John 6:25-35. Give us this bread??? 18/2/07
(25) When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" {26} Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. {27} Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." {28} Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" {29} Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." {30} So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? {31} Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" {32} Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. {33} For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." {34} "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." {35} Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
Today as we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving we reflect on and focus on all the good things that we have around us. Yes, we do have much to be thankful for, even while we are still in the midst of the biggest drought on record. Despite the drop in rainfall over a good number of years now, we still are able to have and enjoy so much. Even the farmer, who is doing it tough financially and emotionally, there is still food on the table and a roof over the head. Whilst here in town we may have desperately little water in our dams, but we still have more than enough to drink and bathe in. We have much to be thankful for.
But as we reflect on this, both with regard to all that we have, and also on the drought that we are in the midst of; what is it that we are thinking of and focussing on? Certainly as I listen around to many of the comments that are coming forward, from around the nation and even from within the church, there is something that should prick us all hard and sharp. Here in this reading Jesus is pointing this out to us very clearly, as well as to where our attention needs to be brought to, before we can be truly thankful and blest.
Now in the early part of this reading we hear of people coming looking for Jesus, and he hits them squarely with a few home truths. "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
Yes the situation was a little different for them: they had just experienced that miracle where Jesus fed five thousand people with just one little boys lunch. So now that they have seen this they are looking for Jesus to give them more of the same. At the heart of ‘where they were at’ was obviously the desire to simply be provided with all the food and earthly comforts that they wanted, so that they could sit back and eat, drink and be merry.
Today little has changed; although there are very few people even looking to or for Jesus. Even in the midst of the worst drought since records have been kept in this country, there has been only a small number of people turning back to the Lord and his church for help and his answers. The vast majority prefer to talk about global warming and the need for us to do better in the care of our environment. There is talk of finding human means of drought-proofing our country. There is to be more spending on understanding our weather so that we can even more so use it for our benefit. Meanwhile, the attitude continues be selfishly on ourselves and what we can get out of life for ourselves.
What absolute arrogance we have has human beings today. We are the centre of it all and it is all about us and our use of what we have for our own benefit. And even when we are hit with the worst of droughts, we don’t stop to ask if just maybe there are deeper questions to all of this: or if there is a greater power at work; there is simply the thinking that if and as we work smarter, we will get it all under control so that we can really sit back and eat, drink and be merry, to our hearts content. What did Jesus say to the rich man who had built his bigger barns: 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.’ We are all going to die. Then what?
In our arrogance today we do not even consider God, far less how great, awesome and holy that he really is. He doesn’t fit into the picture of what we want for our lives, far less recognise him as the Almighty God that he is. But even when we do think of him and even say that we believe in him, he is far too often, simply the God who is there to give us the miracles that will enable us to have what we think that we deserve to have. Like those people who flocked after Jesus: they and we simply want that which makes life easy for us at the moment.
Look we too have experienced a great miracle of God; in that he has for many years provided abundantly for us. But we don’t really thank and praise him for it all, we just take it all for granted and want to keep the good things rolling in. We keep thinking, focussing and working for that which spoils: that which is here today and gone tomorrow. What good are a mansion, two cars, caravan and boat, plus a million or two in the bank, when we are dead. We can’t take it with us. Or is this that we see around us, what life is only all about. Is this as good as it gets?
Certainly Jesus here says that there is another for food that endures to eternal life. There is something that satisfies, far more than what we see around us. The food that Jesus has in mind will give us a fullness that gives completeness to each day and flows not only over to tomorrow and next year and the rest of this; but also into eternity. This food gives contentment, peace, wholeness to this life and carries us into eternal life in heaven. This food is what truly satisfies. It is the very best.
Not only is it the very best, but it is given to us. This food is that which the Son of Man will give you. It is for you, now. God wants you to have it, rather than, sweat, slave and worry over all of this other striving which we do to accomplish that which we want for ourselves; and which we find does not satisfy. He has for you that which is the best, and he wants you to have it.
So "What must we do to do the works God requires?" What do we have to do to get this food? Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." Simply trust that God has it right here for you. Look to him and what he has said and done, instead of to yourself and what you do and can see around you. Believe in Jesus as the one who has given you all that is necessary for this life and the next. He is the Almighty One! The one around whom all things exists.
But we like the people of Jesus day we too need some miracle; some sign; some outward physical thing, so that we can be sure. They asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Because of our human nature we need to see, feel and experience, something, so that we can be sure that God is true to his word. But too often we look for it in the places where the world out there is looking rather than where God himself tell us to look.
Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. So as we look to Jesus, we do find this food that endures to eternal life. It is Jesus himself who is what is important, not the material things of life. It is who he is and what he has done for us through his death on the cross, that stands him, ‘head and shoulders’ way above everything else that we could ever have or be connected to. In fact here is the Almighty God himself, come into our world to ensure that we are forgiven and have eternal life in heaven with him. His love and mercy enables us to be absolutely certain that we have this food that gives life to our world. He gives himself to us so that we can be sure.
That is why he gave us baptism so that we can be sure that we are cleansed and connected to him: into the very name and being of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is why he gives us Holy Communion so that he can give us his very own body and blood, week by week, so that we can be certain that we are forgiven and that he is right here with us as we live out our lives every day. This Holy and Awesome God has connected himself to us: feeds us with himself, so that we can live with confidence and certainty in the midst of a sinful, drought-stricken world.
Now can look beyond the material things of this world, whether we have plenty or little, and know that Jesus himself is far more important and life-giving than any of it. We can look to him and cling to him, knowing that now, nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Not because of us and what we have, but because he is who he is, and because of what he has done for us through his death on the cross.
Now too then we can be truly thankful for all the other blessing that we also have and experience as we live here in this world. We now can be thankful even when we are suffering a little in the midst of a drought, because we can see that, here God is seeking to draw us and others, closer to himself. So instead of only seeking our answers in our sciences and worldly wisdom, now we first and foremost rest assured in him and our connection to him, and we continue to feed on him. Then as we do we will find many other blessings to be thankful for as he leads us through this life to our heavenly home.
So again we can only look to him with awesome wonder and give him all glory and honour, now and always. Jesus Christ is the bread of life. Those who comes to him will never go hungry, and those who believe in him. will never be thirsty. To him be praise and glory forevermore. AMEN
Pastor Roger Atze
Redeemer Lutheran Church
Toowoomba
(25) When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" {26} Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. {27} Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." {28} Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" {29} Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." {30} So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? {31} Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" {32} Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. {33} For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." {34} "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." {35} Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
Today as we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving we reflect on and focus on all the good things that we have around us. Yes, we do have much to be thankful for, even while we are still in the midst of the biggest drought on record. Despite the drop in rainfall over a good number of years now, we still are able to have and enjoy so much. Even the farmer, who is doing it tough financially and emotionally, there is still food on the table and a roof over the head. Whilst here in town we may have desperately little water in our dams, but we still have more than enough to drink and bathe in. We have much to be thankful for.
But as we reflect on this, both with regard to all that we have, and also on the drought that we are in the midst of; what is it that we are thinking of and focussing on? Certainly as I listen around to many of the comments that are coming forward, from around the nation and even from within the church, there is something that should prick us all hard and sharp. Here in this reading Jesus is pointing this out to us very clearly, as well as to where our attention needs to be brought to, before we can be truly thankful and blest.
Now in the early part of this reading we hear of people coming looking for Jesus, and he hits them squarely with a few home truths. "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
Yes the situation was a little different for them: they had just experienced that miracle where Jesus fed five thousand people with just one little boys lunch. So now that they have seen this they are looking for Jesus to give them more of the same. At the heart of ‘where they were at’ was obviously the desire to simply be provided with all the food and earthly comforts that they wanted, so that they could sit back and eat, drink and be merry.
Today little has changed; although there are very few people even looking to or for Jesus. Even in the midst of the worst drought since records have been kept in this country, there has been only a small number of people turning back to the Lord and his church for help and his answers. The vast majority prefer to talk about global warming and the need for us to do better in the care of our environment. There is talk of finding human means of drought-proofing our country. There is to be more spending on understanding our weather so that we can even more so use it for our benefit. Meanwhile, the attitude continues be selfishly on ourselves and what we can get out of life for ourselves.
What absolute arrogance we have has human beings today. We are the centre of it all and it is all about us and our use of what we have for our own benefit. And even when we are hit with the worst of droughts, we don’t stop to ask if just maybe there are deeper questions to all of this: or if there is a greater power at work; there is simply the thinking that if and as we work smarter, we will get it all under control so that we can really sit back and eat, drink and be merry, to our hearts content. What did Jesus say to the rich man who had built his bigger barns: 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.’ We are all going to die. Then what?
In our arrogance today we do not even consider God, far less how great, awesome and holy that he really is. He doesn’t fit into the picture of what we want for our lives, far less recognise him as the Almighty God that he is. But even when we do think of him and even say that we believe in him, he is far too often, simply the God who is there to give us the miracles that will enable us to have what we think that we deserve to have. Like those people who flocked after Jesus: they and we simply want that which makes life easy for us at the moment.
Look we too have experienced a great miracle of God; in that he has for many years provided abundantly for us. But we don’t really thank and praise him for it all, we just take it all for granted and want to keep the good things rolling in. We keep thinking, focussing and working for that which spoils: that which is here today and gone tomorrow. What good are a mansion, two cars, caravan and boat, plus a million or two in the bank, when we are dead. We can’t take it with us. Or is this that we see around us, what life is only all about. Is this as good as it gets?
Certainly Jesus here says that there is another for food that endures to eternal life. There is something that satisfies, far more than what we see around us. The food that Jesus has in mind will give us a fullness that gives completeness to each day and flows not only over to tomorrow and next year and the rest of this; but also into eternity. This food gives contentment, peace, wholeness to this life and carries us into eternal life in heaven. This food is what truly satisfies. It is the very best.
Not only is it the very best, but it is given to us. This food is that which the Son of Man will give you. It is for you, now. God wants you to have it, rather than, sweat, slave and worry over all of this other striving which we do to accomplish that which we want for ourselves; and which we find does not satisfy. He has for you that which is the best, and he wants you to have it.
So "What must we do to do the works God requires?" What do we have to do to get this food? Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." Simply trust that God has it right here for you. Look to him and what he has said and done, instead of to yourself and what you do and can see around you. Believe in Jesus as the one who has given you all that is necessary for this life and the next. He is the Almighty One! The one around whom all things exists.
But we like the people of Jesus day we too need some miracle; some sign; some outward physical thing, so that we can be sure. They asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Because of our human nature we need to see, feel and experience, something, so that we can be sure that God is true to his word. But too often we look for it in the places where the world out there is looking rather than where God himself tell us to look.
Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. So as we look to Jesus, we do find this food that endures to eternal life. It is Jesus himself who is what is important, not the material things of life. It is who he is and what he has done for us through his death on the cross, that stands him, ‘head and shoulders’ way above everything else that we could ever have or be connected to. In fact here is the Almighty God himself, come into our world to ensure that we are forgiven and have eternal life in heaven with him. His love and mercy enables us to be absolutely certain that we have this food that gives life to our world. He gives himself to us so that we can be sure.
That is why he gave us baptism so that we can be sure that we are cleansed and connected to him: into the very name and being of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is why he gives us Holy Communion so that he can give us his very own body and blood, week by week, so that we can be certain that we are forgiven and that he is right here with us as we live out our lives every day. This Holy and Awesome God has connected himself to us: feeds us with himself, so that we can live with confidence and certainty in the midst of a sinful, drought-stricken world.
Now can look beyond the material things of this world, whether we have plenty or little, and know that Jesus himself is far more important and life-giving than any of it. We can look to him and cling to him, knowing that now, nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Not because of us and what we have, but because he is who he is, and because of what he has done for us through his death on the cross.
Now too then we can be truly thankful for all the other blessing that we also have and experience as we live here in this world. We now can be thankful even when we are suffering a little in the midst of a drought, because we can see that, here God is seeking to draw us and others, closer to himself. So instead of only seeking our answers in our sciences and worldly wisdom, now we first and foremost rest assured in him and our connection to him, and we continue to feed on him. Then as we do we will find many other blessings to be thankful for as he leads us through this life to our heavenly home.
So again we can only look to him with awesome wonder and give him all glory and honour, now and always. Jesus Christ is the bread of life. Those who comes to him will never go hungry, and those who believe in him. will never be thirsty. To him be praise and glory forevermore. AMEN
Pastor Roger Atze
Redeemer Lutheran Church
Toowoomba
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