"41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. "
Jesus knows what they're grumbling about and shuts it down. Again placing the focus on YHWH.
"45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father."
Again Jesus seems clear that there are some who will "come to" Him, and that the reason they do is because of YHWH. Conversely, not all will "come to" Him.
"47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life."
Again, He repeats the fact that there will be "eternal life".
"48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”"
Back to bread as a metaphor for salvation. Contrasting between the physical bread in Exodus, and the "spiritual" bread of Christ. Again, He confirms "Heaven". As well as some sort of "life" after we die on earth.
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread[c] the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus[d] said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum."
This is a little repetitive, but Jesus continues to hammer home the theme of a bread that is greater than the Bread He provided or the Manna in the wilderness. He also repeats the teaching of a general resurrection on the "last day" and that those who follow Him will "live forever".
"The Words of Eternal Life"
It's right there in the section title.
"60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”"
Jesus repeats the fact that He has been sent from "Heaven" by YHWH and is the "Son of Man" prophesied in Daniel (?). He's crystal clear that "the flesh is no help at all.", which would seem to shoot down any notions that "good" is a result of our actions or that the gospel is about what we can do in "the flesh" to help others needs/wants "of the flesh". Finally, He repeats Himself that "no one comes to Him unless it is granted by the Father". Sounds a lot like what folks now call predestination, and nothing like a gospel that relies on our efforts.
"66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him."
Which makes the point that not everyone who hears Jesus will "follow" Him.
"67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,"
Back with that pesky "eternal life" thing again.
"69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray."
One last assurance that Jesus is "the Holy One of YHWH", and the Jesus "chose" them, including Judas even knowing that Judas would betray Him.
This passage contains ample evidence that Jesus publicly taught that there was an afterlife, which was eternal. That salvation was not through being good or not committing major sins, but that it was given by YHWH. Finally, it calls into doubt the efficacy of building a gospel based solely or primarily on meeting the physical needs of favored demographic groups. I'm sure it's possible to come up with some bizarre perversion of Jesus' clear and direct public teachings in this passage, but the hermenutical gymnastics necessary to demonstrate that Jesus meant something that is totally contradictory to what He plainly said.
2 comments:
Eating His flesh??? Don't you know how crazy that sounds?
There's so much in Scripture which "sounds crazy" to the uninitiated, to the unschooled and certainly to the unsaved. Eternal reward or punishment is just another crazy sounding truth.
Of course it does. Yet, with the tiniest bit of effort, it actually makes perfect sense. The problem is that too many people don't want to put in the effort, or are unable to understand. In the context of Sin against an all powerful, all knowing, eternal God, the eternality of reward/punishment makes more sense.
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