1 Kings 19:4-8

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Commentary 1 Kings 19:4-8

1 Kings 19:4 a day’s journey into the wilderness – The prophet Elijah is all alone. He asked that he might die – Desperation has set in and life does not look worth living. take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors – It seems that every generation has this feeling. We hoped and worked for change but nothing ever improves. 1 Kings 19:5 an angel touched him – How often in our unconscious, do we experience angels? Get up and eat. – The L ORD provides food and drink for the journey. 1 Kings 19:6 1 Kings 19:7 the journey will be too much for you – In the end this world gets the best of us. But the L ORD still sends us on our way and we hope against hope that the reality of death is not an ending but a beginning. 1 Kings 19:8 he went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God – Somehow, the L ORD’s food brings us through this life.

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Psalm 34:1-8

Psalm 34:1 I will bless the L ORD at all times – The author follows the great commandment to devote his entire life to the L ORD. Psalm 34:2 My soul makes its boast in the L ORD; let the humble hear and be glad. – The psalmist life itself gives witness to the power of the L ORD. let the humble hear and be glad – It is the duty of the sure to tell the rest of the world about the L ORD. Psalm 34:3 O magnify the L ORD with me – The work of the L ORD needs to be clearly illustrated so that the people know who is responsible for reality. The concept of showing others the work of the L ORD is echoed in the Magnificat. 1

Psalm 34:4 I sought the L ORD, and he answered me – For those faith traditions that say the L ORD cannot be found and always searches out the followers, this verse is problematic. Psalm 34:5 Look to him, and be radiant – The same theme of knowing where the L ORD resides continues in this verse. The outcome of being with the L ORD is a changed appearance. This illustration recalls the change in Moses’s face after he had been on the mountain with the L ORD. Psalm 34:6 saved from every trouble – For those people who talk about the God of prosperity, this verse promises much. The unanswered questioned still remains. What about the poor who pray? Why are they not saved? Psalm 34:7 The angel of the L ORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them – The same issue in verse 6 appears here. What is said to those who are not delivered? The psalmist asserts that the L ORD’s messenger protects the faithful. The validity of this verse seems doubtful if one needs to see deliverance in this life. Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the L ORD is good – The L ORD’s work is better than what the world provides. This phrase could be the invitation to the post modern world who wants to live life through experiences. Go and try everything else. It will leave a bad taste in your mouth. Now eat what the L ORD sets before you. It will truly satisfy you. ...

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Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:25 putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbours – The contrast here is between lies and the truth. The followers of Jesus clearly tell everyone the reality of the situation. Ephesians 4:26 Be angry but do not sin – The follower of Christ certainly can be extremely upset about what they see in the world and in themselves. However, this does not give them the reason to break the Law. do not let the sun go down on your anger – The next constraint is that these feelings cannot last past one day. 2

Ephesians 4:27 do not make room for the devil – The assumption here is that when Christ fills your heart, the confuser cannot find a place. Ephesians 4:28 Thieves must give up stealing – The author provides a concrete example of what must change. Ephesians 4:29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths – Another illustration is given here. This is the way of life for Christians. Ephesians 4:30 do not grieve the Holy Spirit – Do nothing to upset the Spirit. Ephesians 4:31 Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice – The author lists other ways of life that must be abandoned. Ephesians 4:32 Ephesians 5:1 be imitators of God – The way of life for Christians is to be like God. Ephesians 5:2 live in love, as Christ loved us – The illustration is repeated with the Son.

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John 6:35, 41-51

John 6:35 I am the bread of life – This is not who Jesus is but what Jesus does. This is the first time in John that the ἐγώ εἰμι (“I am”) has a predicate nominative. (The other verses in John without the predicate nominative are: John 4:26; 6:20; 8:24, 28, 58; 13:19; 18:5, 7.)1 will never be hungry, and . . . will never be thirsty – Both of these promises are in the future tense. (μὴ πεινάσῃ Aorist Active Subjunctive . . . οὐ μὴ διψήσει Future Active Indicative)2 Given that the Subjunctive Mood indicates a hope, I would translate this as “might never be hungry.” Is Christ trying to tell us something here about what is to come? That we will still hunger for truth, justice, and food? Note that this type of translation is not found in the NRSV, RSV, or KJV. What is wrong with my version? 1

Brian Stoffregen, John 6.35,41-51 Proper 14 - Year B, http://www.crossmarks.com/ brian/john6x35.htm. 2 S.D.B. Francis J. Moloney; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of John, Volume 4, Sacra Pagina, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998), p. 214.

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... John 6:41 the Jews – The crowd now becomes the Jews and their hostility increases.3 In the Anatomy of the Fourth Gospel, Culpepper suggests that the “Jews” could be all Jewish people, just the Judeans, or they could refer to those in power who are hostile towards Jesus. 4 to complain – It seems that the argument is internal to the group known as the “Jews” and this might reflect the discussion about Jesus during the writing of the Gospel.5 I am the bread that came down from heaven. Jesus has already said that He is the bread of life. This difference might be due to the writer of John wanting to make a theological point.6 Where do we think that Jesus comes from? Do we overemphasize His divinity or His humanity? What does He bring us in the time where bread is not a part of the daily meal? John 6:42 whose father and mother we know – How does God have parents that we know? Thus, how does Jesus descend from heaven? Because they have seen Jesus’ family, they refuse to consider the idea that Jesus has any other father.7 John 6:43 John 6:44 unless drawn – God brings us to Him. The other uses of ἕλκω (to drag about, tear asunder) are in: κἀγὼ ἐὰν ὑψωθῶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν John 12:32, Σίμων οὖν Πέτρος ἔχων μάχαιραν εἵλκυσεν αὐτὴν καὶ ἔπαισεν τὸν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως δοῦλον καὶ ἀπέκοψεν αὐτοῦ τὸ ὠτάριον τὸ δεξιόν ἦν δὲ ὄνομα τῷ δούλῳ Μάλχος John 18:10, ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς βάλετε εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ μέρη τοῦ πλοίου τὸ δίκτυον καὶ εὑρήσετε ἔβαλον οὖν καὶ οὐκέτι αὐτὸ ἑλκύσαι ἴσχυον ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἰχθύων John 21:6, and ἀνέβη οὖν Σίμων Πέτρος καὶ εἵλκυσεν τὸ δίκτυον εἰς τὴν γῆν μεστὸν ἰχθύων μεγάλων ἑκατὸν πεντήκοντα τριῶν καὶ τοσούτων ὄντων οὐκ ἐσχίσθη τὸ δίκτυον John 21:11. The only time that Jesus uses this verb again is in 12:32, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, 3

Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 217. Culpepper p. 126 according to Stoffregen. (My book is in storage and I cannot check this reference.) 5 Stoffregen, ‘John 6.35,41-51 Proper 14 - Year B’. 6 Ibid. 7 Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 217. 4

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will draw all people to myself. (NRSV)” According to Liddell on Pereus (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu) ἕλκω is an infrequently used word. The general idea in Classical Greek is to draw or drag with force or exertion. For example, “drag away a prisoner,” “draw ships down to the sea,” “draw a chariot.” Other examples might be draw a bow or drawn by a magnet. However, one must be careful when looking at the use of force. Dr. David E. Fredrickson from Luther Seminary would remind us that we do not want to make God into a Greek god who has their way with humans. I will raise that person up on the last day – This text shows that the death (ἀποθνῄσκω or to die off in verse 45) is a differ type of death. John 6:45 And they shall all be taught by God. – This is a paraphrase of “All your sons shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the prosperity of your sons.” (RSV) “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of your children.” (NRSV Isaiah 54:13).8 This shows that Christian education is needed.9 Or as others have said, “Jesus came to save us from our sins, not our minds.”10 John 6:46 he has seen the Father – Only Jesus makes the Father known. “No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.” (RSV John 1:18). John 6:47 Very truly - This is actually the double “amen” (ἀμὴν ἀμὴν). John 6:48 John 6:49 John 6:50 one may eat of it and not die – The bread that Jesus gives “surpasses” the bread given by Moses.11 The question that we must ask in this day where everyone who eats of the Lord’s Meal dies a true death, “What death is Jesus referring to?” Is this the death of the body or is it a much worse death where God forgets that you exist? 8

Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 218. Stoffregen, ‘John 6.35,41-51 Proper 14 - Year B’. 10 Ibid. 11 Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 218-219. 9

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John 6:51 my flesh – ἡ σάρξ μού – literally “the flesh of me” The language may have overtones of the Lord’s Supper but it ultimately refers to His crucifixion.12 This also refers back to the prologue. The Word became flesh (ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο) (John 1:14).

References Francis J. Moloney, S.D.B.; Harrington, S.J., Daniel J., editor, The Gospel of John, Volume 4, Sacra Pagina, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998). Stoffregen, Brian, John 6.35,41-51 Proper 14 - Year B, http://www. crossmarks.com/brian/john6x35.htm, Last checked on August 7, 2009.

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Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John, p. 220.

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