They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”
Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
Sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
(Proper 13)
| Text: John 6:28-29
NLT They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” |
|
I believe there’s a restaurant that serves
only food that is healthy and good for you and has a very large noticeboard out
front that says, “Eat here and live a long life!”
Not wanting to be outdone, the take-away
hamburger and fish and chip shop next-door put up a sign that reads: “Eat here
and die happy!”
Food is a very important part of our life.
Along with water it’s something we can’t do without.
It’s interesting that Jesus took something very simple like bread that
was available to rich and poor alike in his time.
The poor apparently made their bread from barley while the wealthier
people ate bread made from wheat.
Bread was a basic food that was available to everyone.
He had just fed a crowd of over 5,000 people using the five barley loaves
and two fish that a young lad had brought from home for lunch and the point is
made that there were twelve baskets of pieces of the barley loaves left over
after the meal. When Jesus supplied
a meal there was an abundance.
Before Jesus performed the miracle of
feeding this large crowd he told them to sit down and we are told they sat in
small groups. Eating bread was not
fast-food, or a walking and talking and eating type of thing, or a grab a
sandwich on the run – it was a time of fellowship.
Stop what you’re doing and take the time to savour the food and enjoy the
company.
Another thing - bread came to symbolise the presence of
God. God gave bread to his people
out in the wilderness as they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land. One of
the items that had a special place in the temple was a reminder that God is the
supplier of every need of his people. Interestingly, if a scrap of bread was
seen on the road, it would be picked up and put it a tree branch for the birds
to eat. Bread was never to be trampled underfoot.
It was considered sacred.
It’s interesting that Jesus was born in
“The House of Bread” – Bethlehem. This baby born in Bethlehem, 30 years later
took 5 barley loaves and fed a massive crowd, rather than send them home hungry.
Jesus cared about the needs of these people and everyone ate until they
were full. Everyone was so
impressed they wanted to make Jesus a king with the thought they would never go
hungry again.
He got away from all
this by crossing the lake to Capernaum but the crowd wouldn’t give up.
They tracked him down. In their minds Jesus had become
a celebrity; they demanded that he keep performing for the cameras, and produce
an endless stream of newsworthy moments.
They wanted royalty. They
wanted showbiz. They wanted bread
and circuses.
I can understand the thinking of the
Galilean farmers because they really did have to work hard to put bread on the
table. From the sowing of the
grain, the harvesting, the threshing, the grinding, to the baking of the bread –
this represented many hours work and often involved heartache when crops failed
because of bad weather or were destroyed by invaders.
So an easy way to get bread was appealing.
And if Jesus can make fast bread what else can he do that would make life
easier?
But Jesus wants to point them to something
that lasts longer than the things we work for in this life.
Quite bluntly Jesus says, “Do
not work for food that spoils; instead, work for the food that lasts for eternal
life” (John 6:27).
Ouch!
That’s getting a little too close for comfort.
This nice story about Jesus supplying food to so many people has just
turned around to point directly at us.
This is exactly what we get caught up in doing all the time – spending so
much time and energy on the things that are so temporary and insignificant.
Jesus isn’t saying that small things aren’t
necessary or to despise the things that we need for our daily existence
otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered to give all those people bread and fish.
Rather he’s telling us not to hanker and hunger after the things that in the big
scheme of things are temporary and have no lasting significance.
To use Jesus words, “Spend
your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you” (NLT John
6:27).
Do what
you need to do for your everyday life but also discover the possibility of a
lasting peace and an enduring happiness, uncover that which satisfies the deeper hunger
and quenches the thirst that has dried up your energy and spirit. Don’t look
for true happiness in the wrong places.
I think
all of us, every now and then, have to stop and say to ourselves,
“Hey, is this really so important?
Is the happiness this brings worth such a high price?
Is this going to make such a big difference in the bigger picture?
Is this one of the things that really defines who I am and where I want to be in
the future?”
Jesus spelt it out clearly for those who had become side-tracked by his ability
to provide bread. He said, “This is what is important. Believe
in the one God has sent”.
And would
you know, the people weren’t happy with that answer.
They still wanted another miracle.
They wanted daily bread and in the same way that Moses gave bread to the
people in his day.
John
doesn’t tell us if Jesus gave a sigh of frustration or was just little bit angry
or was just sorry for them because they were just not getting what he was
saying. He continues by saying
“I am telling you the truth” which
means in our language, “Now listen carefully you guys because this is very
important and I’m going to spell it out for you”.
"Firstly,
Moses didn’t give anyone bread in the wilderness.
It came from my Father and besides, like any bread it went bad and was
very temporary.
My Father will give you the true bread who comes from heaven; this bread gives
life to the world.”
And then Jesus completely blows their minds saying,
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to
me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”
(John 6:35).
Now they
didn’t expect that! In fact, they
were startled because they knew Jesus grew up in Nazareth and was a carpenter,
the son of Mary and Joseph, and now he was saying that he had come from heaven
and that those who believe in him will be raised up on the last day.
That’s quite a bold claim.
But Jesus made it quite clear. “I tell
you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of
life! (John 6:47 NLT).
What
could be clearer than this? He is
telling his listeners, “Don’t miss the point!”
What must we do to have eternal life?
What must we do to know God’s love and grace in all its richness and fullness?
What must we do to know what God wants us to do in this life and what kind of
people he wants us to be?
What must we do to be people who are kinder, more compassionate, more
considerate and helpful?
To use
Jesus’ own words, “Believe in the one the
Father has sent.”
Believe in Jesus, the Bread of life.
Have faith and trust in him because he is the one who gives life to the world
and those who come to him will never be hungry.
“I am the bread of life. Whoever
comes to me will never be hungry again”.
What does
it mean that those who come to Jesus will
never be hungry again? We know that
he can fill a rumbling belly that is hungry for food. He fed 5,000 people until
they were full with only 5 loaves and 2 fish.
But it’s more than that.
Every person who has faith in Jesus and relies on him will never go hungry.
He is able to fulfil every need of those who trust his promises.
Jesus invites,
“Come
to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you
rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Jesus satisfies the hunger of those
who are
tired and weary from long days, tiresome work, difficult people and stressful
lives.
Jesus satisfies the hunger of those who are
sick, enduring long recoveries, those dying, those caring for and spending long
days sitting with the sick and dying.
Jesus satisfies the hunger of those who are
in conflict, suffering abuse, confused about where they fit in, anxious about
loved ones who are in unkind and uncaring relationships.
Jesus satisfies the hunger that arises
in any and every situation that we find ourselves in.
His ongoing love and presence assures us that we never have to face these
things alone. When we are anxious,
stressed, tired, upset, angry, and worried, Jesus invites us to come to him; he
will never turn us away hungry.
When we are down on ourselves because of the harm we have caused others, guilt
ridden, feeling down, Jesus forgives and lifts us up with his loving hand and
fills us with his presence.
When we come to Holy Communion he invites us to lay our week’s joys and sorrows
at his feet; he strengthens us to take up what the next week will bring and be
filled with his courage and love.
At the heart of our reading today are
Jesus important words, “Believe in the one the Father has sent”.
Believe in him.
Trust him. Rely on him.
Have faith in him. Turn
everything over to him. When you
are at your lowest and struggling to find your feet, or even when everything is
going really well for you, Jesus says to you,
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again”.
Remember the two restaurants and their
signs that I mentioned at the beginning.
The health food one had “Eat here and live a long life!” and the
fast-food one had “Eat here and die happy!” I wonder how you would advertise
what Jesus offers. Maybe something
like, “Eat here, and live and die happy, and live a long life forever”.
© Pastor Vince Gerhardy
2nd August 2015
E-mail:
sermonsonthenet@outlook.com
