Humanity and Jesus
“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
A preacher could be perplexed at where to go this week - there is so much material in our Scripture readings - immorality and greed, and murder and feeding hungry people and walking on water.
As a preacher we look for the common thread. The O.T. text today give us the story of David and Bathsheba- a story of greed and immorality - and the Gospel fo John recounts the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water. Two separate miracles.
On the surface it may leave you scratching your head wondering how these passages could possibly be connected in our lectionary readings.
But, if you look slightly below the surface - a common thread is there.
The texts all speak of need, our humanity, and our need or desire for something more. Which Jesus begins to point the people to Him in our passages this week.
We are in need of something, though we may not be aware of that which we need and why we need it. Sometimes we mistakes our needs from our wants or desires.
We as parents have often heard our children cry, “but I need it mom”. For most of us, what our children need is very little, and that which they do actually need they have - the rest is all desire and wants.
Some of the more astute of you out there may notice that we just jumped from the Gospel of Mark last week to the Gospel of John this week. It is a distinct jump - and here in Lectionary readings for Year B the preacher is thrown into 5 weeks of Gospel readings from the 6th chapter of the Book of John.
Five weeks in one chapter in John.
So sit back, relax. Here comes Jesus in Ordinary time. These 5 weeks center on Jesus being the Bread of life and the Bread of heaven and I want to encourage each of us for the next 5 weeks to wrestle with what that really means for us.
John and Mark are different Gospels. The Gospel of Mark depicts Christ in what is referred to as a low christology of Christ. There are miracles and events, but there are parables and the disciples and others are often left perplexed. In John there is no Messianic secret. Jesus says again and again who He is with his words - not just his actions.
The writer of John's gospel tells us in his own words, more clearly than any other, exactly why he recorded the stories about Jesus. John writes that Jesus did many other things that are not recorded in his gospel, but he recorded some, and that:
"These are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31)
So as we read through John and spend some time there in the next few weeks- let’s remember why John wrote his Gospel. So that we may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God.
In today's reading, John has recorded two of Jesus' great miracles, back to back. We first hear of the story of a hillside full of people, who have come to Jesus, hungry for many things. And Jesus, and his disciples, in good hospitality, first and foremost, try to formulate a plan on how to feed the masses. The disciples, particularly Philip, are clear there is absolutely, positively, no conceivable way that all those people will be fed.
You'd think that by this point in time, those poor apostles would have figured it out. Since when does Jesus do things in the way anyone expects? And here again is yet another example. With five loaves of bread and two fish, we are told that Jesus fed 5000 people that afternoon, with plenty left over.
Then, later that very same day, the grass still bent over from where all those people had been, the disciples are out in a boat, and Jesus shows up unexpectedly. John tells us they were three or four miles out, huddled together in the middle of a storm, the dead of night all around them, when Jesus appears walking on the water calming first the storm, then the disciples.
John puts these two stories together for a reason. He is the only Gospel writer to do so. There is something that he wants us to see in the need of the people for food and the need of the disciples for his reassuring presence.
What things should we take away from these texts today:
David is a prime example. He was a man after God’s own heart. He brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel. He stayed behind when he should have gone out to war. He spies a naked woman and has her brought to him. He sends for her, has sex with her and sends her home. She becomes pregnant. David sends for her husband Uriah and goes to great lengths to try to get Uriah to sleep with her to cover up David’s sin, and when he doesn’t, he has Uriah killed. This is the king of Israel, God’s anointed, whom the royal line will live on through forever. And he is fallen.
As the Psalm said today, “There is none who does any good.” Why? Because we have all sinned. We have all lived and acted as if God did not exist.
and, 2. You are not alone.
Just as Jesus walked on water to the disciples in the rough sea and said, “It is I; do not be afraid,” He says the same words to you and I. We do not need to be afraid - God is with us.
We have all heard these stories. The feeding of the 5,000 is in every Gospel. Jesus walking on water — we are familiar with these miracles.
Why are these stories told over and over again? I believe it is because these stories capture the truth, the essence of all the people involved; the essential truth about Jesus and the essential truth about the disciples and the essential truth about God.
Jesus is the Messiah- the son of God, the Bread of Life. He meets the peoples needs physically by feeding them, and in this chapter of John he is going to lead them to see and share with them that He is the Bread of Heaven; He is going to meet their needs spiritually.
But I do not need to jump ahead. Today he meets their needs physically. The people were coming to Passover and Jesus feeds them.
Jesus shares with the disciples do not be afraid - It is I. You do not need to fear - I am present. I am with you.
He is with us. He will meet our needs. We are not alone.
Often, in the hospital and other settings, people would ask me to pray for healing for their loved one, or some other “miracle”. And I would pray with them asking for whatever they wanted to pray for. And while Jesus can perform miracles and we are encouraged to pray - often I found, all someone needs is a simple reassurance that, indeed, Jesus the Christ is present. “Egō eimi.” Do not be afraid , “Ego eimi” It is I. That presence can get the boat to shore, can calm the grandest of fears. That presence is with you in the midst of whatever you are going through.
We all actually need far less in our lives than we think. We do need Jesus- much as David did. We are humans.
Today’s text has all to do with how Jesus acted in order to show who he is. Jesus responded to the needs of the crowd and the disciples. Jesus is active through both miracle and simple presence.
"These things, and many others are told so that we may come to know that Jesus is the Messiah, and that through him we may have life in his name." (Paraphrase of John 20:31)
Amen.
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
A preacher could be perplexed at where to go this week - there is so much material in our Scripture readings - immorality and greed, and murder and feeding hungry people and walking on water.
As a preacher we look for the common thread. The O.T. text today give us the story of David and Bathsheba- a story of greed and immorality - and the Gospel fo John recounts the feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus walking on water. Two separate miracles.
On the surface it may leave you scratching your head wondering how these passages could possibly be connected in our lectionary readings.
But, if you look slightly below the surface - a common thread is there.
The texts all speak of need, our humanity, and our need or desire for something more. Which Jesus begins to point the people to Him in our passages this week.
We are in need of something, though we may not be aware of that which we need and why we need it. Sometimes we mistakes our needs from our wants or desires.
We as parents have often heard our children cry, “but I need it mom”. For most of us, what our children need is very little, and that which they do actually need they have - the rest is all desire and wants.
Some of the more astute of you out there may notice that we just jumped from the Gospel of Mark last week to the Gospel of John this week. It is a distinct jump - and here in Lectionary readings for Year B the preacher is thrown into 5 weeks of Gospel readings from the 6th chapter of the Book of John.
Five weeks in one chapter in John.
So sit back, relax. Here comes Jesus in Ordinary time. These 5 weeks center on Jesus being the Bread of life and the Bread of heaven and I want to encourage each of us for the next 5 weeks to wrestle with what that really means for us.
John and Mark are different Gospels. The Gospel of Mark depicts Christ in what is referred to as a low christology of Christ. There are miracles and events, but there are parables and the disciples and others are often left perplexed. In John there is no Messianic secret. Jesus says again and again who He is with his words - not just his actions.
The writer of John's gospel tells us in his own words, more clearly than any other, exactly why he recorded the stories about Jesus. John writes that Jesus did many other things that are not recorded in his gospel, but he recorded some, and that:
"These are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31)
So as we read through John and spend some time there in the next few weeks- let’s remember why John wrote his Gospel. So that we may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God.
In today's reading, John has recorded two of Jesus' great miracles, back to back. We first hear of the story of a hillside full of people, who have come to Jesus, hungry for many things. And Jesus, and his disciples, in good hospitality, first and foremost, try to formulate a plan on how to feed the masses. The disciples, particularly Philip, are clear there is absolutely, positively, no conceivable way that all those people will be fed.
You'd think that by this point in time, those poor apostles would have figured it out. Since when does Jesus do things in the way anyone expects? And here again is yet another example. With five loaves of bread and two fish, we are told that Jesus fed 5000 people that afternoon, with plenty left over.
Then, later that very same day, the grass still bent over from where all those people had been, the disciples are out in a boat, and Jesus shows up unexpectedly. John tells us they were three or four miles out, huddled together in the middle of a storm, the dead of night all around them, when Jesus appears walking on the water calming first the storm, then the disciples.
John puts these two stories together for a reason. He is the only Gospel writer to do so. There is something that he wants us to see in the need of the people for food and the need of the disciples for his reassuring presence.
What things should we take away from these texts today:
- We cannot live a discipled life apart alone or apart from God.
David is a prime example. He was a man after God’s own heart. He brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel. He stayed behind when he should have gone out to war. He spies a naked woman and has her brought to him. He sends for her, has sex with her and sends her home. She becomes pregnant. David sends for her husband Uriah and goes to great lengths to try to get Uriah to sleep with her to cover up David’s sin, and when he doesn’t, he has Uriah killed. This is the king of Israel, God’s anointed, whom the royal line will live on through forever. And he is fallen.
As the Psalm said today, “There is none who does any good.” Why? Because we have all sinned. We have all lived and acted as if God did not exist.
and, 2. You are not alone.
Just as Jesus walked on water to the disciples in the rough sea and said, “It is I; do not be afraid,” He says the same words to you and I. We do not need to be afraid - God is with us.
We have all heard these stories. The feeding of the 5,000 is in every Gospel. Jesus walking on water — we are familiar with these miracles.
Why are these stories told over and over again? I believe it is because these stories capture the truth, the essence of all the people involved; the essential truth about Jesus and the essential truth about the disciples and the essential truth about God.
Jesus is the Messiah- the son of God, the Bread of Life. He meets the peoples needs physically by feeding them, and in this chapter of John he is going to lead them to see and share with them that He is the Bread of Heaven; He is going to meet their needs spiritually.
But I do not need to jump ahead. Today he meets their needs physically. The people were coming to Passover and Jesus feeds them.
Jesus shares with the disciples do not be afraid - It is I. You do not need to fear - I am present. I am with you.
He is with us. He will meet our needs. We are not alone.
Often, in the hospital and other settings, people would ask me to pray for healing for their loved one, or some other “miracle”. And I would pray with them asking for whatever they wanted to pray for. And while Jesus can perform miracles and we are encouraged to pray - often I found, all someone needs is a simple reassurance that, indeed, Jesus the Christ is present. “Egō eimi.” Do not be afraid , “Ego eimi” It is I. That presence can get the boat to shore, can calm the grandest of fears. That presence is with you in the midst of whatever you are going through.
We all actually need far less in our lives than we think. We do need Jesus- much as David did. We are humans.
Today’s text has all to do with how Jesus acted in order to show who he is. Jesus responded to the needs of the crowd and the disciples. Jesus is active through both miracle and simple presence.
"These things, and many others are told so that we may come to know that Jesus is the Messiah, and that through him we may have life in his name." (Paraphrase of John 20:31)
Amen.