LAETARE
FOURTH
SUNDAY IN LENT
March
11, 2018
ST.
JOHN 6:1–15
Living
Bread from the Bread of Life
In
the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
People
running out of food and drink is a recurring theme in the early
chapters of St. John's Gospel. In John 2 at the wedding in Cana the
wine almost runs out. In John 4 at the well in Samaria (the
northwestern chunk of the Holy Land that Jews tended to avoid) Jesus'
disciples went to buy food and Jesus asked the woman at the well for
a drink of water.
Here
in John 6 the thousands who had followed Jesus' didn't have any food.
And even before He asked His disciples for solutions to this problem,
He had already decided to use His divine power to feed these people.
ST.
JOHN 6:5–9 Lifting up His eyes, then, and seeing that a
large crowd was coming toward Him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are
we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to
test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him,
“Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of
them to get a little.” One
of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but
what are they for so many?”
ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION
The
text here raises up several interesting questions:
How
did Andrew know this, spotting this kid's lunch among the thousands?
Or
did the kid somehow hear there was a shortage of food and come
forward on his own?
And
why did this kid have food on him when all the men had come
unprepared?
But
a far more important question John's account raises is this:
What
is Jesus trying to teach us by providing a tremendous
outpouring of food from five little loaves,
bread from bread?
If
we look back, our Lord Jesus sometimes brings bread directly from
heaven. When the Israelites had been delivered out of slavery from
Egypt, but then rebelled, our Lord caused them to wander in the
desert wilderness for forty years. But during this time He provided
miracle manna from heaven to keep them alive.
But
our Lord at the wedding in Cana didn't make the sky open and rain
down wine for the guests. He used water in six stones jar and changed
it to wine.
In
our lesson for today He didn't rain down bread from heaven (which He
easily could have done), but instead He chose to make use of this
boy's bread and fish.
ST.
JOHN 6:10–11
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass
in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.
Jesus then took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He
distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much
as they wanted. ENGLISH
STANDARD VERSION
Some
“experts” in some visible churches demand that this event was an
exercise in mass psychology. To wit, when the grown men saw how
generous this little kid was, they were ashamed and/or inspired and
decided that it was time to take out the food that they had been
hiding in their robes, just like everybody else. And soon everyone
was enjoying a communal meal with their fellow man. Behold! And see
what comes with trusting in the inherent goodness of mankind. This
was no miracle, say these experts, yes, even pastors. They violate
the clear words of Scripture and speculate that this miracle was
spiritual in nature: Jesus had helped inspire the masses to
overcome their selfishness and learn to share.
How
sweet. How pungent.
Now
if Jesus had had manna rain down, these hip thinkers might be more
pressed for a non-miraculous answer. But Jesus chose to use existing
food and turn it into a feast. Why?
Because
Jesus is the giver of all good things, including our daily bread,
which is everything we need for body and life. Food, of course, but
also clothing, homes, and everything else that keeps you alive and
safe.
And
Jesus making bread into more and more bread reminds us that He
chooses to use us for His purpose of creating more and more
believers.
He
chooses to need trained men—pastors—to take care of the souls of
His people.
He
chooses to need godly men—especially fathers—to raise His sons
and daughters in the way of the Lord.
He
chooses to need godly women—especially mothers—to love and care
for His children.
He
chooses to call godly baptized believers—especially all of you—to
be who He has created you to be in all your different walks of life.
He
even chooses to use ordinary bread and create for us His own body for
us to eat for our salvation. He chooses to use ordinary wine and
create for us His own blood for us to drink for our salvation.
Ordinary
people. Ordinary bread.
But
Jesus is the Bread of Life. He gives Himself to you in Word and Wine
and Bread and makes you extraordinary. You are never going to not
exist. You might die, but you will always live because you have
received the bread of life.
ST.
JOHN 6:35–40 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of
life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in
me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and
yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and
whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from
heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And
this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of
all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this
is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and
believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on
the last day.” ENGLISH
STANDARD VERSION
In
Jesus' Name. Amen.
God
demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.
Thanks
be to God!
