Readings:
2 Kings 19
Wisdom 12
John 6:22-71

2 Kings 19

Yesterday we closed with the field commander of the Assyrian army making some blasphemous statements and taunting the defenders of the city. Now we’ll see Hezekiah’s reaction to this Goliath like challenge.

What does Hezekiah do? He goes immediately to the prophet Isaiah to consult him, and then goes to the temple to pray about it. And Isaiah reassures the king that all will be well, that the commander will retreat to Assyria and die there because of his blasphemy.

God hears the prayers that Hezekiah made in the temple and sends a direct response through Isaiah that the Assyrians will not take the city at all, and their king will go home with his tail between his legs essentially.

When it says an Angel struck them in the night and killed many in the army, it’s most likely that this is referring to some sort of disease that was unleashed on them like a plague during the exodus, or an Angel might have slain them directly. Both are possible but I lean towards the disease because the language is similar to plague outbreaks elsewhere.

John 6:22-71

This portion of the gospel of John had a larger influence on my conversion than any other part of the scriptures. I was challenged to come up with an alternative interpretation when I challenged my Catholic grandfather on the Catholic beliefs in the Eucharist. I failed to come up with a satisfactory alternative and it gnawed at me for years, until I seriously began to consider converting.

Jesus challenges the people when they ask him for more miracles, and tells them they only want him to make mana fall from heaven because they want free stuff. That spins into his speaking about the reality of the real presence of his body in the Eucharist.

When they start to grumble and object that there’s no way he really means what he’s saying, he doesn’t back down or try to explain in a different way, he actually switches up the verbs used in the Greek and goes from “eat my flesh” to “gnaw on my flesh.” He uses a verb that usually is reserved for the way an animal might tear flesh from bone in a feeding frenzy. He was making clear that he meant what he said, and when some left he turned to his core apostles and asked them if they wanted to leave too. If he didn’t mean what the crowd apparently thought he meant, then he would’ve explained it to his closest followers. But he didn’t, he instead basically told them if they can’t accept this they’re free to go too.

Check out this podcast where I discussed my experience with wrestling with this chapter of John Podcast link

Also, this Sunday is the celebration of Corpus Christi so check out this article on the history of this solemnity.

Tomorrow’s Readings:
2 Kings 20-21
Wisdom 13
John 7