Perhaps we are guilty of this as well.

Faith is not simply a human choice to be made. We are drawn to Jesus by God, constantly. So, in this scripture there is the tension between the call to faith and the declaration that faith can come only from God; is not something to be cleared-up, but to be heard and believed.

Then as Jesus begins talking about, “bread from Heaven”, then, “I am the bread of life,” and, giving His own flesh, this probably made the crowd more nervous and worried thinking, what might actually be involved if we did follow Him? Jesus does not try to make it any easier for them. In fact, His statements are bold. But have faith. The point is, we must follow Jesus on His terms. Not by what or how we want to… that is what it means to be a disciple. Listening to God telling us to follow Jesus consists of silence and hearing beyond words. Opening our eyes and hearts to the possibilities.