If we're approaching it from an either-or framework, Jesus seems to contradict himself. He says, "Everyone the Father gives me will come to me" and "Anyone who believes has eternal life." But if we listen to Jesus in the context of relationship, the tension disappears. When I'm anxious about God's love, trying harder doesn't help. If the first prayer of salvation didn't do it, neither will the second or the third. No matter how many times we get baptized, go to church, avoid a particular sin, or beg God for forgiveness, we still suspect it isn't enough. Jesus puts our concerns to rest. His message reassures us that he doesn't want us to ever hunger or thirst again. He promises that not only will he never cast us out or lose us, but he pledges to give us eternal life and to raise us up on the final day of judgment. By contrast, if I am taking God for granted, I need my complacency disturbed. When I treat faith as an intellectual exercise so I can justify hiding my heart from him, Jesus warns me. The crowd grumbled about his credentials, even though they had just witnessed him miraculously multiplying bread and crossing the Sea of Galilee without a boat. Jesus isn't asking them to believe in the absence of evidence. He's the Word become flesh, speaking directly to them. They are hearing the divine voice in their ears. It's echoing in their hearts. And yet they say, "But what about his parents?" I don't remember the moment my attitude towards this debate shifted, but it happened sometime during ten years of campus ministry. Students who wanted to fight about theology rarely seemed to grow. But people who had the humility to recognize their need for God and approached Jesus for help? It's the difference between being malnourished and well-fed. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Stop grumbling. Come and eat. The feast will never end.