This week we continue reading the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel. The dialogue that took place last week continues today with the Jews complaining about what Jesus had said about being “the bread that came down from heaven”. They are wondering how he could say this and at this point they are a little bit like an Irish crowd talking about someone: straight to ‘sure don’t we know his mother and father!’ Jesus hears them and reacts by slowly bringing it back again to the “I am the Bread of Life”. Within those verses he speaks about the teaching of the Father and how what the Father teaches leads to him. That bond between the Father and Jesus, the Son, is highlighted there. By diverting them back to the ‘I am the Bread of Life’ title, Jesus brings them back to the Exodus – ‘your fathers ate manna in the desert’ — he says — ‘and they are dead’ From there the understanding of the bread of life or the living bread is seen in the light of redemption, the new life, life eternal. When we think back to two weeks ago when they wanted to make Jesus king — we can see that the kingship of Jesus is something unique – it is eternal.