by Fr. Bill Garrison
Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.
John 6:24-35
The next day, when the people who remained after the feeding of the five thousand saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
There’s a big question going around these days in some circles. The virus seems to be taking hold within our communities, especially among the unvaccinated. The political situation is dicey at best. The homeless problems continue to confound. The economy is incredible for some and torturous for others. And a lot of folks are wondering. Where is God? Has God left the building with Elvis? I’m reminded of that old line from American Pie. “The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost took the last train to the coast, the day the music died.” We wonder if the music indeed has died.
Here is a quick story on that exact subject. Two young boys were terrible trouble makers. They were always breaking things, stealing things, lying, and making all kinds of general trouble. Their parents tried everything to get the boys to change, but to no avail. Finally, out of options, they asked their pastor if he could help. He said he would talk to the boys, but only one at a time.
The parents dropped off the youngest and went home, promising to return to get him soon. The young man sat in a chair across from the pastor's desk and they just looked at each other. Finally, the Pastor said, "Where is God?" The boy just sat there and didn't answer.
The pastor began to look stern and loudly said, "Where is God?" The little boy shifted in his seat, but still didn’t answer. So, the pastor began to get a little angry at the boy's refusal to answer him and said a little louder,
"Where is God?"
To the pastor's surprise, the little boy jumped up out of his chair and ran out of the office. He left the church and ran all the way home, up the stairs, and into his brother's room. Once there he shut the door and panted out the following words. "We're in BIG TROUBLE. God's missing and they think we did it!"
I do my best whenever I preach to attempt to convey something I truly believe, and I arrive at most of my conclusions primarily from scripture mixed in with some stories from life and prayer. In that light the gospel today may provide some answers for us to the huge question being asked. Let’s see. I am going to paraphrase quite a bit. Please bear with me.
Jesus and the disciples have just fed the 5000. Then they left town. These things were reported in last week’s gospel. They went home to Capernaum. The remainder of the crowd they left behind never went home and spent the night. Instead, they wonder what happened to Jesus and follow him to Capernaum.
When the crowd arrives, Jesus is not confused about why most of them are there. Jesus is well aware that his miracles often get in the way of his teaching. In Mark he even asks those he has healed not to say anything for that very reason. He understands the crowd wants something to eat. He has proven that he is capable of feeding them and food availability in that day was incredibly important.
They even ask him when he left. There is more to the question than those simple words. They probably feel abandoned. That echoes down to us today, doesn’t it? Where is God when we need God? When did God leave us? Why did God leave us? It’s lonely and scary these days.
Jesus continues to speak to them. You would be a lot better off he says if you would understand the signs that point to who I am. I am offering much more than bread. I am offering partnership with you and eternal life. God has sent me to you.
Now he has their attention.
“How can we know that you come from God? Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness. Moses gave us bread from heaven to eat. What are you going to do to prove who you are? What sign will you give us?”
And Jesus said to them. “Listen: it wasn’t Moses that gave it to you, it was God.” I am the bread that God has sent to God’s people. This is a metaphor everybody. Understand what I am telling you. “Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” This is more important than the bread I gave you yesterday, the miracle that was performed that blinded you. You are being offered so much more. Hear what I am saying to you.
I wonder if he would have liked to shake them. They could have understood who he was the day before, but they hadn’t. Were they going to today?
Folks, we are like the crowd in this story looking for the miracle of more to eat. We want the bread too. We are blinded by our hopes for a miracle, that God will intervene and solve some of our problems for us. We are convinced that God has gone on to Capernaum and we must go in pursuit.
Well, God hasn’t gone anywhere. The gift of life through Jesus has already been given. Yes, things are a mess. Yes, it would be nice if God would solve our issues. But it doesn’t appear that God works that way. Instead, God seems happy enough to walk the path we must walk with us, our partner, as we live our lives as we choose to do so, alongside us every step of the way. On top of that eternity is promised when we are done.
Like that crowd twenty centuries ago, Jesus asks another important question of us. Is this the day we finally understand, or will Jesus have to keep trying to convince us? Thank goodness God never seems to give up.