God of love, hope, grace and peace – Day 12

Just as God made himself known to man through his various names in the Bible, so Jesus used everyday images and things with which people were familiar during his earthly ministry. He introduced himself and who he is to them in simple metaphors that they could understand.

Here, Christ uses our physical needs, hunger and thirst. He compares himself to the bread of life and a fountain from which water flows.

Further on in this chapter we read, “Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died. But the bread that comes down from heaven is of such a kind that whoever eats it will not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If you eat this bread, you will live forever. The bread that I will give you is my flesh, which I give so that the world may live.” (John 6:49-51)

This is an open and free invitation to people who are hungry and thirsty. “Those who drink this water will get thirsty again, but those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give them will become in them a spring which will provide them with life-giving water and give them eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

It guarantees life-long satisfaction. And remember that, in this case, life is forever!

Later, during the first Communion, Jesus used bread as a tangible sign, a reminder that we have this eternal life!