Lessons Learned

2 Samuel 11: 26- 12:13a
John 6: 24-35

This passage would be very easy to preach if I just wanted to skim the surface of the message within it. The last line where Jesus declares himself to be the bread of life and all who come to him will never go hungry or thirsty could very easily be turned into a fifteen minute sermon on believing in Jesus and he’ll give you everything you need.

But that would be a misrepresentation of what this passage is really about.

The truth is that everyone in this room believes in Jesus, has at least a little faith in what Jesus can do which is why you come here on Sunday mornings. And yet, despite your belief and faith, do you have everything you need?

We are lucky to live in an area where most of us are able to make a decent wage, or at least be able to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. We have more than many others in the world do. So yes, in some ways, Jesus has provided for us all that we need to survive. But is that all we need?

If life was just about survival, then I would say yes to the question. However, life is about a whole lot more than it was five thousand years ago. Back then, surviving was paramount. Today, in a world of seven billion people, with the continued advancement in medicine, the ability to access knowledge, technology, and supplies; our survival is just about guaranteed as long as we have a job to pay for these things.

Some people will play with words. They will tell you that what you want and what you need are two very different things and the more important part of it all is the needs. I disagree. If we never have our wants and desires fulfilled, our life is left feeling a little hollow. When I’m visiting people in nursing homes, this becomes so much clearer.

The people in there have all of their needs met. They are bathed, fed, given their medicine and taken for walks throughout the day. All of their physical needs are met by the caring staff. However, what they want out of life is so much more than just to have their physical needs met. I meet so many people who feel lost and alone inside those nursing homes because their family has passed away or find no time to visit them. Some have lost their eyesight or ability to use their fingers because of arthritis and so the things that brought them joy such as reading a story or making a pillow are now denied them as well.

These wants of theirs are just as important to be fulfilled as their needs. And so are yours. It is not selfish to want something more for yourself than what you already have. It is not wrong to want to strive to achieve greater goals in your life.

In this passage, Jesus makes a point to define the difference between material bread and spiritual bread. He tells the people that they are looking for him not because of the miracle of feeding five thousand people with such a limited amount of food, but because they had been given enough to eat and drink when they expected to go hungry that night.

Jesus reminds us we should work for the food that does not spoil. When Jesus tells us we will never go hungry or thirsty through our belief in Him, he is not talking about the physical hunger and thirst. It is not about needs, it is about wants. When we pass from this life, do we want to look back and only see that our physical needs have been met? Or are the true memories we cherish the moments when our desires are fulfilled?

For example some of your wants may have been graduating from high school or college. Your first home. Your first job. Your first achievements in your career as you work hard. Meeting that special someone who makes your heart skip a beat when they smile. Marrying them.  Having children. Watching them grow and listening to them fight and then the moment when all is forgiven and the hugs begin. These things are the beauty of the earth; these things are gifts from God and manna from heaven that fulfills the spiritual growth inside of us rather than our physical needs. They cannot feed our body, but they do feed our soul.

 Historians have figured out Jesus lived on earth for around 33 years. Three years were spent ministering to the needs of others and helping to teach the disciples about the Kingdom of Heaven. What did Jesus do for the first thirty years of his life? We have read in the bible that at just 12 years of age, Jesus had a wisdom and knowledge of God that confused and baffled his parents Mary and Joseph.

We have no record of what Jesus did in the next 18 years before his ministry began in Cana at a wedding. But when I read a passage like this, I think I know what he did. Jesus lived. He went on long walks and talked to God. He studied the Old Testament and probably listened to the teachers in the synagogue. He fought with his brothers and sisters, and helped his family make a living. He loved and laughed and stored up treasure in heaven. Jesus was so wise in his three years of ministry because he had lived and loved in the previous thirty years.

He knew his time would come to an end quickly and violently, but somehow he did not let that stop him from enjoying what life had given to him. Jesus tells us that he is the bread of heaven and all who come to him will never go hungry, all who believe in him will never be thirsty.  Jesus shows us the way to live.

He tells us not to worry about food or clothing. When he asks the disciples to go out spreading the Good News he tells them to take nothing but what clothes they wear that day. What Jesus thinks is more important than a hot meal are the memories we create, the joy we have in sharing our lives with others, the love we experience in the connections we make on earth.

Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus is the connection we have to all human beings in this world. Through him, we will never again be lost and alone. We will never again wonder if someone loves us. But this can only be experienced if we allow ourselves to open our hearts and souls to the people around us. Relationships are created through sharing – our lives, our minds, and our hearts.

When the people heard this they exclaimed, “Give us this bread always!”

And Jesus died so we may always be connected to each other and to God. Jesus died so that we may live and have this bread always.

Take and eat; the body of Christ – broken for you. Take and drink; the blood of Christ – shed for you. May you never hunger or thirst again.

Amen.