Breaking the Word

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever." (Jn 6:51-58)

Jesus starts his argument saying that he is the bread that has come down from heaven. From where the bread comes is more important. Jews have already argued saying that Moses gave bread in the wilderness. But here it is the father who gives the bread. Jesus is arguing about his origin. He says that he is from the father and he has come down from the father.

Father is in the heaven and he has sent the son from heaven and hence anything to do with the son will in turn take the people to where he has come down from. Whoever eats the son (who has come down from heaven) will have the same effect. They will in turn reach heaven. Jesus argument is regarding his arrival from and his journey to.

Jesus abiding presence is with those who eat his body and drink his blood. (Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me). Indwelling of Jesus helps the believer to be in union with the father. And that is eternal life.

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." He said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." And Jesus said to the centurion, "You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you." And at that very hour (his) servant was healed. Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him. When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: "He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases."  (Mt 8:5-17)

Jesus came into the world to be with the people. He emptied himself taking the form of a slave. Jesus wanted to be one like anyone in the world. Yet he had the healing power of God in him. He was willing to go to the house of the centurion. But the man had such a regard for him that he was not willing to disturb the master.

Centurion, a man of authority and who has used his authority over his servants was ready to accept his emptiness. He realized that authority is not inborn or authority is not attached permanently to a person. Authority is timely (for a period of time) and it is exercised at a particular situation over few people. Authority is not eternal but he was ready to accept the person Jesus for what he has or what he is.

Jesus healed many people. On the very same day he healed the mother in law of peter and the very same evening he cured the sick and exorcised the demon possessed. All the activities of Jesus only proved that he fulfilled the scripture in his life. Man does not have authority over the others but he has to fulfil the word of god in his life and that too to help the others to be better persons (complete, whole, integral persons).