Word to the Wise
Thursday, May 8, 2014 - 3rd Week of Easter - Thurs
[Acts 8:26-40 and John 6:44-51]"Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancesters ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world." [John]
If one reads the "bread of life discourse" carefully, the verses quoted above are where one may find a shift in the teaching from "bread" as revelation of Jesus as the one sent by God to "bread" as the way Jesus will give himself to us as food for eternal life! There are two different meanings of "bread" here but they overlap in the sense that both speak of experiencing eternal life in the present time and not simply after human death! It is the second meaning that will cause quite a bit of reaction, as we will see tomorrow!
The idea of experiencing eternal life NOW by believing in Jesus and by "eating his flesh and drinking his blood" is what scripture scholars call "realized eschatology." "Eschatology" refers to the events at the end of time when creation comes to an end. Most Christians would generally accept the idea of living a good life now so that one may enjoy "eternal life" after death and judgment. The idea that we might experience that "eternal life" in "this life" is not as prominent in our thinking. Yes, we can experience "communion" with the Lord but "eternal life now" seems a contradiction in terms! Our faith and our "communion" are, nevertheless, an experience of the timeless One. If we take a moment to go back to the "prologue" to the Gospel of John, we will find this theme already expressed. If we have to struggle a bit to understand how all this is possible, we are very much a part of the audience reaction which will be difficult tomorrow! AMEN