One common theme from today’s Scripture Readings (Acts 9:1-20: John 6:52-59) is to have Jesus living in us. Having Jesus living within is necessary to be raised by Jesus at the eschaton and to enjoy eternal life, eating his flesh in the species of the Living Bread from heaven. And, as in Paul’s (Saul) case, God may directly strike a sinner to die to his or her sin and be born with Jesus living within, filled with the Holy Spirit.
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Following yesterday’s Gospel Reading (John 6:44-51), today’s Gospel Reading (John
6:52-59), starts with the immediate reaction to Jesus’ statement below:
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 6:51).
Jesus meant that he is the Living Bread of Life to
be eaten because he came to this world as the ultimate sacrifice. Because he
came to offer himself up as the sacrifice to atone for us with God, we will
live, not to die. However, those who heard this twisted its meaning and began
to think that Jesus was promoting cannibalism (John 6:52).
To this Jesus threw even more powerful words to
them:
Amen,
amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his
blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my
blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is
true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my
blood remains in me and I in him (John 6:53-57).
Eating the flesh of Jesus in this context is not
cannibalism. By eating his flesh in the species of bread, as the Living Bread
of Life, you take it to your inside, your inner being – your soul, so that it become
life within you (John 6:53). It means that Jesus, the Living Bread of Life,
will be living in you, and you in him (John 6:55). Later during the Last
Supper, Jesus reiterated this, saying:
In
a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I
live and you will live. On that day, you will realize that I am in my father
and you are in me and I in you (John 14:19-20).
When Jesus is offered up as the sacrifice on the
Cross, the world would not see him (thinking he is dead and buried for good)
but those who believe, including the disciples, would see him (again) realizing
that he is living in the Father and we were in him, while he is in us.
Jesus is the Living Bread of Life for our
resurrection and eternal life – for us to live eternal life as Jesus does. For
this, the Theos-Logos (God-Word)
(John 1:1) was incarnated (John 1:14) in the human flesh of Jesus in Mary’s
womb by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:18). Because this
incarnation set for him to be eaten as the Living Bread of Life (John 6:51),
Jesus was placed in a manger, which is a feeding trough, when he was born of
Mary (Luke 2:7). The manger was the bread basket for our eternal life. And,
this bread for eternal life, was made available upon Jesus’ sacrificial death
on the Cross.
When he identified as the Bread of Life for the
first time, Jesus said that those who eat this bread will never be hungry and
never thirst (John 6:35), evoking the living water from Jesus (John 4:14). Now,
Jesus speaks not only of his flesh but also of his blood for eternal life and
resurrection of those who eat his flesh, which is true food, and drink his blood, which is true blood
(John 6:54-55). Now Jesus offers not only the living water (John 4:14) but also
the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48), which is from heaven (John 6:41), the Living
Bread of Life from heaven, offered as the sacrifice to atone the sin of the
world (John 5:51; cf. John 1:29).
The Living Bread of Life leads to our resurrection
and eternal life because eating of it, eating of the flesh of Jesus, will let
him live in us, as we are in him, who is living forever, verified with his
Resurrection, because of the Father, who sent him from heaven (John 6:56-57).
Jesus is the Living Bread of Life, the very food for eternal life to us,
because he was sent by and from the Living Father (John 6:57).
Then, Jesus reiterate what he has said in John 6:32,
49-50, contrasting the Living Bread of Life to the manna during Exodus (John
6:58; cf. Exodus 16:1-35).
This Christological mysterious truth behind Jesus’
fourth sign: multiplying five loaves of barley bread and two fish to feed the
multitude of at least 5,000 (John 6:1-15) and the flesh of Jesus being the
Living Bread of Life to be eaten for eternal life (John 6:51) is to prompt us
to recognize Jesus as the incarnated invisible God to feed us for our
resurrection and eternal life, by living in us, as we in him. This is a result of listening to and learning
from God (John 6:45)
We read this Johannine Gospel narrative from Jesus’
Living Bread of Life discourse on Friday, though we abstain from consuming meat
on all Fridays before 1966 and Lenten Fridays, remembering Jesus died on
Friday. On Friday of the Third Week of
Paschaltide, we read the Gospel text where Jesus invites us to eat his flesh
for resurrection and eternal life (John 6:51). And, we eat his flesh as we
receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist also on Fridays. This is also
something to reflect in terms of the flesh of Jesus that comes to us in the
species of bread, the Living Bread of Life, given to us to be eaten for us to
live – to live eternally through resurrection. And this shall help us not to
misinterpret John 6:51 as Jesus’ statement to promote cannibalism.
Today’s First Reading (Acts 9:1-20), and it is about
Saul’s (Paul) conversion and baptism. It is a narrative of Saul, becoming Paul,
not only about his conversion of hear heart but also his transformation into an
apostle, through Jesus’ personal apparition to him.
Because of the Holy-Spirit-filled apostles and
deacons, like Peter, John, Stephen, and Philip, the nascent Church was growing
rapidly. However, this also attracted oppression and persecution from the
Sanhedrin, which conspired Pilate to put Jesus to death. The Sanhedrin arrested and put Peter and John
in inquisition. They executed Stephen. And, Saul was involved in Stephen’s
execution as his mission before his conversion was to hunt down followers of
Jesus’s way, whether they were official members of the growing Church or not,
so that they would be tried and punished by the Sanhedrin. The Romans permitted the Sanhedrin to exert
its power of the Judaic law on Jews not only in Judea but on diaspora Jews
outside Judea. That is why Saul was on his way to catch Christianized Jews in
Damascus.
Saul (Paul) was “fishing” for the Sanhedrin that had
the Roman governor put Jesus to death.
He was authorized to “fish” Christians (members of the Way (of Jesus))
in Damascus. But, after his conversion and baptism, Paul went on “fishing” for
Jesus as another fisher of people, filled with and empowered by the Holy
Spirit, on three mission journeys before he journeyed to Rome to consummate his
mission for Jesus.
According to Acts 9:3, Saul was suddenly stricken by
the lightening from the sky and knocked out of his horse, while he was on his
way to “fish” believers of Jesus in Damascus. And, Jesus made his personal
apparition to Saul and said:
Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting me? (Acts 9:4)
When he spoke to Saul, Jesus identified himself in
union with his followers, whom Paul was persecuting. It is because Jesus lives in those who have
eaten his flesh in the Living Bread of Life, therefore, living in each of them
(John 6:56; cf. John 14:20). Therefore, persecuting them also means persecuting
Jesus, again, even after his suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus, whose life is eternal as he has
preexisted before the Creation, continued to live not only in the Father, as
the Father in him, but also in those who were drawn to him by God, believing in
him and eating his flesh and drinking his blood.
Saul was at loss as to whose voice it was to ask
him, “Why are you persecuting me?”, so he asked who he was. And, Jesus
answered:
I
am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you
will be told what you must do (Acts 9:5b-6).
The voice of Jesus was heard not only by Saul but
also by his associates, who were traveling to Damascus with him, but they could
not see anyone (Acts 9:7). This phenomenon evokes the Transfiguration, in which
Jesus’s face shone like the sun and he was in the bright white light, and God
the Father spoke from heaven but not to be seen (i.e. Matthew 17:1-11).
Jesus in his apparition commanded Saul to get up and
go to be told what he must do to prepare Saul for his baptism and
commissioning. But, Saul was blind for
three days. So, his associate had to lead Saul by hand to Damascus (Acts
9:8-9).
Then, God assigned Ananias in Damascus to reach out
to Saul, who was staying in the house of Judas, who was from Tarsus, which is
also where Saul was from (Acts 9:11). In the meantime, Judas was praying and
saw a vision that Ananias come to his house and lay his hands on Saul,
resulting in restoration of Saul’s vision (Acts 9:12). But, Ananias was afraid
of Saul, as he had heard so many terrible things done by him under the
authority of the chief priests (Acts 9:13).
Ananias was afraid to reach out to Saul. But, God
nevertheless pressed him on mission to help Saul, saying:
Go,
for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles,
kings, and Israelites, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my
name (Acts 9:15-16).
God declared to make Saul, who used persecute His
Son, Jesus, by arresting and executing his followers, His instrument, as well
as “suffering servant”, to reach out to the Gentiles in His name. So, Ananias
overcame his fear of Saul, trusting God, and ministered to him.
Reaching out to Saul, Ananias said to him, on behalf
of God:
Saul,
my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which
you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit
(Acts 9:17).
Then, immediately, Saul’s sight was restored, and he
was baptized. Thus was Saul’s conversion, completed with his baptism. And, after his physical strength was
restored, Saul began his mission as God’s instrument, proclaiming Jesus as the
Son of God (Acts 9:18-20).
Overall, today’s First Reading (Acts 9:1-20), describes how Paul (Saul) died to sin and was born again to God, as His instrument, with Jesus living in him (Romans 6:11; Galatians 2:20). Saul the tyrant was crucified when the lightening from heaven stroke him down from his horse , being dead for three days (Acts 9:3-9) , and was born again as he was filled with the Holy Spirit, having Jesus living in him, while evil in him was scraped out, as Ananias ministered to him, laying his hands on him and speaking of Jesus, and baptized him (Acts 9:17-18). Saul died and was born again with the Holy Spirit because God chose him to serve as His instrument to “fish” for Jesus – not for the Sanhedrin.
From today’s Readings (Acts 9:1-20; John 6:52-59),
we know: One way to have Jesus living in us is by eating his flesh in the
species of the Living Bread of Life, upon being drawn to Jesus by listening to
and learning from God, as Jesus said (John 6:45-57). Another way to have Jesus
living in us, as in the case of Saul (Paul), is to die to sin (to crucify with
Jesus) and be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:3-18).
Is Jesus living in you?
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