Monday, August 20, 2018

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost (B) 2018

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: John 6:51
Theme: Life-Giving Food


Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

The Holy Scriptures are always very consistent in their witness. Though compiled over nearly 1500 years the theme of the Bible remains unchanged throughout. Since the Holy Spirit is the author this should not seem surprising. It is also evidence of the fact that the holy Christian church is one continuous and contiguous entity. Believers throughout the ages, unrestricted by the dimensions of time and space, participate in the life of God through common means. Those who are part of the church triumphant enjoy the fellowship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit by sight, we in the church militant, by faith. But the certainty of the latter is not less than that of the former. This is so because the Saviour who came in the flesh and reigns in that flesh is immortal. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”1

But we live in a constantly changing world. And it is the nature of human beings to become frustrated about changes they cannot control. The people who witnessed Jesus’ miracle of the loaves and fishes were enthralled by His ability but they were not prepared to concede their need for a more fundamental rescue and recognize His divinity. Finally, when Jesus named Himself as the way of eternal salvation the matter is driven to a head. “At this the Jews began to grumble about Him because He said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.”2

This complaining and skepticism sounds very familiar. Remember what happened nearly 1500 years earlier. The Israelites had been freed from slavery in Egypt, yet they quickly lost patience with God in the desert. The Bible says, “All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert!’”3 They thought they preferred to die rather than wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises!

The pathology of sin is expressed as a continuous diatribe of complaint against God. Our failures, hardships, and painful experiences are not easily accepted as our own fault. Like Adam blaming Eve and then ultimately God, we prefer to put the responsibility on others we claim have wronged us and finally God who has failed to help us. This pattern becomes a way of life. Unless called to account by God’s authority, we become unrepentant and feel justified in blaming others. No matter what happens, we see ourselves as victims and not the cause.
God reveals to us how things really are. Maturity in the faith is not reached by passing blame but by claiming guilt. Certainly, others have, and do, and will continue to sin against us. But that reality is not resolved by seeking revenge or by avoidance or by denial. What do we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”4 How difficult it is to forgive those who sin against us! But a genuine commitment to forgive others is a defining characteristic of the baptismal life. That which we receive from Christ- grace and forgiveness- is expressed in our relationships with others.

The Christian who is not continually engaged in the dynamics of repentance and forgiveness is not a true follower of Christ regardless of what other appearances are made. Paul said it directly last Sunday, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and sander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”5 Faith is not a matter of living independently from God but of needing Him more. The freedom Christians have is not about living without God’s support but being freed from the guilt of sin. Christ was crucified and raised and in baptism believers are integrated into His life, they are not set on their way to live apart from Him.

It was reasonable that the Jews understood God’s giving of manna as the standard expression of God’s provision. Now this Jesus seemed to be challenging that. How could Jesus’ multiplying of the loaves and fishes be a greater miracle than that of the manna and quail God supplied all those years in the desert? Jesus was seeking to lead them to a deeper faith. The manna was only temporary nourishment. Jesus Christ is eternal food. The manna could not prevent physical death. Even with unlimited manna available the bodies of the Israelites still succumbed to sin. But Christ has defeated sin and death. All who trust in Him will have their bodies raised from death and glorified for eternity. They needed to understand that baptismal water was thicker than Jewish blood.

From beginning to end, conception to grave, death to life- to eternity- God provides for our wellbeing of body and soul. To the skeptical Jews Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”6 The Bible is clear that all credit for being rescued from the power of sin and hell rests with God. The Holy Spirit makes the dead person alive. But every person possesses the power of spiritual death. Separation from God is always ultimately the fault of the individual. God may exact the punishment for rejecting Him, but He is never the cause of the rejection. The grace of Christ is universal. And though people can harden their hearts against God, no one has the power to awaken themselves from spiritual slumber. Beyond these truths we cannot probe. Nor do we need to. God’s promises are sure. His word is clear. His sacraments reveal and extend His mercy to us.

The importance of physical food we readily grasp. But we can hardly read John chapter 6, listen to Jesus’ words about the bread of life, and not think of the sacred meal we receive in the Lord’s Supper. Physical food is God’s gift to the body. Holy Communion is His gift to body and soul. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life…I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world.”7 Amen.




+ In nomine Jesu +

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
19 August 2018 (9 August 2009)
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 Hebrews 13:8
2 John 6:41
3 Numbers 14:2
4 Matthew 6:12
5 Ephesians 4:30-32
6 John 6:44
7 John 6:47-48, 51

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