August
20, 2000
John 6:51-58 (CEV)
[Jesus is talking about himself being the bread of heaven] "I
am that bread from heaven! Everyone who eats it will live forever.
My flesh is the life-giving bread that I give to the people of
this world."
They started arguing with each other and asked, "How can
he give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus answered: "I tell you for certain that you won't live
unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man.
But if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal
life, and I will raise you to life on the last day. My flesh is
the true food, and my blood is the true drink. If you eat my flesh
and drink my blood, you are one with me, and I am one with you.
"The living Father sent me, and I have life because of him.
Now everyone who eats my flesh will live because of me. The bread
that comes down from heaven isn't like what your ancestors ate.
They died, but whoever eats this bread will live forever."
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1.
At different times in church history this whole section has been
variously seen as having a specifically Eucharistic focus or as
being quite metaphoric. The bias we come to this material with
will shape the way in which we hear it and wrestle meaning from
it. An important question is, "how do you see this whole
talk about bread and heaven and flesh and blood and eternal life
and last day?
2.
One picture is that of Jesus pointing to where he has found his
source of strength and hope -- eating GOD. The "living Father"
is the source of Jesus' life in all its fullness. The life of
Jesus (flesh and blood) is the source of our life in all its fullness.
In finding this source of "eternity" for ourselves we
are bold to be willing to offer what we have that others might
find their way through this same stream to life in all its fullness
for themselves.
GOD ---> Jesus ---> you and me ---> others ---> all
---> GOD
3.
When we have found fullness of life we have found the source of
the rhythm of eternity. This source is never easy to experience
or to hold onto as it is part of the living GOD. So this conversation
about bread and flesh reminds us to hold lightly to the certainties
of the past lest they turn life into law and we think we know
what such mystery is about. The danger here is that we turn our
meaning into meaning for all and today's meaning into tomorrow's.
I choose the metaphor approach. How about you?