⁴¹ The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."
⁴² They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
⁴³ Jesus answered them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.
⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.
⁴⁶ Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father.
⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
⁴⁸ I am the bread of life.
⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
⁵⁰ This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.
⁵¹ I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."

• (vv. 41-42) The Jews murmured at Jesus because they could not accept Jesus' claim to be from heaven. They knew well about his father and mother (Luke 4:22); they thought Joseph was his real father. With their stubborness and self-importance, they could not see anything from Jesus except a humble hometown man.
• (vv. 43- 44) "Stop murmuring," Jesus responded to the Jews, he then led them to a higher level, the eternal life level. In order to have eternal life in Heaven one has to believe in Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior, but no one can believe in Jesus without God's help "no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him."
• (v. 45) Jesus reminds them about the Old Testament "everyone shall be taught by God" (Isa. 54:13, Jer. 31:34). Jesus also emphasizes not just hearing, but also learning.
• (vv. 46-47) Jesus insisted on the point "He came from God and lives among us." Whoever believes in Him as the Son of God will have eternal life.
• (vv. 50-51) The manna in the wilderness was a physical bread only. The bread of Jesus is the spiritual bread which is the bread of the Wisdom and the Word of the Lord. This bread is a nourishment for all believers.

The living bread in the Eucharist is Jesus' flesh, whoever eats this bread shall have eternal life.

1. If you were one of the Jews and you knew well about Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph and Mary, what would be your reactions when you heard: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven?"
2. Recall your first Holy Communion, how did you feel when you received the Eucharist for the first time? Later on, do you still have the same feeling each time you receive the blessed Sacrament?
3. Why do we believe the Eucharist is really Jesus' flesh?

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