Breaking the Word

When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side. A scribe approached and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." Another of (his) disciples said to him, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But Jesus answered him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead." (Mt 8:18-22)

Jesus had many followers. His followers came from any section of the society. There were not merely from the poorer section of the society alone. Here we find a scribe wanting to follow Jesus. Scribes were one of the groups that questioned Jesus on many issues and they were considered to be opposed to him. Here we see one of them wanting to be his follower. Jesus had followers from among the scribes, Pharisees, tax collectors and so on. Followers could be anyone. It is open to all.

There are followers and followers are there for any leader. What is important is whom they follow and what they expect from the leader. Jesus clearly tells his would be followers what they should expect in turn. Scribe was ready to go wherever Jesus wanted him to go to. Jesus says that that he had no where to go to. Destiny is not a place. Following does not presuppose a place or a destiny or let us say a future. Following here would mean following the person Jesus.

Following of Jesus also does not think of the past. One does not need to look into the past and he should not even be worried about his father (his human origin). He should not think of the past and the future. Following requires ones commitment to the person of Jesus and the present. 

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever." (Jn 6:51-58)

Jesus starts his argument saying that he is the bread that has come down from heaven. From where the bread comes is more important. Jews have already argued saying that Moses gave bread in the wilderness. But here it is the father who gives the bread. Jesus is arguing about his origin. He says that he is from the father and he has come down from the father.

Father is in the heaven and he has sent the son from heaven and hence anything to do with the son will in turn take the people to where he has come down from. Whoever eats the son (who has come down from heaven) will have the same effect. They will in turn reach heaven. Jesus argument is regarding his arrival from and his journey to.

Jesus abiding presence is with those who eat his body and drink his blood. (Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me). Indwelling of Jesus helps the believer to be in union with the father. And that is eternal life.