“Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Just as the woman at the well asked Jesus, "“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” the crowd which has followed Jesus asks for "this bread always." Neither can understand at that moment what they ask of Jesus and the sacrifice he must make, nor do they understand what he will ask of them.
The Samaritan woman, unlike the crowd, is prepared to pay the price Jesus asks of her. Delighted by his revelation to her, she left her bucket at the well and went into the village to tell her people about Jesus.
She represents the Church, the faithful people whom the Spirit gathers from the highways and byways of every nation. They are not distinguished by ethnicity or race, language or social standing. They are not especially intelligent or noticeably talented. Their only gift is a willingness to accept Jesus as his word.
The crowd in John 6 are a mixed group of skeptics, doubters and believers. They have seen the marvelous signs of Jesus' authority; they want to see more. But they have not seen the meaning of the signs. They have eyes but they do not see.
The Gospel of John is a gospel of contemplation. It is never enough to hear the words. We must eat and drink them, they must penetrate bone and marrow. We must become what we have heard from the inside out. We must sit with them in silence.
Yes, of all the Gospels, John' s gospel takes effort and work to begin to understand. It's worth it.
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