Eucharistic Reconciliation in the Gospel of John

Eucharistic connotations emanate from the narrative discourse of the Gospel of John, prompting the implied reader—and subsequently real readers—to historical actualization. The divine brings about reconciliation with communicants, such as Peter, who functions as a character type for those who are estranged from the divine. Participation in the Eucharistic event denotes symbolic embodiment of the communicant with the divine and, coupled with the charge Jesus gives to Peter, accentuates the importance of ethical enactment, whereby those who receive reconciliation are compelled to dispense spiritual and ecclesiastical reconciliation as brokers within the framework of ancient patronage. Worship, specifically the practice of Holy Communion, within churches of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement, when examined through the lens of Eucharistic connotations of the Gospel of John, should assume a christological core. Focus is not on other communicants or the failings of the prior week but spiritual reconciliation and ethical obligations to impart spiritual and ecclesiastical restoration.