Dear Saints,

We have seen Epiphany through the lens of Luke, Matthew and Mark. There is the Star in Matthew and the Benedictus and Nunc Dimittis canticles (of Zacharias and Simeon) which both refer to the “light” to the people/nations.  Luke shows the light entering to overcoming the darkness and shows Jesus as a prophet and is centrally concerned with the fate of the temple and its priesthood, not unlike the great prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. It begins in temple (with Zacharias) and ends in the temple (24:53). Matthew shows the light of the star, like a great Menorah over Bethlehem marking the True Tabernacle of God with men. Mark’s  Epiphany theme focuses upon His “manifestation” in His baptism. His baptism is 1) Adamic, to renew and restore. 2) It is Messianic, to be the occasion of receiving His priesthood according to Melchizedek. 3) It is Trinitarian in that the Father pronounces sonship and the Spirit anoints Him. His baptism is a very direct manifestation of the glory/light of God. It is also important to note that Jesus then goes into the wilderness after baptism. He, like Israel before goes through the Red Sea with the Holy Ghost glory cloud coming down upon Him. Then the Spirt led Him through the wilderness in 40 days.

The Gospel of John is in a separate category from the “synoptic gospels” of Matthew, Mark and Luke. They show that Jesus fulfills the role of Priest (Matthew), King (Mark) and Prophet (Luke). We have seen how each of these representations show His “light” or “manifestation.” John actual has the words, “I am the light of the world” (John 9:1-7). But it is much richer.

John’s Gospel shows us that Jesus does seven signs and then is raised on the eighth day as the Creator of a new world. In the center of the Gospel is the fourth sign of John’s Gospel. The fourth sign of John’s Gospel is Jesus feeding the five thousand. In this sign Jesus fed the people to show that He is the bread of life which comes from God, which we receive by trusting Him. This sign means for us that we are to feed upon Jesus by faith in the Eucharist which is the Great Table, and give thanks at all lesser tables for our daily bread which He provides.

1 New Creator: Water into wine (2:1-11)
2 Redeemer/Healer: The official/nobleman’s son (4:46ff)
3 True Sabbath: The paralyzed man at the pool (5:2-9)
4 Bread of Life: Multiplication of loaves (6:1-14)
5 Light of the World: The man born blind (9:1-7)
6 Resurrection & Life: The raising of Lazarus (11:1-44)
Living Water: The cross (19:1-37)
New Adam/Gardener: The resurrection (20:1-29)

There is the wine of new life (the first and final signs), the power of Jesus to prevent and undo death (the second and sixth signs of the nobleman’s son/Lazarus), that Jesus effects the true Sabbath in healing the paralyzed man at the Sheep Gate pool (5:2-9) and the healing of the man born blind (9:1-7) (third and fifth signs). All of this confirms a new creation through bodily resurrection which counter acts the claims of such frauds as the gnostic gospels.

At the center, however, is the Bread of Life.

John 6:51-57  – “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”  52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”  53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, 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 eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  55 “For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

He claims to be true manna. Jesus fed the people and called for faith. It should not surprise us that the sequence of the signs places this as the center of chiasm, while the first is the new creation wine (after all He is the true vine) and the last is the cross/resurrection. We have the wine, bread and water/blood sequence in these signs. The deeper meaning is that we are to feed upon Jesus by faith in the Eucharist. This shows that we are abiding in Him. But it is deeply creational. We eat and drink. Because we celebrate the Great Table, we are set at liberty to give thanks at all lesser tables of our daily bread. This is Light in a dark world.

Gregg Strawbridge, Pastor

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