We sing “I am the Bread of Life” and forget the power and shock behind these words.

We worship a crucified God, and we “gnaw” on God’s flesh so that we can live.

Jesus calls himself the Son of Man, the Mortal One, in other words, the one who will die. His death (and resurrection) isn’t the same as Lazarus’ whom Jesus raises later in the Gospel. Jesus’ resurrection (by the divine force willingly dying for others) changes the nature of Life and the Cosmos.

We participate in that death and sacrifice by consuming his flesh.

This Jesus is not the Messiah we expected. “We thought Manna was an end to itself.” It turns out the Manna was a shadow.