John 6:41-51 in a prayer
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
©️2021 Gloria M. Chang
The Jews murmured about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. 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 6:41-51
Son of God
Who is Jesus? Assuming they know, the Jews surrounding Jesus murmur about his father and mother, offended at his claim to have “come down from heaven.” In the face of the facts, his declaration sounds preposterous and blasphemous.
With authority, Jesus commands the crowd to “stop murmuring.” Instead of addressing concerns about his sonship to Joseph and Mary, Jesus immediately invokes the Father: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.”
Again and again, Jesus proclaims his divine sonship to “my Father.” “The one who is from God,” Jesus, “has seen the Father.” Matter-of-factly and without apology, Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life.” Partakers of the living bread, Jesus Christ, will live forever.
Abba, draw us to your Son.
Give us true bread from heaven.
Traditional Chinese Translation
《阿爸，吸引我們到祢兒子那裡》
阿爸，吸引我們到祢兒子那裡。
賜我們來自天上的真糧。