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1richardbsmith
John 6:51-58
Jesus said to the crowds:
“I am the living bread
that came down from heaven.
Whoever eats of this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give for the life of the world
is my flesh.”
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
So Jesus said to them,
“Very truly, I tell you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink his blood,
you have no life in you.
Those who eat my flesh
and drink my blood
have eternal life,
and I will raise them up on the last day;
for my flesh is true food
and my blood is true drink.
Those who eat my flesh
and drink my blood abide in me,
and I in them.
Just as the living Father sent me,
and I live because of the Father,
so whoever eats me will live because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven,
not like that which your ancestors ate,
and they died.
But the one who eats this bread
will live forever.”
Jesus said to the crowds:
“I am the living bread
that came down from heaven.
Whoever eats of this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give for the life of the world
is my flesh.”
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying,
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
So Jesus said to them,
“Very truly, I tell you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink his blood,
you have no life in you.
Those who eat my flesh
and drink my blood
have eternal life,
and I will raise them up on the last day;
for my flesh is true food
and my blood is true drink.
Those who eat my flesh
and drink my blood abide in me,
and I in them.
Just as the living Father sent me,
and I live because of the Father,
so whoever eats me will live because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven,
not like that which your ancestors ate,
and they died.
But the one who eats this bread
will live forever.”
2richardbsmith
This passage certainly seems to attempt to address the contemporary difficulty that many apparently had with the Eucharistic language about the body and blood of Christ.
The lectionary resource for this passage for this passage writes:
"This final part of the discourse on the bread of life centers on the meaning and the effect of eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood. “Flesh and blood” is a Semitic idiom for “the whole human person” (Matthew 16:17), thus the phrase may be taken to refer to the reception of the whole living Christ."
Of course the allusion to the manna of the Exodus cannot be missed in this passage. In the previous reading there is a specific reference.
The lectionary resource for this passage for this passage writes:
"This final part of the discourse on the bread of life centers on the meaning and the effect of eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood. “Flesh and blood” is a Semitic idiom for “the whole human person” (Matthew 16:17), thus the phrase may be taken to refer to the reception of the whole living Christ."
Of course the allusion to the manna of the Exodus cannot be missed in this passage. In the previous reading there is a specific reference.
3richardbsmith
Jesus here states that whoevers eats this bread will live forever, not as the fathers ate and died.
How is that understood by the first readers and also by us, who know that we all die, just as the fathers to whom Jesus refers?
How is life into the age understood by early Jews, by modern Christians?
How is that understood by the first readers and also by us, who know that we all die, just as the fathers to whom Jesus refers?
How is life into the age understood by early Jews, by modern Christians?
4richardbsmith
These verses are among the more sacramental in GJohn. There is a good bit of scholarship that considers these verses to be later additions to the gospel, adding a more sacramental theology to a gospel that was lacking such a focus originally.
Some points in the direction that the verses might be additions are the mention in 59 that these words were said while teaching in the synagogue. Up to that verse it seems to me that the scene is still by the sea.
There seems to me that between 22-47 and 48-59 there is a change in emphasis - eternal life from believing in the son (40) to eternal life from participating in the sacrament(54).
Some points in the direction that the verses might be additions are the mention in 59 that these words were said while teaching in the synagogue. Up to that verse it seems to me that the scene is still by the sea.
There seems to me that between 22-47 and 48-59 there is a change in emphasis - eternal life from believing in the son (40) to eternal life from participating in the sacrament(54).
5dinamo
I don't think we can attain eternal life just from participating in the sacrament. The sacrament is, to the best of my knowledge, a reminder of Jesus.
Throughout these scriptures keep in mind that Jesus is the word, there are several scriptures which tell us to eat the word, I do not have them memorized.
If Jesus is the word, the word was made flesh, the flesh is bread, then we have the bread of life and the word in Jesus.
or in reverse:
bread = flesh of Jesus = God's word
Throughout these scriptures keep in mind that Jesus is the word, there are several scriptures which tell us to eat the word, I do not have them memorized.
If Jesus is the word, the word was made flesh, the flesh is bread, then we have the bread of life and the word in Jesus.
or in reverse:
bread = flesh of Jesus = God's word
