The Light Has Come: Bread

Intro: I Am the Bread of Life

Our text today is one section of John 6… one part of what is known as the “Bread of Life Discourse” - in it Jesus says “I am the bread of life… I am the bread come down from heaven…come for the life of the world.”

But the Bread of Life discourse has a context as well.

The immediate context of our text today are two signs: the feeding of the 5000 and Jesus walking on water. When we hear Jesus speaking as Linda reads for us in just a minute, He is in the synagogue in Capernaum. And He is unpacking the signs that the people have just witnessed or heard about from the others. Did you see what happened on the mountain? One kid’s lunch fed 5000 of us… And then there was a storm and Jesus came walking towards us on the water… The context of the words Jesus is about to speak are signs of abundance and of presence.

Abundance as illustrated by the Feeding of the 5000 in the beginning of John 6.

Abundant life can be as simple as the basic necessities to sustain life. It is abundance reconfigured through the concept of relationship. Life cannot be abundant if it is not grounded in intimacy and relationship and security. Abundant life cannot be felt or experienced if the knowledge and promise of provision are not assured. Abundant life is predicated on the human necessity of dependence and reliance. Karoline Lewis, p 82-83

And presence as shown in the walking on water, which in John doesn’t include the invitation to Peter to join him, but simply the voice of Jesus saying, “I AM. Do not be afraid.”

So, the context for our reading is that Jesus is speaking to people He has just fed. And, Jesus is speaking to His own, who have just experienced His presence in the midst of a storm.

In lack… whether of daily necessity or of spiritual sustenance, Jesus provides bread.

In the chaos and confusion of storms and darkness, Jesus is present. And invites us to let go of our fear.

With that backdrop in mind, let us go now to the synagogue in Capernaum and hear the conversation that took place there. Linda, will you come and read for us?

[Reading]

Have you ever thought about the difference between eating to live and living to eat? I had heard the phrases bandied about, but then I met someone and started spending time with them and made a terrible discovery...

As much as I could tell, they ate only to fuel their body. I mean, they took it really seriously, and they were actually somewhat meticulous about it, but they didn’t ENJOY their food. They didn’t take any pleasure in how things tasted or what tasted good together. And you know what? It wasn’t very much fun to share a meal with this person.

He very much was someone who ate to live. And while saying that I “live to eat” might be slightly overselling it. Being around him also made me realize that food is more than just about nutrients and nourishment. When enjoyed, and particularly when enjoyed TOGETHER, food becomes a place of connection - a nourishing of body and soul.

Now, a year or so later, I met another person. Ok. Another man. If you haven’t picked up on this yet, that was an old boyfriend I’m talking about. Anyway, early in this new relationship, he and I popped in to visit my nephew Charlie at work - it was close to shift end and we decided to go out for a pint down the street, the three of us. I still remember the place and that we decided to order an appy to share - seared tuna bites… The three of us each picked up a piece of the seared tuna, dipped it into the sauce they had made - some wonderful mix of flavours…and took a bite. And I still remember Gordon closed his eyes to better enjoy the moment. Charlie and I come from a family that loudly celebrates the food we eat together… and so this was a bit of a moment of testing … and friends, this might be the moment that I decided I was going to marry Gordon Tisher.

Living to eat might be overstating it slightly, but this was a moment where food was about more than nourishment. It was celebration. It was connection. It was nourishing of souls even while providing our bodies with some calories that would fuel our afternoons. It was delightful daily bread.

In our text today, Jesus has just fed the 5000 - with a boys lunch of a few loaves and a couple of fish. A miracle of abundance. But also of the actual stuff of bread and fish that nourished that large crowd. So what is all this talk of bread then? What is going on?

I invite you to consider three things from the two stories of context - the feeding of the 5000 and the walking on water:

Bread as bread. Bread as more than bread. And bread as presence.

Bread as bread.

Bread is an essential component of daily life in the ancient world. And, whether bread is an essential part of your daily life now, we still find ourselves praying for “daily bread” … by which we know we are acknowledging that even our ability to provide daily bread for our own table, and for those in our household is provision in an of itself.

Most of us likely haven’t experienced completely empty cupboards and fridges, but even still, you may well have wondered where the next grocery run is going to come from. Or, how you’ll pay for some unexpected expense. Or whether it is time to declare bankruptcy. These are real concerns in our day to day world. And the less we might have struggled to provide the basic necessities, potentially the more likely we are to think that we have earned them. This bread on my table? It’s MINE. I worked for the money to buy it. But if you couldn’t work? If you couldn’t provide? If you didn’t have anything to fall back on? Wouldn’t that increase your sense of God’s provision?

So, remember that in John, belief is all about relationship. To believe in Jesus is to be in relationship with Jesus. To abide in Him. And when it comes to our daily lives, a relationship with Jesus means trusting that all of our daily necessities are provided by God. Belief in Jesus means trusting Him for our daily bread.

Bread is bread. The actual stuff that we need for daily sustenance.

So. Bread is bread. Daily sustenance. But Bread is also more than bread.

Daily sustenance can be meagre. But it can also be delightful. Not by being fancy, necessarily, but just by care and attention. Or by the company we share it with. The nourishing of our souls that happens while we nourish our bodies. And this isn’t just for people who eat at tables with lots of people around them. I know plenty of people - and have experienced myself - how taking time to prepare and enjoy a meal on my own can be more than just a nourishing of my body. Though i do think that tables are made richer when shared - and indeed, we need to remember to invite people to sit at our tables… whether to invite someone who may often eat alone to join in OR as someone who often is on our own to invite others to sit at our tables. Both are necessary and good practices.

In John bread is spoken of as physical and as spiritual sustenance. Jesus introduces water to the mix. Speaking of our hunger for bread and our thirst for water. Which in one way, we might read as “bread and water” - not exactly the richest of fare. But then what should water make us think of? Living water offered to the woman at at the well in John 4, but also water provided from a rock in the middle of the wilderness for the Israelites. Bread from heaven and living water. Provided by God. And now Jesus is making the connection that HE can give what God provides. What God gave to the Israelites, Jesus can now provide for the crowd. Simple, basic, but also the building blocks of abundance.

Jesus is the One in whom we will discover abundance. Our hunger and thirst will find their ultimate satisfaction in Him.

Bread as bread. Bread as more than bread. But also bread as presence.

Have you ever had your daily bread. But without any connection. Or, maybe you’ve experienced dire times in which you’ve had connection but have wondered if you’ll have to without daily bread.

Food, but no one to share it with. Or no one who knows your name. Cares about your well-being.

Jesus is telling us in the discourse what He showed the crowds and His disciples in the two preceding stories… He is the abundant provider, the Shepherd who will pasture his flock and take care of all that they need for sustaining life - and, no matter how dark, how stormy and chaotic the storm gets, He is present with them.

So how do we hear these words today? How do we receive Jesus telling us that He is the bread of life. That He is the bread come down from heaven for the life of the world?

I think quite naturally, we can take this teaching, which can be difficult and say, “He’s talking about the Lord’s Supper” … and then we feel like we’re finished with it. And this text CAN help us unpack what is going on when we gather around the Lord’s Table and celebrate the Eucharist. But I think we might be letting ourselves off the hook too easily if we say that’s the only thing this is about.

John never describes the two ordinances or sacraments: baptism & the Lord’s Supper.

But the whole gospel drips with a sacramental understanding of Jesus life, death and resurrection. Sacrament - simply meaning an outward sign of an inward or hidden reality. A piece of bread or a cup of wine blessed can thus represent the body and blood of Jesus to us. A tank of water, just ordinary water - or a river flowing by - or a pool in someone’s backyard - become baptismal waters - in which a person can physically picture the inward reality of being dead to sin and alive to Christ. Buried with him and risen to new life.

And a sacramental understanding then changes how we see other daily things - bread, wine, water… and so Jesus is going to talk about more daily things in the next few weeks… water (again) and light (again), blindness and sight, sheep and shepherds (which was pretty everyday for them even if it isn’t for most of us) and then death and life (perhaps something that we prefer to think isn’t everyday, but perhaps we would do well to give it a little more thought than we do)...

When we take a step back and consider that Jesus is the bread come down from heaven for the life of the world… what do we notice?

Jesus as the real stuff we need for daily nourishment and survival. Bread.

Jesus as the one who brings abundant life. Spiritual and physical nourishment. More than bread.

And Jesus as the one who brings us Himself. And who, in doing so, also invites us to bring ourselves. To Him and to one another. Presence.

And so…

What is is that you lack this morning?

When you think of your daily ordinary life, where is the need, the hunger, the thirst, the longing?

When you think of your spiritual existence, is there a sense that it could be … more? Different? More vibrant? More…something?

In lack… whether of daily necessity or of spiritual sustenance, Jesus provides bread.

What sort of chaos or confusion are you facing in this moment of your life?

Chaos & confusion within your household

work/life balance - if such a thing even exists,

family tensions,

challenging stages of parenting whether it’s babies or toddlers or school age or teenagers or young adults or adults and grandkids…

or the lack of any of the above, for a variety of reasons

or settling into new rhythms in retirement, including the identity questions that surface when “what we do” is no longer something we do for a paycheque, where we may not feel like we are contributing in meaningful ways, or where we maybe feel like we’re finally contributing in ways that matter to us, but that others may or may not be able to see it

Chaos & confusion in your extended family

including the stress and strain of being close or of being far away, the challenge of unspoken (or spoken) expectations

Chaos & confusion of community

In our city, where should the shelters go? (and of course, the answer is “over there” but not “here”)

Or how do we take real steps forward in Indigenous reconciliation here in Kamloops and here at Southwest?

Or as we prepare for the CBWC Assembly in May - listening sessions, questions about what unites and what divides us - both within our local churches and then at the family of churches level)

Chaos & confusion at the provincial or national level

pandemic fatigue, strained health care workers, protests, frustrations),

Chaos & confusion at the global scale

As Ukraine sees diplomats and expats from more than a dozen countries instructed to get out as quickly as they can.

And then all of the other crises that are happening around the globe and that can be dizzying to try to keep up with.

So whether your chaos & confusion are mostly based in one or more of those levels…

In the chaos and confusion of storms and darkness, Jesus is present. And He says, as He did to the disciples in the boat that day, “Do not fear.”