Text
of the Week: John 6:51 I
am the living bread that has come down from heaven to rescue those who
eat it. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever. The bread that I will
give breathes life into the cosmos. This bread is My flesh. [The Voice]
It’s
the season of Easter. There’s joy in the
air. And it’s not just because Spring is
well and truly on the way. It’s because
there’s a new life, a resurrection life, to delight in. In our Bible reading at the moment we are
feasting with God and this week we are going to be challenged by some of Jesus’
table talk. And it’s quite some table
talk. There’s feasting to look forward
to and feasting to share. And with the
feasting goes thanksgiving. Do you say
grace before meals? Make a point this
week of saying grace. And then try
something different. Try something
new. As we read our Bible notes this
week we will be in conversation with Malcolm Carroll, a Baptist Minister, who
works for Greenpeace organizing volunteer activities. He asks a thought provoking question: “How
can we make our food taste of love, truth, justice, peace?” And issues a thought-provoking challenge:
“The kingdom is better served if we say our grace before we shop.” What do you think that might mean? Give it a try!
Welcome
A
time of Praise
Prayer
and the Lord’s Prayer
Saying
thank you
All
good things come to an end! It’s back to
school tomorrow!
That’s
how the people of Israel felt when they were wandering in the wilderness – they
had forty years of wandering – they had escaped from slavery in Egypt for
what? They complained for all they were
worth.
Why
didn’t God let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the
bread we could eat? You’ve brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to
death, the whole company of Israel!
Then
it was that the Lord said I am going to rain bread from heaven for you … and
each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day.
Story
of Exodus 16 – some wanted more for themselves – some couldn’t gather in enough
– but miraculously everyone had just enough, not too much, not too little.
Exodus
16 from the Voice Bible
As soon as they got to the
desert of Sin, the entire community of Israelites complained
to Moses and Aaron.
Israelites: 3 It would have been better if we had died by the hand of the Eternal in
Egypt. At least we had plenty to eat and drink, for our pots
were stuffed with meat and we had as much bread as we wanted. But now you have
brought the entire community out to the desert to starve us to death.
Eternal One (to Moses): 4 Look! I will
cause bread to rain down from heaven for you,[a] and the people will go out and gather a
helping of it each day. I will test them to see if they are willing to live by
My instructions. 5 On the sixth day, they will gather the usual
amount; but when they go to prepare it, it will end up being twice what they
usually gather.
Moses and Aaron (to the Israelites): 6 When evening
falls, you will know that the Eternal has led you out of the land of Egypt. 7 In the morning
your eyes will see His glory because He takes your complaints against
us as complaintsagainst Him. Who are we, that you direct your complaints to
us?
Moses (continuing): 8 This will take
place when the Eternal One provides you with meat in the evening and plenty of
bread in the morning because He hears all your grumbling and complaining
against Him. Why do you complain to us? Your complaints are not against us, but
against Him.
9 (to
Aaron) Tell the
entire community of Israelites, “Draw near to the Eternal. He has heard your
complaints.”
10 While Aaron was
speaking to the entire community of the Israelites, they all looked out toward
the desert, and theradiant glory of the Eternal could be seen in
the cloud. 11 The Eternal spoke to Moses.
Eternal One (to Moses): 12 Rest
assured, I have
heard theconstant complaining of the Israelites. Tell them, “In the
evening, you will have meat to eat; and in the morning, you will have enough
bread to satisfy your gnawinghunger. Then you will know that I am
the Eternal your God.”
13 That evening,
quail flew in and covered the camp; and when morning arrived, what
seemed to be ordinary dew was all around the camp.
14 But when the dew evaporated, it left behind a thin,mysterious, flaky
substance that looked like frost on top of the dry desert ground. 15 The people of
Israel went out to examine it. They had never seen anything quite like
it.
Israelites (to one another): What is it?
The people didn’t have a
clue what this strange substancewas.
Moses: It is the bread which the Eternal has given you to eat. 16 Here are His
instructions: “Gather only as much of it as you should eat by yourself. Pick up
two quarts[b] of bread for each person
who lives in your tent.”
17 The Israelites
did as they were told. Some people gathered a lot, others gathered less. 18 When they used
a two-quart jar to measure it, the one who had gathered a lot didn’t have more
than he needed; and the one who gathered less had just what he needed.[c] Miraculously, each
person and each family—regardless of how much they gathered—had
exactly what they needed.
Moses (continuing God’s instructions): 19 Don’t try to
keep any of it until the morning. Either eat it all, or throw it away.
20 But some people
ignored Moses and tried to keep some of it until the next morning. Overnight it
became wormy and started to have a dreadful smell. Moses became furious with
them because they had disobeyed God’s instructions.
21 Every morning the people went out and gathered
it—each family took only what it needed. By the time the sun became hot, it had
melted away. 22 On the sixth day the people went out and gathered,
but they came back with twice as much as usual—four quarts per person. All the
leaders of the community thought they needed to tell Moses what
had happened.
Moses (to the leaders): 23 Listen to what
the Eternal commanded: Tomorrow, the seventh day, is to be a
day of rest, a holy Sabbath dedicated to Him. Bake or boil whatever you need
for today’s meals. Whatever is left over, keep it to eat tomorrow. It
won’t spoil.
God wants His
people to keep the Sabbath as a special day and to depend on Him—not their own
efforts—to supply all they need.
24 So the people
stored some of it until the next morning, just as Moses had
instructed. None of it spoiled, nor did it have any worms.
Moses: 25 Eat what is left over today, because today is a Sabbath to the Eternal, a
day of rest. You will not find any of it in the field today. 26 You are to
gather it for six days, but on the seventh day (the Sabbath), none of it will
be on the ground.
27 When the
seventh day arrived, some of the people ignored Moses and went
out to gather it anyway; but there was noneto gather.
Eternal One (to Moses): 28 How much longer
are you going to disobey My commands and instructions? 29 Look! I have
given you the Sabbath as a day of rest. That is why I give you
an extra portion of food on the sixth day. Everyone should stay where they are
and not go out to work on the seventh day.
30 So the people did
as God directed and rested on the seventh day.
31 The community of Israel decided to name this mysterious
substance “manna” (which means, “What is it?”). It was white
like a coriander seed, and it tasted sweet like honey wafers.
Moses: 32 This is the instruction of the Eternal: “Preserve two quarts of the
manna so that future generations can see the bread I provided for you in the
desert when I led you out of the land of Egypt.”
33 (to Aaron) Go, find
a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Put it in a special place before
the Eternal to preserve it for future generations to see.
“The Eternal Provides.” That could well be
the theme for the entire exodus adventure. When there is no water, He provides.
When there is no bread, He provides. When there is no meat, He provides. These
provisions are clearly God’s gift to His people. They do not depend upon the
cleverness, skill, or hard work of the Israelites. It must be difficult for
these former slaves—whose lives have been all about work—to stop, to rest, and
to truly believe their lives and futures depend upon God and not upon themselves.
And
God provided. Bread from heaven.
All
good things came to an end – the travelling went on, the moment passed. But always the people remembered … and they
remembered at a feast called the Passover – that was the time of Easter.
It
was at that time that a large crowd kept following him because they saw the
signs he was doing for the sick. Jesus
sat down with his twelve, Jesus said to Philip where are we to buy bread for
these people to eat?
He said this to test him, for he himself knew
what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Six months’
wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a
little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to
him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But
what are they among so many people?’ Jesus 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. Then 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. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather
up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered
them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who
had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.
Wonderful
that God provided just enough – not too much, not too little.
Just
enough.
The
prayer Jesus taught us to pray.
Give
us this day our daily bread.
Not
too much, not too little.
The
wonderful thing is that that does not come to an end.
It
goes on – Jesus is the bread of life we need to live life to the full from one
day to the next.
Reading: John 6:47-51
47Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes
has eternal life.48I am the bread of life. 49Your
ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50This
is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not
die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give
for the life of the world is my flesh.’
A
Hy-Spirit Song
Prayer
Sunday
Special Continues
There’s
something special about the story of the feeding of the 5000. It’s the only miracle story to be recorded in
all four gospels. All sorts of reasons,
no doubt.
I
wonder whether it goes to the heart of what Jesus was about. It’s about changing lives. That’s what Jesus is about. It’s about life and living it to the full,
it’s about life to eternity. It’s about
life, eternal life.
All
of those things.
But
it’s also about something that Jesus is not.
And
by the time the Gospel writers came to write the story of Jesus it had taken on
a new significance for them.
Something
had happened.
Jesus
came with a life changing message – but he rode into Jerusalem not on a war
horse, but on a donkey, he came to speak peace to the nations. And he went to the cross. He was the suffering servant king, the
messiah. It was through love that
transformation would come into the world, love people had for each other, love
people had for their neighbours, their enemies too, love people had for
God. More than that it was the love of
God that would transform people’s lives.
It’s
as you get to the end of the story of the Feeding of the 5000 in John’s gospel
that you see something that’s easy to miss.
And it all has to do with the numbers.
So,
As
you get to the end of the story of the Feeding of the 5000 in John’s Gospel …
When
they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over,
so that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up, and from the
fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled
twelve baskets …
What
happened next? John 6
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.’
15 When 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.
The
people wanted to come and take him by force and to make him king. Force of arms would do it … and numbers too.
So,
what is the significance of the 5000?
Something
had happened between the life of Jesus and the writing down of John’s
gospel. As Mark was writing it was all
hitting off. By the time Luke and
Matthew and John were writing it was history.
Jesus
opened up a new way … but people thought they knew best. What happened was they did take up arms
against the Romans. It began in Galilee
and the rebellion spread down to Jerusalem.
And from AD 66 the armed militants among the Jewish people took control
of Jerusalem. And they got rid of the
Romans.
The
Romans turned to an experienced commander who had made his mark twenty or so
years earlier when he had commanded the II Augusta Legion in Claudius’ Conquest
of Britain. His name was Vespasian. And he led the legions down from the north to
take first Galilee and then Jerusalem for the Romans. As civil war broke out in Rome over the
succession to Nero he saw his chance and leaving the command of the Roman
legions and the final defeat of the Jewish revolt to his brother Titus,
Vespasian become Emperor of Rome. And
the Romans destroyed Jerusalem … and the temple itself.
What’s
the tie in with Jesus and the feeding of the 5000?
It’s
in the numbers.
A
Roman legion was made up of 5000 men.
It’s
Matthew who says there were 5000 men.
They sat in companies. Mark tells
us they were in 50’s and 100’s in ranks and files. This had the feel of an armed force – just the
way the Legion was made up of 5000 fighting men and divided into smaller
units. A cohort and a century of 80 men
under a centurion.
There
were 5000 of them They had effectively
got a Legion and they were ready to make Jesus their king and take Rome by
force.
And
that’s what they planned to do …
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.’
15 When 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.
But
Jesus had a very different idea … a very different course of action to follow.
His
was a different way – but no less the way of the prophet. The way to transform people’s lives – not by
force of arms, but by love, the love of the God who is love.
What’s
the programme Jesus follows?
It
had all begun with John the Baptist. He
had preached a powerful message – what’s needed is a whole new way of thinking
about the world. That’s what the little
word ‘repent’ means. See things
differently. He fell foul of the
authorities and he was imprisoned. He
wanted to be sure … was Jesus the one to make all the difference?
Matthew
11:2-19
When John heard in
prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by
his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or
are we to wait for another?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what
you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news
brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’
That’s
it. That’s the measure of the way Jesus
maps out. That’s the love that makes the
world of difference – this is the alternative way of Jesus – not by force of
arms, but by bringing healing into a hurting world, bringing good news to the
poor. This is what the kingdom of God is
all about. This is the new way of
thinking.
Jesus reflected on this whole new way of thinking
mapped out by John. And he came to a
conclusion, that what counts are the little things we do.
While John's
disciples were leaving, Jesus spoke about him to the crowds:
“When you went out
to John in the desert, what did you expect to see? A blade of grass bending in
the wind?8
What did you go
out to see?
A man dressed up
in fancy clothes? People who dress like that live in palaces!9
It’s
what they had been expecting when they were determined to make Jesus their
King!
Tell me, what did
you go out to see? A prophet? Yes indeed, but you saw much more than a prophet.10 For
John is the one of whom the scripture says: ‘God said, I will send my messenger
ahead of you to open the way for you.’11 I assure you that John
the Baptist is greater than anyone who has ever lived. But the one who is least
in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than John.12 From the time
John preached his message until this very day the Kingdom of heaven has
suffered violent attacks, and violent men try to seize it.13 Until
the time of John all the prophets and the Law of Moses spoke about the Kingdom;14 and
if you are willing to believe their message, John is Elijah, whose coming was
predicted.15 Listen, then, if you have ears!16
Yes
he was the one., But he wasn’t going to
be the King they expected – he would be the suffering servant messiah who
declared peace to the nations.
God's
wisdom, however, is shown to be true by its results.”
It’s not just the thinking that counts – true wisdom
is made real in actions.
So what are the actions for us to take?
Ideas to share
It’s taking time out to visit your grandfather who has
alzheimer’s and bring a smile to his face.
That’s doing the little thing that makes the world of difference as you
bring healing – not, most certainly not cure, but healing in that moment as
things are well in that moment.
Our Bible readings this week are all about eating and feasting. Maybe it’s in the eating we do this week that
we can do something small that can make a difference.
Do
you say grace before meals? Make a point
this week of saying grace. And then try
something different. Try something new. As we read our Bible notes this week we will
be in conversation with Malcolm Carroll, a Baptist Minister, who works for
Greenpeace organizing volunteer activities.
He asks a thought provoking question: “How can we make our food taste of
love, truth, justice, peace?” And issues
a thought-provoking challenge: “The kingdom is better served if we say our
grace before we shop.” What do you think
that might mean? Give it a try!
Hymn: The kingdom of God is justice and joy
Prayers
of Concern
180
Rejoice the Lord is king
Words
of Blessing
