Friday after Misericordias Domini

Scripture: St. John 6:30-40 (NKJV)

6:30 Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Devotion

I once was told “All that really matters is ‘knowing’ God. All of the other more difficult stuff is minor. 90% is ‘knowing’, while the other 10% He allows us to fluctuate on with time.” What this person meant by 10% was the Sacraments. They considered them minor—and fluctuating. It begs the question, “How can any man be confident that they really ‘know’ God if the ‘knowing’ is left up to man? And worse, 10% is always left in question?” That’s not comforting.

Thanks be to God that He reveals how He desires to be known right within His very Word. How joyous are we in having a firm confession of what God has revealed through His Word. You are not left guessing. It is the Holy Spirit who works through His Word and Sacraments, ever pointing to Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Christ is the key to God’s Holy Scripture.

This is what Jesus is disclosing within yesterday’s, today’s, and tomorrow’s assigned readings. He is conveying how He is the One being pointed to as Bread from Heaven from the past, and yet He is also imparting how He is the very Bread of life who will continually feed His sheep in the future, as well. How blessed are we to be brought to believe in—and truly know—our Good Shepherd!

Prayer: O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world. Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.