Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Wisdom of God

 

By presenting himself as the Bread of Life in chapter 6 of John's Gospel, Jesus wants us to know that it is he who nourishes God's life in us. The whole chapter has Eucharistic overtones and in verses 51-58 Jesus explicitly talks about nourishing us with his own flesh and blood.
Just before that, however, he talks of nourishing us with his teaching. He wants to pass on to us what he knows from God his Father. At the beginning of his Gospel John presents Jesus as the very Word of God in human flesh. Here in chapter 6 Jesus presents himself as this Wisdom of God to nourish God's life in us. The response Jesus invites in this Wisdom section is not to eat, but to believe. "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." By believing in him we come to share his life in God.
Near the end of his Gospel (20:31) John tells us explicitly his purpose in writing his Gospel, "These are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name."
Posted by Picasa

No comments: