Tenth Sunday After Pentecost The text is John 6:1-21.
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1Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” 10Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” 13So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”
15When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
16When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.
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May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Many Sundays the biblical passages that have been selected by the Lectionary folks who determine which lessons the majority of Christian churches read each week, seem to be rather unrelated. Yet often they do share a common theme, and this morning’s readings do in fact, have a collective focus; each speaks to the abundance that God provides. The First Reading, taken from 2nd Kings recounts that in the time of the prophet Elisha, when they were fed, “the people ate, and there was food left”. The Psalmist tells us that, “God gives the people their food in due season”. And in the letter to the Ephesians Paul writes that, the church’s people will be “filled with the fullness of God”. There is a definite point being made in this collection of bible lessons this morning; God provides abundance for God’s people.
And in addition to these readings, there are two very important and very well-known events taking place in John’s gospel this morning; Jesus feeds the 5,000 and he walks on water. Both serve to reveal and reinforce his divine power; to his disciples and to the gathered crowd. The miraculous feeding of thousands of people is the foundation for Jesus’ coming “Bread of Life Discourse”, which we will be examining over the next several Sundays. And the foundational themes of this expansive teaching by Jesus revolve around his divine nature, the purpose of his mission, and the spiritual abundance he provides. And for good measure Jesus walks on the surface of the Galilee to meet the disciples in their boat, after the 5,000 have been fed; just in case they had any lingering doubts as to his nature as the Son of God.
As Jesus approaches the boat he calls out to his terrified disciples, saying, “It is I; do not be afraid”. Our NRSV bible translation renders Jesus’ words in this way, but the Greek used by John may also be translated as “I am”. This is not the first, or the last time we will hear Jesus utter these words. In fact, next Sunday we will hear Jesus declare, “I am the bread of life”, as he begins his lengthy address declaring who he is and what he has come to accomplish on behalf of the people of God. His disciples experience the miracle of Jesus’ power over nature while the crowd of 5,000 who were miraculously fed come to know his ability to provide abundance for God’s people. But before any of this takes place, Jesus surveys the assembled crowd on the mountain, and being aware of their need to be fed, we read that he, “tests” Phillip.
“Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?”, Jesus inquires of Phillip; even as John tells us that Jesus already knew what he was planning to do. And after being told about the boy with five loaves and two fish, and Andrew voices his disbelief that could be enough, Jesus simply tells Andrew to have the people sit while he distributes the food to the crowd. Jesus makes a habit of continually challenging those who profess to follow him; is their faith sincere? Do they doubt his power? Do they trust in him? Do they acknowledge that Jesus, as God incarnate is able to ensure that there is always enough; can he guarantee abundance?
The miracle of the “Feeding of the 5,000” is the only one of Jesus’ signs of power that appears in all four gospels, so obviously this event held great importance for the people in Jesus’ time. This may be attributed to the many references and comparisons made to people and events in the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible. Central to Judaism is the celebration of the Passover, when the Hebrew people were spared by God as they prepared for the Exodus from Egypt. John notes that Jesus performed his miraculous feeding at a time when “the Passover was near”.
After their belief in God, for the Hebrew people, the Passover, Moses, and the prophets are essential elements of Jewish faith. In this passage, Jesus is connected strongly to the past history of the people of Israel. He leads the people up a mountain to be taught and fed, as Moses ascended the mountain to encounter God. Jesus is referred to several times as a prophet; note that the prophet Elisha figures prominently in our first reading this morning. Jesus tells the disciples as he walks up to their boat, striding atop the water, “I am”. This is the way God describes himself to Moses when asked his name.
All these references that connect Jesus in his time to the people of Israel in their deep past speak to the abundance that God provides for the faithful. Food left over when Elisha sets out barley loaves and grain for God’s people; the redemptive story of the Passover, when God leads the people from slavery into freedom and abundant life; God anointing Moses as messenger to the people; the ancient prophets declaring God’s will for the ancient Israelites. Twelve baskets of leftover bread and twelve tribes of Israel.
The connectedness that Jesus displays to the Jewish people in their past continues, as his life-giving power and promise of abundance is bestowed upon us in the present. And as Jesus tested his first followers’ faith and trust that he would always ensure that there was enough, this same challenge is set forth for those who proclaim him as Savior today. Individual Christians may question if they feel they are adequately provided for, families might think there is not enough provision in their lives, communities struggle with the perception that abundance is lacking. And perhaps most importantly, churches often lament over a persistent impression that their people do not have enough in order to continue and expand their ministries and their mission. Today’s secular and religious landscape are markedly different from what they were a generation ago, and quite frankly, significantly altered from just a few years ago. There is an atmosphere in many areas, and yes, in our churches also, that there has been a marked decline in the resources needed to adequately fulfill what Jesus has called us to do.
Congregations are aging and there hasn’t been an influx of new, younger people to take their place. Thus, those who continue to serve Christ are finding that they are called upon to do even more. With the decline in membership there is the corresponding reduction in giving; again, limiting what the Christian church is able to accomplish in Jesus’ name. But the Jesus Christ who walks on water and feeds 5,000 with a few loaves and fish will continue to ensure that there is an abundance of resources available for those who seek to serve in his name. This may not always seem obvious to those who have answered his call to provide for the ones he has commanded us to serve, and often the task seems daunting.
But just as Jesus already knew what he was going to do when he tested Phillip,
asking, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?”, he also knows how his mission and ministry will continue in these times of scarce resources. The church and her people are called to move forward in mission, determined to do the work they are called to do; and when it feels like there might not be enough, that is when trust and faith replace fear and worry. The One who walks on water and provides a feast from nearly nothing will not allow scarcity to thwart the church in her mission.
Throughout faith communities in America the reality of dwindling numbers and resources has caused most denominations to reconsider what the future church will look like. In most cases, the mission will remain, but how it is carried out and what it will look like, may be very different from what it has historically been. Those congregations that have decided that the best course of action is to remain as they are, they will most likely not succeed, and ultimately, many will cease to be. But in those places where the people have determined to continue in their call to servanthood; while there is no guarantee that these churches will flourish, statistics show that they at least have a chance to thrive in their efforts to serve as the hands, and feet, and heart of the Jesus who challenges his followers to believe he can do miraculous things. The future church will indeed look very different from the one that exists today, but the mission hasn’t, and won’t change.
The early Christians met in the homes of their members, and over time great cathedrals sprung up throughout the Western world. And today, many start-up churches are meeting in storefronts or rented spaces. And other, established parishes are opening their doors to their community, welcoming music education, children’s theater, singing and recovery groups, and worshipping communities of decidedly different forms. And some are even inviting social service organizations to share their limited space, with the hope that this will result in unlimited opportunities to provide the loaves and fishes that Jesus commands they distribute to the hungry crowds in need. Yes, the church will look and feel different, but the mission and ministry will remain unchanged. The Gospel will be preached, and hopefully lived out by those who trust and believe that Jesus Christ, “The Bread of Life” will always ensure there is enough for all; and yes, even abundance.
Will you pray with me? Good, and gracious, and holy God, you have called your people to share in the abundance you provide. Help us to trust that even as your church on earth evolves and changes, that your will for your people is never-ending. And we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the One who challenges, tests, and encourages us to believe that in him, there is always enough.
Amen.
God is Good, all the time. All the time, God is Good. Amen.