John 6: 24 – 35
So, the prequel to this story is the very public feeding of the 5,000 strong crowd (followed by the less public walking on water).
Why had a crowd gathered? Like going to see a music concert of any kind, you want an encore! And this crowd wanted more! More of Jesus’ miraculous provision to meet their basic needs.
But Jesus wanted to feed them with more than just the basics, Jesus had a better version of ‘more’. What Jesus did on the other side of the lake only fed their bellies! Jesus said what they should be seeking is a rather more wholesome substance altogether – a spiritual food that will nourish them and give them a taste of the kingdom.
‘Eternal life’ (literally, ‘the life of the ages’) is John’s term for the ‘kingdom of God’ (the term that the other Gospel writes use). It emphasises quality, rather than quantity, the life of God and God’s reign, rather than the life of this earth and its rulers.
The crowd respond by wanting to know what they must do to perform the works of God. Jesus says that the work we are called on to do is simply to believe.
Yet, this crowd who ate a banquet from a single packed lunch and followed Jesus across the lake because of that banquet, ask him for another sign? They’ve seen Jesus perform a wondrous work, yet they ask what work he will do by way of proof, as though they didn’t have proof enough and they tell him that they know a story of something similar that happened to other people – namely their ancestors who were provided with and ate manna in the wilderness.
It’s Jesus who brings Moses into the conversation, probably to compare and contrast himself with the great leader who freed the people from slavery and led them through the wilderness. But he does so by pointing out that Moses didn’t actually do anything! God did! More than that, God was doing it again, there and then, giving bread from heaven as he did after the exodus. And the crowd wanted that bread.
But Jesus says ‘it’s me! I am the Bread of Life! This is one of the seven so-called ‘I am’ sayings. And there were those in the crowd who said, how very dare he describe himself as the ‘bread of life’, the bread that has come down from heaven, like manna.
The matter of Jesus describing himself as the Bread of Life will lead to a difficult conversation which will cause many to turn away from following him, because it turns out that Jesus is not going to be a magician pulling food out of a hat at every end and turn after all!
Eventually, when you read on, you will read about Jesus asking the twelve if they also want to leave. Peter utters the truth, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life”.
And how do we share Jesus’ words of eternal life? A good place to start is sharing bread. For those without it, bread is vitally important. What are we to offer? Are the ‘good works’ of the Church unconditional? Do we ‘share bread’ with too much or too little spiritual engagement?
A study on food provision by faith groups found that the work of food bank volunteers was seen as ‘true Christianity in operation’ that cooking and eating together was about much more than food and that even the gift of simple refreshments could give a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven. There is more to feeding the hungry, especially the spiritually hungry, than giving bread, but it’s a good place to start.
During lockdown, a keen gardener wanted to help those who could do no more than get out for their daily walk. She operated a bring-and-buy stall at the roadside outside her house which encouraged many people to take healthy exercise, gardening in their own gardens and bringing along their produce while raising thousands for local cancer charities. The socially distanced conversations about plants also fed the souls of those who were lonely. There is more to being fed than eating bread.
As we do the work of God by believing in the one whom he has sent, our lives will reflect the quality of the Living Bread that we share – Jesus himself!
It’s a two-way deal as we respond to what we have received by sharing it.
Rev. Janine