FINDING PLACE

The gospel of John is a powerful book in the Bible. It has what the other three gospels don’t have on many comparisons (for example: three mention the Lord’s Supper and John only covers the foot washing part of the ceremony). In the last part of John 6 we have the ‘Bread of Life’ teaching where Jesus compares the ‘manna in the wilderness’ (Exodus 16) to himself being ‘the bread that came down from heaven’ (6:30-33). Nine more times in John 6 Jesus mentions that he is the bread of life… the bread that came down out of heaven.

It all changes when Jesus begins to tell the crowd they must ‘eat his flesh and drink his blood’ (6:53-58). It is a parabolic proclamation of being able to see beyond some simple cannibalistic idea to the sacrificed life that would give life and nourishment to the inner person and by so doing we could have eternal life. This internal/eternal life could give purpose to all else in our life including place. We know who we are and how we got here.

This event caused many to leave the Jesus Movement of John 6: “As a result of this many of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore (6:66). This was not unlike Orpah, Ruth’s sister in law in Naomi and Ruth’s story of leaving Moab and going to Bethlehem: “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods” (Ruth 1:15). Jesus then asks his disciples: “Do you want to leave, too?” (6:67).

It is Peter who answers the famous reply: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life” (6:68). Finding a place is finding a person.

“It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh doesn’t give life. The words I told you are spirit, and they give life.” Jesus