Hearts Of Flesh

Jesus said to the crowds: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. 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.” (John 6:44-51)

This passage specifies the bread Jesus gives in eucharistic terms.  According to The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, the eternal life that comes through eating the bread from heaven is contrasted with manna in the desert and the death of the wilderness generation. This bread of life is Jesus’ “Flesh” – his heart.

I repeat here a reference to the prophet Ezekiel (36:25-27).  Jesus – or John – likely were influenced by Ezekiel’s words.  Speaking for God, Ezekiel said, “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” This is needed Flesh for the life of the world threatened by hearts of stone.

Jesus used the prophets.  In today’s reading (above) we heard him say to the crowds: “It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.”  We also “come to Jesus” through the eucharist.  When we do, we hope to be taught by God to love.

Deacon David Pierce