John 6:50

Speaking of himself, Jesus declares, “Look to me for the bread that comes from heaven—not like the kind your ancestors ate, but the kind you eat and, as a result, live forever.”  John 6:50 EFP

How do these words of Jesus register with the crowd?  How would I have interpreted them if I had heard them?  Would they sound any different to me then than they would now?  These are not easy words to hear, even if I place myself in their shoes.  He was telling them, “Your ancestors are all dead in spite of the fact they ate heavenly bread.  I can give you bread from heaven too.  But if you eat this bread, you won’t die!”

Whoa, Jesus!  What do you mean I will never die?  Never?  And everyone else that doesn’t eat this bread you speak of…they will die?  How does that work?  You mean your bread is better than the bread God Almighty provided for our ancestors?  Are you greater than God?  What’s the catch?  I would be a fool not to get some…but it sounds too good to be true, not to mention a bit far-fetched. 

Does the offer still apply today?  Am I more or less open to the offer?  I will never understand without being open to a reality outside my flesh and bones experience.  That is asking a lot for a person like me who is either jaded toward far-fetched offers from religious charlatans or who see the world through rational and concrete eyes.  It is counterintuitive. Help me, Lord, to see and accept what is not visibly seen, through eyes of faith that are still developing in me.