Chapter 12: “It Is Finished!”
The Final Clue: Irony in John
- the hour of Jesus’ Passion, crucifixion and death is also the hour of his greatest glory; his abject humiliations constitute his exaltation; his apparent defeat at the hands of his enemies is seen as his supreme triumph; and his death is actually the event that brings life to the world
Further Confirmation From Scripture: John 6
Paul’s Perspective
- Paul shared a similar view of the matter, which he wrote to the Corinthians: “Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Cor 5:7). Notice he doesn't conclude, “There is nothing more to be done.” Instead he says in the very next verse, “Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven … but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor 5:8). In other words, Paul understood that something more remains for us to do. We must feast upon Jesus, the Bread of Life and our Passover Lamb.
- Such language reflects a solid belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
