Thoughts for the Day

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

What drew you to become a Christian? Was it some trauma, or a friend or family member? And did you come kicking and screaming, before making a commitment? John, in Chapter 6 of his Gospel, recounts Jesus bravely standing up to those who are against him in his home area of Galilee. His statement that no-one comes to him, "unless drawn by the Father", has always been controversial. Does Jesus mean that only some people are chosen by God, and what about everyone else?

But perhaps it has a different meaning! The Greek word, transcribed from the Hebrew, for 'to draw' (helkuein), means to pull something that is heavy, or that resists. So we see it again when a heavy shoal of fish are pulled into a boat, when the disciples see Jesus on the shore after his resurrection (John 21.4-6). Might it therefore be that God calls, but we as free agents, all to often resist His call. Even then we can take our time about committing to Him, until it suits us, and we feel that there is a desperate need.

Jesus reminds us again that we need Him for our spiritual life just as we need food for our bodies, and He welcomes us when we choose to be drawn into His orbit.

Heavenly Father,
You call us to Yourself,
but all too often we choose
to resist and turn away.
May we draw near in faith
believing that You are God,
and that You always
have our best interests at heart.
May we also not fall away
when life seems rosy
but choose to remember
we are Your children.
Amen.