The Fourth Sunday in Lent - Laetare - 3-22-09

The Church Season of Lent
The Fourth Sunday in Lent - Laetare (March 22, 2009)
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI
One Year Series

“THE BREAD OF LIFE”

Readings:
Psalm 132
OT Exodus 2:-21
Epistle Galatians 4:21-31
Gospel John 6:1-15

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

The text for today’s message is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 6th chapter of St. John.

John 6:1-15 (NIV)

"1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberius), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Feast was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself."

After God had delivered the children of Israel from their slavery to the Egyptians, they traveled in the wilderness for 40 years. In this barren wasteland they would've soon died, except that God miraculously provided food for them, bread from heaven. Each morning when they woke up, they found a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. This thin bread they called manna. By it God sustained them until they entered the Promised Land.

Here in the sixth chapter of John, Jesus compares Himself to that manna and says that it was a sign of His coming. "I am the Bread of Life"(v. 35) Jesus proclaims; and again, "I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."(v. 51 Jesus Himself is the bread of God, which we feed on through faith, which nourishes and sustains us in this world, and which gives us to share in His eternal life in the Promised Land of heaven.

So when we hear of a miracle like the feeding of the 5000, in which Jesus multiplies bread for His followers, we know that the significance of this miracle goes beyond the earthly bread of that time and that place. For ultimately, it has to do with He who is the Living Bread which came down from heaven. But this time the Living Bread feeds the children of God for a lot longer than just forty years, He feeds His people with eternal life. Jesus Christ, is the Bread of Life, and He continues to bless and distribute His blessings to us in the Sacrament of the Altar by giving His body and blood for the life of the world.

Seeing the multitudes coming to Him, Jesus asks Philip a question to test him, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat? Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them."(v. 5,7) What Philip way saying was, "We couldn't even come close to having enough money to feed this huge group of people." Jesus asks this question to show you that the bread of life which He has to offer cannot be bought or bartered for, but is given freely. So, you can't purchase this heavenly bread or pay for it, it comes to you from heaven to earth, from God to you. For God freely offers it to you in the ministry of His Word and Sacraments. His forgiveness and salvation are granted to you without cost. They cannot be earned or merited by your own goodness but must be received as a gift from Him. As Isaiah says, "You who have no money, come, buy and eat." (Is. 55:1)

Only those can receive the bread of life, who acknowledge their spiritual bankruptcy before God, who recognize that their worthiness doesn't make them deserving of God's eternal gifts. Those who try to "buy" their way into heaven or try to barter with their own works and spiritual qualifications, will not be given life from this Living Bread. For they seek a righteousness of their own, they seek a kingdom which they can purchase by their own work. But, God’s kingdom is only for those who hunger and thirst for the righteousness of Christ and they will be satisfied.

One of Jesus' disciples, Andrew, said to Him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"(v.9) On the surface it appeared that this bread and fish would be useless to help feed the people. But with Jesus it was more than enough to do the job. This is the same as it is in the Sacrament of the Altar, our eyes deceive us, our minds cannot grasp how this is Christ’s body and blood. Yet it is there just the same, even if all our human senses do not understand or comprehend, He is here with us and for us. And the only way to comprehend this gift is by faith. Someone might ask, "What good can a little bread and wine do? How can these elements help my soul or give me any eternal blessings?" But with Jesus, such elements are more than enough. For what counts is not the impressiveness of bread and wine but the miracle that our Lord is able and still promises to do with them. You must focus not on the elements only but also on the Lord who stands behind them with His gracious power.

"Then Jesus said, 'Make the people sit down.' Now there was much grass in the place."(v. 10) The Lord bids you also to do the same today, for the Psalm says, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures."(Ps. 23) The grassy pasture in which the Lord makes you sit is this very place. For it is here that He calls you to come to Him for rest. It is here that He leads you beside the still waters of His living Word. And it is here that He prepares a table before you, spread for you with heavenly food.

"And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted."(v. 11-12) Here is the great miracle, as the disciples handed out this food given them by Christ, there was always more and more. The more they handed out, the more there was. First, there were five loaves in the basket. Then, as this was distributed, the disciples would reach in and find more and more loaves ready to be given out. And likewise with the fish. Thousands upon thousands of people were fed, and the food never ran out. In fact, everyone had as much as they wanted. They were thoroughly filled. By His loving power, the Lord had multiplied the bread and fish so that all the multitude would be fed.

People often ask if miracles still happen today, I always answer yes. It is a miracle that God would send His Son to live as a human, and to die as our savior on a cross. And I think more than a few people here would agree that God has worked miracles in their lives. In fact, if you have been baptized you are indeed the recipient of the miracle of God’s promise of eternal salvation. For, it is a miracle that He would love us so much that He would see all of our sin and yet still take that sin upon Himself so that we could stand before God blameless. Upon the cross Jesus said to one of the thieves, today you will be with me in paradise. Today Jesus says to you in Holy Communion, as you eat His body and drink His blood, You are indeed with Him in paradise. When Christ, fed the 5000 it may have appeared as temporary one-time miracle. Yet, it is an eternal miracle that is still going on in the Church, for you. Come today and eat the Eternal Manna from heaven, drink the blood of Christ that makes your cup runneth over. For Jesus Christ freely gives you eternal life and that manna from above gives you the promise that you will be filled with eternal life. AMEN

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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