Word to the Wise
Saturday, May 10, 2014 - 3rd Week of Easter - Sat
[Acts 9:31-42 and John 6:60-69]Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."
The long sixth chapter in the Gospel of John comes to an end with this climactic scene. Other disciples have abandoned Jesus because either they cannot accept him as the one revealed by God (the "bread of life" sent in place of the manna) or they cannot accept Jesus as he gives himself in flesh and blood - the Eucharist.
It is important to remember that the evangelist is telling the story many years after Jesus' death and resurrection and that the situation in the church at the time of the writing was not the same as the situation at the time of the event being described. Both have an influence on what was written. Debates about Jesus' true identity [Christology] would continue for centuries after the writing of the gospel. The church, with the Holy Spirit working in the minds and hearts of believers, gradually developed a coherent body of understanding and interpretation. At certain points, "creeds" would be composed as compact statements of faith. The acceptance of certain documents as true reflections of that faith led to the development of the Bible. It was only at the Council of Trent [1545-1561] that a final decision about the "canon of scripture" was made!
If we believe that Jesus has the words of eternal life and that he is the Holy One of God, we must accept also the witness of those who have gone before us. We may stand on their shoulders, but we still have our own decisions to make. The Gospel of John [and the other gospels as well] were written: ..."[T]hat you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name." [John 20:31]
AMEN