John 6:35-40
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away, for I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.”
This will be (I think) the last in this current series of discussions looking into John’s Gospel and what makes it so often different from the Synoptic gospels. This has not been the usual bible study format, going verse by verse in the order written. Instead, we’ve somewhat randomly taken specific points of interest and delved a little more deeply than usual into those particular points.
I’ve left today’s subject to last because I think it may well be the most important for us. We are a people of Bread and Cup and our Table Theology lies at the heart of most everything we do. Our gathering at table and the words of institution are central to our worship – and yet these words did not appear anywhere in John’s gospel. They do appear in each of the synoptics:
But, again, none of this is included in John’s gospel account. In all four accounts Jesus and his disciples are in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this is the only Passover mentioned and Jesus’ only appearance in Jerusalem. Again, John is different. Three separate Passover celebrations are mentioned here and this is apparently, Jesus’ third visit.
After the triumphal entry into Jerusalem -- which begins the final week of Jesus’ human life -- there was a meal -- it is mentioned, barely – John’s scripture simply says there was a meal. And for the writer of John, apparently, the most important thing that happened at this meal was Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. The rest of the evening is taken up with Jesus’ long discourse as he tries to squeeze in all that he still needs to say to his followers before his inevitable betrayal and arrest.
So – what – if anything, does all this have to tell us about our table theology? We have four gospels – three of them place a strong emphasis on the institution of Holy Communion – one does not. Does that in any way invalidate our gathering at the table? I don’t think so – different places, different times.
We’ve recognized before that time and distance strongly affect what scripture has to offer us today. There is some lack of agreement as to which of the four gospels was the last written. For a long time most mainline scholars believed John was the last gospel written, but in more recent years there has been a strong argument put forth the John was next to last and Luke was the latest gospel.
Mark was written first, possibly as early as 30 years after Jesus’ with death, with Matthew following another decade or two later and John and Luke another two or three decades more. The point being that there was a lot of time between Jesus’ death and any of them being written down. It is totally unreasonable to expect that they could all four have chosen exactly the same moments to record. Even the synoptics, similar as they can be, differ widely in a great many ways.
Add to this that John’s community lived at some geographical remove from Jerusalem, which was the physical center of the growing Christian faith. His stories grew out of a community that had different sources for their shared Jesus stories, a community that faced different challenges and likely shared different ethnicities.
We today read scripture with an additional 2000 years of interpretation adding to (or perhaps confusing) our understanding. We read trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us and trusting, as well, our own gut reactions to what we read, our own understanding of this Jesus person – and we trust God to speak to us fairly and honestly, showing us all we need to see and hear to live our lives as God would have us lead them.
We read Mark and Matthew. We read Luke and John, and we hear – through each of them -- that we are loved – and that is the most important message of all.
One Bread, one Body, one trusting, sharing people.
I’ve left today’s subject to last because I think it may well be the most important for us. We are a people of Bread and Cup and our Table Theology lies at the heart of most everything we do. Our gathering at table and the words of institution are central to our worship – and yet these words did not appear anywhere in John’s gospel. They do appear in each of the synoptics:
- Mark 14:22-24 While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
- Matthew 26:26-29 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
- Luke 22:14-20 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God … Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
But, again, none of this is included in John’s gospel account. In all four accounts Jesus and his disciples are in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this is the only Passover mentioned and Jesus’ only appearance in Jerusalem. Again, John is different. Three separate Passover celebrations are mentioned here and this is apparently, Jesus’ third visit.
After the triumphal entry into Jerusalem -- which begins the final week of Jesus’ human life -- there was a meal -- it is mentioned, barely – John’s scripture simply says there was a meal. And for the writer of John, apparently, the most important thing that happened at this meal was Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. The rest of the evening is taken up with Jesus’ long discourse as he tries to squeeze in all that he still needs to say to his followers before his inevitable betrayal and arrest.
So – what – if anything, does all this have to tell us about our table theology? We have four gospels – three of them place a strong emphasis on the institution of Holy Communion – one does not. Does that in any way invalidate our gathering at the table? I don’t think so – different places, different times.
We’ve recognized before that time and distance strongly affect what scripture has to offer us today. There is some lack of agreement as to which of the four gospels was the last written. For a long time most mainline scholars believed John was the last gospel written, but in more recent years there has been a strong argument put forth the John was next to last and Luke was the latest gospel.
Mark was written first, possibly as early as 30 years after Jesus’ with death, with Matthew following another decade or two later and John and Luke another two or three decades more. The point being that there was a lot of time between Jesus’ death and any of them being written down. It is totally unreasonable to expect that they could all four have chosen exactly the same moments to record. Even the synoptics, similar as they can be, differ widely in a great many ways.
Add to this that John’s community lived at some geographical remove from Jerusalem, which was the physical center of the growing Christian faith. His stories grew out of a community that had different sources for their shared Jesus stories, a community that faced different challenges and likely shared different ethnicities.
We today read scripture with an additional 2000 years of interpretation adding to (or perhaps confusing) our understanding. We read trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us and trusting, as well, our own gut reactions to what we read, our own understanding of this Jesus person – and we trust God to speak to us fairly and honestly, showing us all we need to see and hear to live our lives as God would have us lead them.
We read Mark and Matthew. We read Luke and John, and we hear – through each of them -- that we are loved – and that is the most important message of all.
One Bread, one Body, one trusting, sharing people.
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