JOHN 6:41-51
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IS VERY DIFFERENT
FROM THE OTHER THREE GOSPELS. IN FACT, THERE ARE ONLY A FEW PLACES
WHERE YOU CAN FIND COMMON STORIES – THE STORY OF THE CRUCIFIXION,
OF COURSE; THE STORY OF THE FEEDING OF THE 5000, AND A FEW OTHERS.
JOHN SPENDS MUCH OF HIS GOSPEL, INCLUDING THE FEW COMMON STORIES,
ELABORATING ON CHRIST'S DIVINITY AND HOW THAT RELATES TO US.
TODAY'S GOSPEL IS PART OF A FIVE-PART
SELECTION HAVING TO DO WITH I FIND IT QUITE HARD TO GRASP; YOU THINK
YOU HAVE IT, THEN YOU FIND THAT YOU DON'T. IN FACT, IT DOESN'T SOUND
AT ALL LIKE JESUS IN THE OTHER THREE GOSPELS. WHEN YOU READ MATTHEW,
MARK, OR LUKE, JESUS SPEAKS PLAINLY AND SIMPLY. HE HAS PARABLES
WHICH SOMETIMES HE INTERPRETS, BUT WHEN HE DOES, THE INTERPRETATION
SEEMS OBVIOUS. THE JESUS OF THOSE THREE GOSPELS IS VERY CLEAR. IN
JOHN, THOUGH, IT'S AS THOUGH WE HAVE A DIFFERENT JESUS ENTIRELY, AND
THIS IS ESPECIALLY THE CASE HERE IN THE PASSAGES HAVING TO DO WITH
THE BREAD OF LIFE.
I DON'T WANT TO SOUND LIKE A HERETIC
HERE, BUT I THINK THE BEST WAY TO LOOK AT THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IS TO
SEE IT AS A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT AT DESCRIBING THE NATURE OF JESUS AND
HIS RELATIONSHIP TO US, AND IT IS DONE BY PUTTING WORDS INTO JESUS'
MOUTH. HOW COULD MATTHEW, MARK AND LUKE HAVE LEFT OUT WHAT JESUS IS
SAYING TODAY? IT ISN'T AS THOUGH IT WAS A SECRET; AFTER ALL,
ACCORDING TO JOHN, ALL THE APOSTLES AND THE CROWDS OF JEWS HEARD HIM
CALL HIMSELF THE BREAD OF LIFE COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN; WOULD ANYONE
WHO WAS WRITING A BIOGRAPHY OF JESUS HAVE NEGLECTED TO MENTION THAT
JESUS SAID, “WHO EATS THIS BREAD WILL LIVE FOREVER, AND THE BREAD
THAT I WILL GIVE IS MY FLESH FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD.” IT WOULD
BE LIKE WRITING A BIOGRAPHY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND TOTALLY NEGLECTING
TO MENTION THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS.
SO I THINK THE BEST WAY TO UNDERSTAND
JOHN IS TO REMEMBER THAT THE GOSPEL IN THE FORM WE READ IT TODAY WAS
FINISHED ALMOST 90 YEARS AFTER JESUS' BIRTH. THE GOSPEL COMES FROM A
COMMUNITY WHERE THE EUCHARIST WAS CELEBRATED AND WHERE JESUS'
DIVINITY MIGHT HAVE STILL BEEN A CONTROVERSY. AND THERE WAS
DISSENSION IN THE COMMUNITY; SINCE MOST EARLY CHRISTIANS WERE JEWISH
CONVERTS, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THERE WAS SOME DISAGREEMENT AMONG
THEM; AFTER ALL, THE JEWS WERE STRICT MONOTHEISTS, AND PRAYED, “HEAR,
O ISRAEL, THE LORD IS GOD, THE LORD IS ONE”. THEY BELIEVED THAT
WHEN THE MESSIAH CAME, HE WOULD FEED HIS PEOPLE WITH A HEAVENLY MANNA
JUST AS MOSES HAD DONE WITH THE ISRAELITES WANDERING IN THE DESERT.
THEY BELIEVED THAT TO SEE GOD WAS TO DIE, AND THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAD
EVER SEEN GOD WAS MOSES, WHO WAS COMPLETELY CHANGED BY THE
EXPERIENCE. AND AMONG CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES, THE CELEBRATION OF THE
EUCHARIST WAS UNIVERSAL, AND WHENEVER THIS HAPPENED, THOSE WORDS
QUOTED BY MATTHEW, MARK AND LUKE, WERE SPOKEN OVER THE BREAD AND WINE
– “THIS IS MY BODY … THIS IS MY BLOOD”.
SO IN A SENSE, JOHN SETS UP THE
CONFRONTATION BETWEEN “THE JEWS” – A DESIGNATION FOR THOSE
CONVERTS WHO SEE JESUS AS JUST ANOTHER PROPHET AND TEACHER – AND
JESUS HIMSELF, WHO CLAIMS THAT, LIKE MOSES, HE HAS SEEN GOD; THAT HE
HAD A HEAVENLY ORIGIN RATHER THAN AN EARTHLY ONE; AND THAT LIKE
MOSES, HE DID BRING MANNA TO FEED GOD'S PEOPLE – THE EUCHARIST.
HIS MANNA WAS MORE THAN EARTHLY FOOD, THOUGH; IT WAS CAPABLE OF
GIVING ETERNAL LIFE. AND THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION SAID BY THE PRIEST
, STANDING IN FOR JESUS, OVER THE BREAD AND WINE AT THE EUCHARISTIC
CELEBRATION WERE STATEMENTS OF FACT, NOT MERELY MEANT TO BE SYMBOLIC.
AS WE WILL SEE AS THIS GOSPEL
CONTINUES TO BE READ, THERE IS A MOMENT WHEN THE MAJORITY OF JESUS'
HEARERS TURN AWAY, SAYING, “THIS IS A HARD SAYING, WHO CAN ACCEPT
IT?”
IT IS HARD TO ACCEPT. MANY CATHOLICS
DON'T BELIEVE IN THE REAL PRESENCE OF JESUS IN THE EUCHARIST. OTHERS
DO BELIEVE, INTELLECTUALLY, BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN
THEIR LIVES. SOME PEOPLE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST AS THOUGH IT WERE
SOMETHING MAGIC; AND OF COURSE MANY RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST WITHOUT
MUCH THOUGHT AT ALL.
JOHN REMINDS US THAT THE EUCHARIST
MEANS EVERYTHING; IT IS THE ONLY WAY WE HAVE TO BECOME PHYSICALLY AND
SPIRITUALLY UNITED TO JESUS. IT IS THE WAY THE LINES SEPARATING HIM
FROM OURSELVES IS BROKEN DOWN A LITTLE BIT. IT IS THE NATURAL, THE
ORDINARY WAY THAT JESUS CONTINUES TO LIVE AMONG US. WHEN WE ALLOW
HIM TO FEED US AND TRANSFORM US INTO HIMSELF, WE OPEN OURSELVES TO
ETERNAL LIFE, BECAUSE HE IS ETERNAL LIFE.
IF THE BREAD AND WINE WHICH IS NOW
JESUS WERE TO SIT IN A VAULT, WE WOULD STILL BELIEVE THAT JESUS WAS
PRESENT UNDER THE FORM OF BREAD AND WINE. BUT IT WOULD DO NO GOOD.
THE RELIGIOUS DIMENSION OF THE EUCHARIST REQUIRES THAT IT BE EATEN
AND DRUNK BY YOU AND I. IF JESUS MEANS TO SAVE ALL OF US, NOT JUST
OUR SOULS, THEN IT FOLLOWS THAT HE FEED US WITH FOOD THAT WILL GIVE
US ETERNAL LIFE. ELIJAH WAS FED ONCE, AND HAD THE ENERGY TO WALK FOR
FORTY DAYS. AS WE RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST LET US ASK THE LORD TO LIVE
IN US AND TRANSFORM US SO THAT WE HAVE WHAT IS NECESSARY TO BE ONE
WITH HIIM FOREVER.
