8/12/18: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Problem with Murmuring (a.k.a. Do We Really Believe Jesus is Who He Claimed to Be?)

In today's Gospel we continue to work through John Chapter 6, the pre-eminent teaching on the Eucharist in the New Testament. Jesus has just made the claim that he is the bread "come down from heaven". And his audience, the crowd, rightly protests. How could this man say that he came from heaven? We know his parents: He is from Nazareth, not heaven. And they "murmur" against Jesus. By using this word John is bringing us back to the first place in the Scriptures where this word is used: To the book of Exodus, when the Israelites "murmur" against God, precisely as he is performing mighty works in the midst and actively saving them. So this tells that this is what the people are doing in this scene: Complaining to Jesus precisely as he performs mighty deeds and is saving them. In fact, he is their salvation in person, and they still complain to him, because of their lack of faith. But if we are honest with ourselves, do we not do the same?