2026/03/23

240. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: A Blow

On the road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul fell to the ground in light from heaven and heard the voice of Jesus. Subsequently, Paul became equipped with an affinity for the Holy Spirit, who was sent in the name of Jesus, through the experience of earnestly learning about Jesus from the principal Apostles. However, it is impossible to apply his experience — as one chosen by God for a specific purpose — in the same way to all believers. In his letter to the Gentile believers, Paul wrote the following exhortation: "What then, brethren? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification" (1 Cor 14:26). 

Paul may have believed that by incorporating teachings about Jesus Christ into training based on the Jewish prayer practices in which he was raised, he could create a "spiritual environment" capable of transforming the community from within. The Psalms, whilst a compilation of prophetic words by those who had longed for the Saviour yet never saw him, are structured in such a way as to direct human sensibilities towards God. Yet Paul must have harboured doubts as well. That is because, as Luke wrote in his Gospel, Jesus said, "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old" (Lk 5:36). There is such a vast gap between the prophecies of the Old Testament and what Jesus fulfilled. 

Jesus continued, "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins" (Lk 5:37–38). The wineskins refer to the memories of the faithful who find their foundation in the Mass and the prayers of the Church. In the Mass and the prayers of the Church, the Old Testament is read first, followed by the chanting of the Psalms. After that, the Epistles and the Gospels are read. Consequently, the words of the New Testament that were read there will be subsequently put into the memory of the faithful, who have already resonated with the readings from the Old Testament and the Psalms. They are, so to speak, new wine put into old wineskins. Jesus warns that there is a great risk in this. We, as the Church, must take Jesus' words — "new wine must be put into fresh wineskins" — seriously. 

Jesus went on to say, "And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, 'The old is good.'" (Lk 5:39). Here we sense Jesus' regret as he looks to the future. In another setting in John's Gospel, Jesus said, "You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" (Jn 5:39–40). In these words, Jesus foresees the future state of believers who, fascinated by the Old Testament, which testifies to Him, refuse to come to Jesus in the New Testament, which testifies to eternal life. As they devote themselves to reading the Old Testament and chanting the Psalms, they are led to an illusion that Jesus is present within these precisely because His name is not mentioned there, and so they remain stuck there. 

After saying, "You refuse to come to me that you may have life," Jesus continued, "I do not receive glory from men. But I know that you have not the love of God within you" (Jn 5:41–42). If one remains in this illusion, "the love of God" cannot arise. This is a fatal blow to the Church. The "love of God" constantly drives believers to go to Jesus to have life, for the Holy Spirit, of whom Jesus said, "You know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you" (14:17), awakens our own spontaneity as believers. 

Because of this fatal blow to the Church, the suffering witnessed in the Corinthian community continues in the world, even in the 21st century: factions, the crisis of community collapse due to immoral conduct, accusations, prostitution, issues with tongues and prophecy, and disorderly worship. Furthermore, war continues unabated, and the flames of conflict are about to flare up once more, engulfing the world. Peter, Paul, Luke, Mark, and Timothy, gathered in Rome, thanks to Paul’s efforts, must have been considering how to foster within believers the spontaneity that would be equipped with the affinity with the Holy Spirit sent in the name of Jesus. At that time, on the island called Patmos, John — regarded by Paul as one of the pillars of the Apostles — was working on that very theme. 

Maria K. M.