“THE BREAD”
Saint John 6. 1-15
Laetare - The Fourth Sunday in Lent: 18 March Anno Domini 2007
Fr Watson
The Law shows you your sin. As the “Twin Towers” in New York City came crashing down, so too the Twin Tablets of God bring you down in a total collapse of dust and debris. The Ten Commandments do not list the things you “do” pretty good, some of the time, rather they enumerate you daily failings in minute detail. Only a Pharisee feels a bit satisfied and “warm” inside when reciting the Commandments; not as warm as he’s going to feel if He doesn’t repent.
You may not follow the Lord because you’re only hoping to see a miracle or only desiring to have your own “loaves” (whatever they may be) multiplied unto you: “give liberally unto God and He will give more abundantly back to you” or “serve and do for Him and His Kingdom and you will be rewarded with success and prosperity.” Those are lies of Satan. When the Law shows you your inner heart it reveals that you do expect Jesus to perform “miracles” just for you that go above and beyond the Peace and Forgiveness He gives you in His Word. The Law uncovers that your sinful self would rather have a different kind of “word” than just a Bible and a Weekly Eucharist (I won’t mention Holy Baptism since your “old Adam” doesn’t even think about it during the week; and, Pastor’s who talk about it too much during the Mass have their churches throw them out or go out of existence to get rid of them; such is the “way” of you “old Adams”)
Yes you believe that He once turned a few loaves of bread and a couple of tuna into a lot of bread and a bunch of fish sticks, but that was then and this is now you grumble. Yes you do grumble, for you are just like the Israelites in the Wilderness. I know, because I am just like those back-sliding murmur-ers myself. At first they were grateful for Manna. But after a while the sustenance of “daily bread” was repetitive, boring, un-stimulating, and not conducive to their own desires for action, participation, self-fulfillment and control. The ego is easily bored when being served. The little child in you wants to do things your way. The sinner detests the normal and dependable and always craves the novel and exciting.
This is the reason “so-called” creative worship is so appealing to you at first. Oh, and you retort we don’t want that goofy liberal disrespectful form of entertainment on Sunday mornings. Well you might not want pastors in Izod shirts roaming about the stage to the accompaniment of snares and synthesizers, but you do want things on Sunday morning “your way.”
The crowd tried to take Jesus by force and make Him their king. You try and take the Lord of the Word, of the Crucifix, and make Him you personal genii, your enabler. The reason you think that you are always correct and that your annoying neighbor is always wrong is that you don’t really like “picking up your cross and following the Crucified One.” The real reason people leave congregations is that they soon grow tired of constantly being fed the same old “bread” by the same old disciple.
Jesus loves you… all the time, even when you complain and act like spoiled brats. The Lord wants to give to you even when you act like “little Popes” or self-appointed Bishops of the Church of “me, myself, and I.” Jesus loves you and will go on being the Word made Flesh for you. As He prayed for the masses, especially for His followers; as He blessed, broke and distributed to the “12” to, in turn, distribute to the hungry, so too He does today.
The “feeding of the 5,000” points to the Lord’s Supper to be sure. But this mountain top event illustrates the only way that “the Way” deals with His sheep; as the reliable, protective, self-giving and Good Shepherd.
He feeds you bread not caviar. He feeds you through the hands of His called ones not through your own efforts and preferences. No matter how hungry you are there will always be enough to satisfy your need; not your sinful “want” but your spiritual health need. No matter what you may do in ignorance or maliciousness to spoil things, to stir things up, to waste, destroy or throw away, He will never stop loving, feeding or saving. The Savior saves all those that are His own even as He has the “12” gather all broken and remaining fragments. Nothing is lost and no one who He has claimed, and + branded, will be lost.
This is the Word. You have ears, hear it; and rejoice.
The “point” is not the meal of bread and fish in the second part of this “pericope.” The real feast is in this morning’s Gospel opening: “Jesus went up on the mountain…now the Passover…was near.”
Lent wanes on. Each passing day brings you closer to the yearly (which should be daily) remembrance of “Good Friday.” So too it was for the Lord in John’s Gospel. What makes it “Good News” is that Jesus was soon to go up the real mountain, the mountain of your sin, to celebrate the only Passover which counts. There He was made the slaughtered lamb, the blood sacrifice, so that this morning He might again feed you, and be fed to you as the real Bread of Heaven. Eat as much as you want for this is truly The Prophet, the God/Man who has come into your world, and into you.
In the Name of + Jesus