In the Gospel of St. John,
chapter 6, verse 26, it is written: “Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the
miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.”
It is evident that the
bread of which the disciples ate and were filled was the heavenly bounty; for
in verse 33 of the same chapter it is said: “For the bread of God is He which
cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” It is clear that the
body of Christ did not descend from heaven, but it came from the womb of Mary;
and that which descended from the heaven of God was the spirit of Christ. As
the Jews thought that Christ spoke of His body, they made objections, for it is
said in the 42nd verse of the same chapter: “And they said, Is not this Jesus,
the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how
is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?”
Reflect how clear it is that
what Christ meant by the heavenly bread was His spirit, His bounties, His
perfections and His teachings; for it is said in the 63rd verse: “It is the
spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing.”
(‘Abdu’l-Baha,
table talks in Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered Questions’)
