Hi, can somone pls help me figure why John does not even mention the eucharist in the last supper if he implied transubstantiation in John 6 ? Surely John more than anyone else would have known the importance of mentioning this if Jesus’ words were to be taken literally. This is a strong protestant argument I’ve seen on some sites and it has me disturbed.
God bless
Most assuredly there is room for debate on how Jn operates, but many things work together to suggest that John has the Last Supper and breaking of bread/Lord’s Supper of the NT Church in mind when understanding the events of Jn 6 in the Spirit and recounting them in his gospel and he therefore considers the discourse in Jn 6 to be sufficient.
(a) John was at the Last Supper.
(b) He never recounts Jesus’ Eucharistic words at the Last Supper as Paul and the Synoptics do.
(c) The vocabulary that consistently runs through vv 51-58 (eat, food, drink, flesh, blood, bread) is redolent of the Last Supper and the breaking of bread.
(d) 6:51 in which Jesus says “the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world" is virtually identical in import to Jesus words at the Last Supper, especially in Lk 22:19 where he said over the bread "This is my body, which will be given for you.” Given this import regarding his saving death, does it really matter when Jesus said them?
(e) The events of Jn 6 took place when the feast of “Passover was near.” (v 4) See also 13:1 for Last Supper and 19:14 for His Passion.
(f) The pattern in Jn 6:35-58 fits the pattern of Lk 24:13-35–the word of Jesus/God (24;13-27), transition (vv 28-29), the breaking of bread and encountering Jesus (30-35).
(g) The institution of the New Covenant is not anywhere near as big a theme in Jn as the in Synoptics and Paul.
(h) There is an enormous amount of other material found in the Synoptics that is not found in Jn.
Exorcisms, for example, are not found in Jn. Does that mean we can conclude that Jesus performed none?
• Infancy Narratives
• John baptizing of Jesus
• Temptation in the Desert
• List of “Twelve Apostles”
• Parables . . . [John has “figures of speech” 10:6; cf. 15:1-8; 16:25, 29]
• Exorcisms
• Transfiguration
• 3 Passion Predictions
(i) There is an enormous amount of material found in Jn and not in the Synoptics.
Does this mean the Bread of Life discourse or the raising of Lazarus, for example, never happened?
• Prologue (1:1-18)
• Wedding Feast of Cana (2:1-12)
• Dialogue with Nicodemus (2:23—3:21)
• Samaritan Woman at the Well (4:1-42)
• Healing of a Sick Man at Pool of Bethesda (5:1-18)
• Bread of Life Discourse (6:22-65)
• Woman caught in Adultery (7:53—8:11)
• Giving Sight to a Man Born Blind (9:1-41)
• Raising of Lazarus (11:1-44)
• Washing of the Disciples’ Feet (13:1-20)
• Last Supper Discourses (13:31—16:33)
• Great Prayer of Jesus (17:1-26)
• Resurrection Appearance at the Sea of Galilee (21:1-25)
I believe that there is a certain cumulative force to this evidence taken as a whole.