Last supper and John

[Joe_Brown]

Hi, I had a question about the last supper in the Gospel of John. Why does John’s Gospel not include the institution of the Eucharist? But in so many other parts talks about the Eucharist, for example John chapter 6. Thanks God Bless

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Hi, I had a question about the last supper in the Gospel of John. Why does John’s Gospel not include the institution of the Eucharist? But in so many other parts talks about the Eucharist, for example John chapter 6. Thanks God Bless

Saint John wrote several years after the others. It seems to me that he tried to expand on some points he felt were insufficiently explained, and skipped over those that had been adequately covered. Thus he thought the mechanics of the Eucharist were well covered, but gave us Chapter 6 to provide the context for the Eucharist as proceeding from His multiplication of the loaves and the manna provided through Moses.

Also, instead of repeating what was known of the Eucharist, he discussed the Washing of the Feet as a call for the clergy to be servants to the people. Also he gave the setting for the Eucharist by giving much more detail on Jesus’s prayers at the Last Supper.

 

[diggerdomer]

Hi, I had a question about the last supper in the Gospel of John. Why does John’s Gospel not include the institution of the Eucharist? But in so many other parts talks about the Eucharist, for example John chapter 6. Thanks God Bless

We don’t know.

 

[NotWorthy]

The Last Supper dialog was already well established. It had been mentioned in three Gospels and in 1st Corinthians. John’s Gospel was written 20-30 years after these other accounts (it is best assumed) and so He wanted to “fill in the gaps”, so to say.

With this in mind, John’s Last Supper discourse seems to indicate an annointing of the priesthood, in some people’s opinion. Some of the words that John used pointed to priests. I might get these wrong but, “Meros” (in Greek), for example, during the footwashing was used for inheritance (“If I don’t wash your feet, then you’ll have no inheritance in me”). This word, Meros, was used to describe the Levite priests’ inheritance in the Mosaic Covenant. Also, the footwashing (and headwashing) was part of Aaron and his sons’ initiation into the priesthood. And any time a priest entered the Tent of Holies, he had his feet (and head) washed. There are other terms that Jesus used that pointed towards priestly things (i.e. the “dwellings” that Jesus is preparing in His Father’s House is the same term that the Historian Josephus used for the “dwellings” that the Levites lived in while servicing the Temple - Jesus’ Father’s House - in Jerusalem.

Finally, the “priesthood” context is further zeroed in on when Jesus breathes on the Apostles and gives them the Holy Spirit. What is the context of this gift of the Holy Spirit? Forgiveness. “The sins you forgive, are forgiven. The sins you retain, are retained”. In the Old Testament, Leviticus chapter 5, the Levite priests were instrumental in the forgiveness of the Israelites offenses.