The Gospel today is a continuation of John's writings of Christ's "Bread
of Life" theme, a demanding and revolutionary concept that causes great
division among the Jews and, soon, among his own followers. Here
appears the "Son of Man" quote, a reference to a divine being in Daniel.
Modern scholars, most hostile to Christians (and strangely taken
seriously by them) have claimed this term is a general and poetic term
without any biblical implications. By John's account, Christ's audience
was not so abstract. Christ is claiming divinity here and they knew it.
It is a turning point of Christ's ministry. He is no longer a preacher
of forgiveness and kindness--as if that were not enough--but he also
claims divinity. His audience asks each other, “This man is the son of
Joseph, isn’t he? We know his father and mother. How can he say that he
has come from heaven?”
This is Christ's crucial moment. He is making the "Bread of Life," the
essence of materialism, the essence of spirituality. The material world is pressed to reality's periphery.
And he is defining
Himself for His followers: A man might follow and die for an ideal, he
will not for a leader whose claims have been shown false.
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