Having worked as an attorney for many years, I have been trained to spot issues and seek favorable resolutions for my clients. The problems can be complex, requiring significant research and openness to discovery. Sometimes, the evidence you find is circumstantial, meaning there is a lot of wiggle room for inferences to be drawn, hopefully reasonably and logically, from proven facts.
Other times, there can be direct evidence, like testimony from an eyewitness or a video. While each form of evidence can ultimately support a case, having as much direct evidence as possible is always beneficial because less is left to chance or interpretation. It simply is what it is.

Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus provides plenty of circumstantial evidence that something divine is going on. Through parables and miracles, he tries to connect the dots for us. Jesus heals and feeds his followers, providing direct earthly sustenance through himself. Yet, “although [they] have seen [Jesus], [they] do not believe.” The followers were happy to get the food and have the sick healed—what more could they want?

So, Jesus gets straight to the point, knowing why he has come and what will happen to him (for us). Jesus tells his followers the most basic, direct, and blunt statement he can. “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. . . everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life.” Jesus, as the divine savior for our sins, is the sustenance we need for our spiritual survival in and beyond this world. It simply is what it is.

But, like seeking a favorable resolution for one of my clients, this is not a passive exercise. We must actively choose to come to Jesus through prayer, receiving sacraments, and striving to be good apostles of this message. We must choose to believe. If we do, we may have eternal life.