Sermon Pente +11 (Year B)

John 6.24-35

Have you ever been somewhere and realised that you’ve asked a question … that just doesn’t fit?

It’s not the wrong question, as such.
But it’s… just a bit off.

It happens. All the time!
Because sometimes, we get so caught up in our own context that we miss the bigger picture, we are lightly askew from the context that we are a part of.

The folks in today’s Gospel – that’s where they’re at.
Doing their best, trying to understand – but… not quite there.

Yet they try.
They see Jesus, and ask: “Rabbi, when did you come here?"

It’s weird, because we’ve just been told that they have been looking for him. They’re following him. They have been intentional about seeking him for more of what he’s offering.
So the casual, almost coincidental “Hey! When did you arrive?” doesn’t *quite* fit.

But it starts the conversation. And it sets up the framework for continued conversation.

And that’s important.
Because – even though these folks are about to bumble their way through some more questions that just don’t quite fit;
They’re still communicating. They are making an effort.

And that’s good!
Though if they had been more aware of the enormity of being in the presence of the Son of God – their questions may have adjusted a bit.
Less WHEN did you get here, and a bit more
HOW did you get here?
WHY did you come HERE?

And perhaps best of all: Where are you going?

But that takes us to a different conversation…
Because the people are following because they like being fed.
That fish and bread thing was kinda cool, and tastier than expected – we’d like some more please!
Now, Anglicans everywhere know the way to get us to gather is with food. Obviously.
(Please join us for coffee hour and snacks after worship!)

But we also know that they’re not quite focused on what it means to be fed in the way that Jesus is offering.

The people have seen healings: and they want more.
They have seen an abundance of nourishment, without price: and they want more.
They are now seeing a spiritual leader – a rabbi, one who can teach them: and they want more!

But what they are asking for is the earthly context.
And to be fair, this makes sense – they’re living on earth. These are earthly needs being met.

But what Jesus is offering is more.
More than they can imagine
More than they can comprehend.

So it’s no doubt that they aren’t quite asking the right question – because Jesus is offering to overturn their sense of what they know, and how they know it.

It’s not uncommon for God to do this: to shift the lens that we’re looking through to see the world.
Nathan’s parable to King David is fairly transparent for us today; as he demonstrates inappropriate behaviour: but for David, that was shocking. He needed to be jolted into a different scenario to see his own behaviour as … less than ideal. And in need of a change – which history will show us does actually take place: for the betterment of all.

Paul’s letter implores the Ephesian community to also shift everything they think they know – and to be a community not in competition with each other, but in humble acts of service alongside one another – to engage with the world around them through a lens of prayer. And it shocks them into a different way of connecting, and being the church.

And of course Jesus today: repeatedly invites the folks who are there, to adapt – to change – to be open to new ways of understanding the presence of God.
He’s re-framing what it means to be their rabbi, their teacher: as they shift from an authority structure to a humble figure who leads by example.
He’s teaching them that what they know about the works of God are about faith inspiring actions, not mandated duties by someone in the temple.
He’s telling them that what they thought they understood about Moses and Manna – isn’t an earthly feast but a divine grace.
He’s sharing that blessings are not earned or merited, but bestowed – lavished – poured upon them.
And he’s telling them that the bread of life: the true bread they crave…
Has nothing to do with wheat loaves.

It’s shocking, isn’t it?
When everything that used to make sense, that was lining up nicely, suddenly… doesn’t anymore?

I’m willing to expect that had we been part of that crowd, that day, while Jesus was teaching, we would have been just as befuddled and bewildered as the folks in the scriptures.
Can we imagine what it means to be continually fed, continually nourished, without any doubts or insecurities or concerns?
Likely not: we’re human. We would have questions, we would be doing everything we could to make sense of what we were being taught.

Yet.
Can we, today, hear the words of Jesus inviting us along that journey?
That’s where faith comes in.

As Jesus is inviting a deeper response now: but one that comes with a new framework.

The bread of life: the divine gift.
Not a cheese and rice crackers, not a dim sum outing, nothing we could find in a grocery store.

The bread of life.
The nourishment of our souls: our true selves: that yearn to be sated in ways that the world alone cannot.
Never hunger again.
Never thirst.

These sound like answers that are too big and complex to make sense, too grand to fit into our lives, too overwhelming to receive.
So it’s no wonder the people ask questions.
And try to comprehend.
And need to shift the paradigm.

And it’s also no wonder that God speaks in a way that the people can understand: for they know that bread counters hunger; and they know that faith counters uncertainty.

For this is the work of God; to believe in the One whom the Father sent.
And so we wonder.
What are the questions WE should be asking; in our lives, in our ministries, in our communities – that we may see the world around us as God does?

Are we ready to acknowledge our hunger?
And what it means to fill it?
And How will we invite others along the way?

My hope is that as we grapple with these questions, that we will continue to grow in our faith – to continue to be surprised by new ways of encountering the living Christ in our midst. For he is here:
May our faith sustain us as we too come to Jesus asking “Sir, will you give us this bread always?

And may our hearts receive the answers God reveals:

The bread of life is always there.
The access to the source of life is always there.
The opportunity to believe – and come back whenever we stray – is always there.
The promise of Christ is eternal.

Thanks be to God for all we receive.