Commentary
Food of Eternal Life
Most scholars today agree that the Gospel According to John
was written no earlier than the year 90 AD
[1]. That
was at least 60 or even 70 years after the death of Jesus [2].
By this time, many of the first-hand witnesses, such as the
Apostles, the disciples, and the devout women mentioned in the life of Jesus,
had died.
For the Jewish people, they had also experienced the
terrible destruction of their nation and the Temple. Many Jews died in the tragic events in the
year 70.
To both the writer and the community the Gospel of John,
these events of the destruction of Jerusalem and the death of the first
generation of Christians must have been very real.
To them, the words of Jesus must have been both an
affirmation and a profession of faith. “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. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."
[1] . Raymond Brown. The New Jerome Biblical
Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990; p. 949.
[2] . Francis J. Moloney, This is the Gospel of the Lord – Year B. Homebush, NSW, Australia: St. Paul Publications,
1993; p. 175.
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