On Line Bible Study - For the Week April 30-May 6, 2012

Lesson 534

(We are considering John 6:60-71.  The full chapter can be found by clicking here.)

John 6:   ⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”  ⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?  ⁶² Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!  ⁶³ The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.

We come to the end of this Sixth Chapter of John and are confronted with "words of life" that drive many of the disciples of Jesus away.  The 'hard teaching' has to do with what Jesus has told them: I am the living bread ... if anyone eats this bread he will live forever.  And the bread that I shall give is my own flesh for the life of the world.

This crowd is a 'murmuring' one - they murmured (grumbled) in Verse 41 and here again in 61.  What exactly are they grumbling about?  Is it that Jesus claimed to be the "bread of life"?  Or is it that he told them this 'bread' was his flesh?  Or did it have to do with the notion of their having to eat his flesh?

The "hard teaching" is a phrase that can be translated as referring to something that is offensive.  It can also mean that something is fantastic, hard to believe because it stretches the limits of the possible.  Theologians debated whether John 6 insisted upon the "real presence" of the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, or is it the "Spirit" that gives life?

Is the "hard teaching" a reference back to Verse 41 ... ⁴¹ At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

So here is another take on the problem - that Jesus claims to have "come down from heaven".  In this case, it would be an example of the adage: Familiarity breeds contempt.

It seems as if some folks will grasp at any reason in order not to believe in Jesus or to discredit him.
Jesus seems to suggest that his ascension will help them understand who he is and what he is about.  Recall that, in his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus insinuates there will be clarity once he has gone into heaven - No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven - the Son of Man (John 3:13).

Many of the disciples "turned back and no longer followed him" ... and Jesus turned to the Twelve - the first time in the gospel this group of men is referred to in that manner - wondering if they will leave, too.
To whom shall we go? says Peter. 
To whom, indeed.  That's the question, isn't it?

On Line Bible Study - For the Week April 23-29, 2012

Lesson 533

John 6:   ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”  (52-59.)

Our focus this week is on John 6:51-59.  The entire chapter of John 6 is available by clicking the link above.  Verse 51 sets the stage with stark clarity.  It's one thing for Jesus to say I am the bread of life.  It's quite another thing to say what he does in John 6:51.

This chapter is laden with imagery - recall in the verse 4 we are told The Jewish Passover Festival was near.  This is immediately followed by Jesus miraculously feeding the hungry crowds. Jesus realized they wanted to crown him "king", so he withdrew to a place alone.  Then, he walks on the water.  The crowd sees he is gone - then catches up with him.  The crowds, looking for a "sign", mention the manna that Moses provided for their ancestors.  This leads the chapter in the direction of the prolonged discussion regarding "bread".

Jesus has already said in John 6:35 - I am the bread of life.  In verses 35-50 the emphasis is on belief.  In verses 51ff, Jesus gives a very different perspective - the "bread" that he offers is his flesh.

There is some debate as to whether this passage (verses 51-59) is a much later addition by an editor (or redactor).  It seems to reflect the later Eucharistic understanding in the church. 

Some have used this text to argue the necessity of receiving the Eucharist always with both the bread and the wine.  I think Raymond Brown offers another point of view - to "eat the flesh and drink the blood" is to say that we can not go "half way" with Jesus, any more than you can "sort of" fly in an airplane, or "sort of" get wet when you jump in the pool.  We must take in the message of Jesus in its entirety.  Compare verse 35 with verse 51:

John 6:35:  I myself am the bread of life.  No one who comes to me whall ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me shall ever again be thirsty.

 

John 6:51:  I myself am the living bread that comes down from heaven.  If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever...

It's not just faith - or belief; now one must injest (and digest?) the full meaning of Jesus' ministry.  Is that what we are doing when we receive Holy Communion?

We have one more lesson in Chapter Six before moving on.

On Line Bible Study - For the Week April 16-22, 2012

Lesson 532

John 6: ³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Click on the above text for the Sixth Chapter of John's Gospel. We are considering Verses 35-50.

Have you ever murmured?

The verses we are looking at today are commonly related to three events:

1. The Christian Eucharist.
2. The Passover.
3. Israel receiving the manna in the wilderness.
   

Perhaps we have to get beyond the 'literal' in each case to find a deeper meaning. Ultimately, the text is not about bread. It is not about physical life. It is about what life means when Jesus provides the nourishment.

In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible (called the Septuagint), the word used to translate Exodus 16:2 - In the desert the whole community grumbled ...is the same word we find in John 6:41 and 43 - Jesus tells the people: stop grumbling. The Israelites 'grumbled' (or murmured) because they did not have food to eat. I have never been hungry for very long, and I've never had to worry that I might not have my next meal due to lack of resources; so I have to be careful in my criticism of a people who suddenly find themselves in the wilderness with no survival skills.

BUT ... and there is always a 'but' - I do grumble. I complain about all sorts of things, and at times I wonder about myself: Just how authentic is my relationship with Jesus? The manna, the bread, the Passover - all these are meant to show us that there is more to life than what satiates the body.

John is pushing a message hard in this passage. When the people of Israel first encountered the manna, they asked: What is it? (Exodus 16:15.) Moses replied: It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. Jesus references this wilderness moment. Consider ...
John 6: ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven ...

The question: What is it? now becomes Who are you? (See John 6:42.)

Jesus will answer that question, but with an entirely new twist. That's where we pick up next time.

On Line Bible Study - For the Week April 9-15, 2012

Lesson 531

John 6: ²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

³⁰ So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

³² Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

This passage is a transition from the miracle of the feeding of the multitude to a larger teaching that we will consider in our next lesson. For today, let's look at how the evangelist sets the stage.

John Shelby Spong, an author whose work often generates as much heat as it does light, suggests that the Gospel of John should be read through the lens of "heightened consciousness" rather than an incarnate deity. (Bishop Spong's book where he makes this comment is called Eternal Life: A New Vision.) In other words, Jesus' own awareness develops over time to recognize the presence of the divine in distinctive - though not exclusive - ways.

The notion of a heightened or emerging consciousness has some traction - not only for the Christ, but for the nameless crowds as well as the identified disciples who follow him around. The text we have before us today poses the question: What exactly are you looking for? Put another way, one could ask: What is it that you hope to find?

I'm writing this piece on Tuesday, April 10 - and in today's NY Times there is an editorial about a man who was the food critic for the Times - a man who had it all. In a recent biography, however, another side of this man emerges - a side that is unhappy, discontent, addictive. Columnist Frank Bruni says of the story of the life of Craig Claiborne: His tale is a sad reminder: happiness has less to do with achievement than with perspective.

Father Raymond Brown's commentary on this passage highlights the question the crowds ask of Jesus: When did you get here? John may be asking the question on several levels, not the least of which is the level of Jesus' own awareness. When does Jesus become "messiah"? Both the Christ and the crowd are working on this question. In this passage the people address Jesus as "Rabbi" - that is, teacher. It's one thing to be a worker of signs; it's another thing to be a teacher of lessons. And, it's quite another thing to be a savior of souls.

Another interesting question is raised here: What are the works God requires? Jesus tells them to do the work of faith - believe in the one God has sent.

The text goes full circle now - the people want a sign! Wasn't the feeding of the multitude enough?

An "emerging consciousness" requires a new perspective. "Achievement" is the "works" - what must we do? "Perspective" is the "faith" - what must we be open to believing? For us to receive what Jesus has to offer, we have to do as Jesus does - believe. If we don't believe, what he has to say in our next lesson won't make much sense.

On Line Bible Study - For the Week April 2-8, 2012

Lesson 530

John 6: ¹⁶ When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷ where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸ A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. ¹⁹ When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. ²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” ²¹ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

²² The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. ²³ Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴ Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

We will make two points and a referral in this lesson.

Point #1: Jesus, having multiplied the fish and loaves, now walks on water. If we compare how John tells this story to the way it is told in Mark 6:45 ff and Matthew 14:22ff, we see some interesting differences.

• There is no reference in John to Jesus calming any storm or quieting the wind.
• Once Jesus is in the boat they immediately arrive at their destination. This seems to be the miracle for John.
  

The emphasis is on the "I Am" of Jesus. When Jesus says in this gospel: "It is I," it is more than simple identification. We will talk more about this when we discuss passages in John 8:58, and chapters 10 and 15.

Point #2: In John's Gospel, the crowd that had been fed follows Jesus. There is some wonder involved as the people recall there was only one boat, and that Jesus had not gotten into it with his disciples. (Recalling the previous lesson, notice the reference to the bread and 'giving thanks'.) Jesus has sparked something in them - an appetite, but for bread only?

Referral: There is an excellent web site in which you can read the gospels side by side and easily compare stories between the gospels. We call this "Gospel Parallels". You might find it useful in your consideration of the texts.