“CHRIST: THE BREAD OF LIFE”
Saint John 6: 1-15
Laetare: 11 March Anno Domini 2018
Father Jay Watson SSP
Location, Location, Location. The Sea of Galilee as an actual physical location. The place of villages with lots of people, lots of commerce, in an area frequented by Gentiles and Greek speaking Jews. A harbinger of the propagation of The Gospel to all the world. The Sea of Tiberius, renamed by the powers of the world, the kingdom of the left. Indicating that conquerors and political hegemons will always seek to name places after man rather than submitting to The Name of The Lord. The water that Christ was intimately familiar with, for though “blood is the life,” [Lev. 17.11] so too water is life. The Word created the water out of nothing; later in time as the Incarnate Immanuel stilled the violent storms on said Sea by His own Word; later drew a full bounty of fish into the nets of His called fisherman—food for their bodies; later used the water near the shore to teach and preach The Kingdom; and later conquered nature again by walking on the waves themselves. Always The Word of God uniting Himself to the water to bring His Baptism of new birth and regeneration to all nations. Location, location, location; font, pulpit, and altar. The Water of + Christ for you.
The feeding from the hands of The Shepherd is Grace. The eating by the flock is Faith. The food is Christ. The result is forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. I’m talking about the Church, now, today. All of this is predicated upon all that happened then.
One should follow Jesus because of the “signs.” The Evangelist of Love used that term, “signs,” to denote Christ’s miraculous healings and supra-natural feats. While the Biblical miracles have ceased in “that” way, the greater “signs” the pledges and tokens of the forgiveness of sins continue now until He reappears. The only “sign” you receive is the “sign of Jonas,” [Luke 11.29] Christ crucified for you.
At the Sea of Galilee, The Lord fed bellies and healed diseases; He dealt with the symptoms. At Calvary He would give His own Flesh as food to satisfy the wrath of God against your sin. He healed the cause by suffering and dying; His Body and Blood given to bring you life and light.
His question to Saint Philip is His question to you, to be sure, yes, but it’s really directed towards me—to His all His under-shepherds who He has placed into Philip’s Office. Where does one, where do I, find, purchase, procure, create, or “come up with” bread—sustenance—what you NEED—what to feed you with to satisfy your hunger? And, what is your true hunger? Christ’s words to the Samaritan woman at the well are instructive. Your sinful passions and fallen natures crave mammon and the junk-food of “self.” You desire McDonalds, HyVee, craft beer and soda; you yearn for Royal’s tickets, the ability to take vacations and get-aways; you feast on Viagra, Netflix, music, movies, homes, vehicles, bigger paychecks, investment returns, and other forms of “field and cattle and all your goods.” You ultimately want to dine on simply being in charge and having everything work out your way—a veritable, Kingdom of Glory with you as King or Queen. This is what the sinner wants…even in Church.
He fed their bellies; He wants to feed your void. Sin, and the sins that it produces in you, leaves you cold and alone, broken, desolate and depressed, full of regrets and sorrows, and utterly inconsolable. The isolating solitary confinement that can be felt, like the darkness that descended upon Egypt—at the Tree on Golgotha—can only be filled by The Light Who is The Bread from Heaven. Jesus bridges the chasm to His lost lambs by His out-stretched and pierced hands. Jesus causes the family reunion by being. True family is shown at The Table. The joys of community, talk and taste, laughter and love, are shown at The Table.
Money won’t provide this meal, i.e. good works won’t satisfy the hunger or fill the gnawing emptiness. Only Jesus’ works as Law keeper and fulfiller fill up the deep tomb of death. Man’s charity…sharing your five loaves and two fish won’t save anyone from starvation either. But it IS felicitous that the barley loaves and small “fishes” do come from a “lad,” a small boy. Not strong, tall, and mighty Saul, but little shepherd boy David. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” [Is. 11.6] As Jesus said in Matthew 18…referencing both the perfect receptive faith of babes, and also the “in the stead-ness” of His “12” called ambassadors “whoso shall receive one such little child in My Name receiveth Me.” [Mt. 18. 5]. Your “food” comes from the meek, mild, suffering servant.
You are on the mount of Zion the Saved, the New Jerusalem which comes down from God—for Christ set Himself on Calvary’s skull hillock. You are set in “much grass” in this place—The Church—by the waters + of comfort. As “He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down,” so you also are fed by His steward.
“As much as they would” means that you are as full as a saved soul can be…The Living Bread from heaven is your all—and it points to the final and eternal feast which comes at His final advent.
The “fragments” are not fragments of insignificant left-overs, but rather just another “sign” of the restoration of Jesus’s family—the “12” Tribes of Israel now the Pentecost and full “12” of His New Testament brothers and sisters.
The “Truth,” The “Prophet” has indeed come into the world. He has come to Augsburg. He comes and makes His home in you.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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