THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS, THE CHRIST AND THE SON OF GOD, ACCORDING TO JOHN. Manfred Diefenbach

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СКАЧАТЬ the “appeal” of a person (cf. John 12:32 [; 21:6, 11]) – for the relationship between Jesus and the believers who believe in Jesus, but we do not believe in Him but in God (cf. 12:44). In the context of the monotheistic discussion we have to read this passage according to “John” that God “the Father” is the first ONE who “sent” (in Greek “pempo”⁵⁷² in vv. 38c, 39a, 44b) Jesus (in the world [in Greek “kósmos”]). Jesus is like His messenger for us – on earth and in Heaven “on the last day” (vv. 39c, 40c, 44c, 54c and 12:48) – our resurrection (cf. v. 54c and 11:24).

      v. 45: The Fourth Evangelist comments with help of the prophets Isaiah 54:13a (LXX) and Jeremiah 31:33–34: They will “all be taught by God” (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:9) about Jesus in a universal way through Him, our teacher/Master/exegete/catechist – the nourishment of God’s (eschatological) word (cf., for example, Deuteronomy 8:3; Amos 8:11; Jeremiah 11:16; Wisdom 16:26).

      v. 46: In the same pre-existential sense of John 1:18 or especially 12:45, Jesus is the presence of the heavenly “God” (v. 46a) on earth (cf. 7:29; 9:16, 33; 17:7) like the “Son” of God⁵⁷³ (v. 40b) as “revealer” – note especially the verb “horáo” in verse 46a, c and in 14:9– of the “Father” (v. 46a, c – note the chiastic structure⁵⁷⁴). This statement has to be a scandal in the ears of the Jewish people – blasphemy (cf., for example, 10:36).

      v. 47: The basis/precondition for the life-giving (to “have eternal life” in vv. 40b, 47b, 54a₂ and in John 3:15–16, 36; 5:24, 39[; 10:10; 20:31]; 1 John 3:15; 5:13) is the continual faith/belief of the believers in Him (cf. vv. 29c, 35d, 40b, 47b and John 3:15–16, 36; 5:24).

      v. 48: The phrase of self-revelation mentions again the topic: “I am the Bread of Life” in verse 35b as “eternal life” (vv. 40b, 47b, 54a₂). So He shares His life with those who believe in Him. He is essential for our life.

      Verses 49–51 show the alternative as a contrast – eternal death versus eternal life⁵⁷⁵ – with the help of an antithetic parallelism⁵⁷⁶:

      v. 49: In the past, the Jewish “fathers”/ancestors (v. 48a) “died” (vv. 49b, 50c) in spite of “eating ( ) the manna” (in Greek “mánna” in vv. 31a, 49, [58c]) “(in the desert)” (cf. Exodus 16:16–18, 21–26) as physical and temporal food.

      v. 50: Now, however, Jesus is the “Bread from Heaven” (vv. 33a, 41c, 51b) and the “Bread of Life” (vv. 35b, 48, 51a) which “you /may/ eat” (vv. 49a, 50c) “and /do/ not die” (vv. 49b, 50c)

      v. 51: and you “will live forever” (vv. 51c, 58e – in others words: You have “eternal life” (vv. 27b, 40c, 47b, 51d, 54a₂, 58e) – note the parallelism⁵⁷⁷ in verses 50a–c and 51a–c. He has finished the lack of eating, drinking, dying⁵⁷⁸. God, our Father in “Heaven”, had given the manna as His life-giving food to the ancestors in the desert, but Jesus, His Son, is more: He, the “Son of Man” (v. 53c) is the real, “personal life-giver” for the believers in Him. The life-giver is also the giving/gift of God in Jesus⁵⁷⁹. This gift, the “eternal life”, based on the personal relationship/faith/belief in Him (cf. vv. 29c, 35d, 40b, 47b and John 3:15–16, 36; 5:24), the teacher, helper and guide like a “Good Shepherd” (cf. 10:11–21).

      In a nutshell, verses 51 and 58 are a summary of the (Eucharistic) discourse “Bread from Heaven” in verse 31c. The main points in verses 51 and 58 are as listed below:

      v. 51a: Jesus is (“I am”⁵⁸⁰ – cf. Exodus 3:14 in the sense of JHWH) the “Bread” (vv. 41b, 58a – note the inclusion here!) “of Life” (vv. 35b, 48), “the (living⁵⁸¹) bread ( )” (cf. v. 51a);

      v. 51b: The “manna” respectively Jesus has “come down from Heaven”⁵⁸² (vv. 33a, 41c₂–d, 50a₂–b, 51a₂–b, 58a₂–b). Once God gave Moses the manna for the Jewish forefathers in the desert⁵⁸³ (cf. vv. 31a–c, 32c–d, 49, 58a–d). However, Jesus, the “Son of Man” (vv. 27e, 53c, 62a), the “son of Joseph” (v. 42b), and “Son of God” (cf. v. 40a), gave His life for the life of “the world”/people (cf. vv. 33, 51g) like the “Lamb of God” (cf. 1:29, 36).

      And the new main points of His speech are:

      v. 51c: He gives “eternal life”⁵⁸⁴ (cf. vv. 27b, 40c, 47b, 51d, 54a₂, 58d);

      v. 51d: Jesus identifies/personifies His “flesh”⁵⁸⁵ (cf. vv. 51–55 and 1:13–14) with the “Bread from Heaven” “for the (life) of the world ( )” (cf. vv. 14, 33 and John 15:13) – “pro nobis” (in Greek “hupér” in v. 51d and Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24).

      + Jesus’ Eucharistic⁵⁸⁶ Discourse as a Monologue (vv. 52–58/59)

      The significant words in verses 52–58 are “flesh’, “blood”, “eat” and “drink”. The “flesh”/“body” of Jesus in biblical language signify the person of Jesus, the “son of Joseph” (v. 42b). The reference is not to the physical “flesh” (in Greek “sárx” in vv. 51g, 52b, 53c, 54a, 55a, 56a, 63b) and “blood” (in Greek “aῖma” in vv. 53d, 54a, 55b, 56a – cf. Leviticus 7:26–27) of the earthly Jesus, but to the spiritual, Spirit-filled “flesh” and “blood” of the heavenly “Son of Man”. The Eucharist as “the sacramental body” of Jesus, is the real heavenly bread which God gives to human beings/us, as spiritual nourishment for the eternal life, and everlasting being with Jesus: Someone “stays in Me and I in him” (v. 56b) – in Saint Augustine’s words (13^th November 354–28^th August 430 A.D.):

      “To be what you see and receive what you are” (Sermon 272) “and to live as the ‘body of Christ’ so that their Amen will be true”. In other words:

      “Receive what you are – ‘body of Christ’/‘corpus Christi’ so that

      you become what you receive – ‘body of Christ’/‘corpus Christi’”.

      # The Question of “the Jews” (v. 52)

      Jesus will give His own “flesh” for “the life of the world” (v. 51g). In the ears of the Jewish people, this is the next scandal – note the verb “máchomaɩ”⁵⁸⁷ in verse 52a (cf., for example, Exodus 17:2). The Jews’ misunderstanding⁵⁸⁸ of Jesus’ self-revelation leads to their third protest (cf. vv. 28b–c, 41a–42e) and intervention in the form of an inquiry: “How can this” man– “the son of Joseph” (v. 42b) – “( ) give (us) [His] flesh [ ] /to/ eat”⁵⁸⁹?

      # Jesus’ Answer (vv. 53–58)

      v. 53: In the description of the Eucharist as “eating flesh” and “drinking blood”, “flesh and blood” is a Hebrew idiom for the whole person (v. 42b). In this way, the “sacramental communion is a personal communion (encounter) with Jesus who shares his life and the life СКАЧАТЬ