Sermon – I’m Just Here for the Food
Deuteronomy 8:1-10; John 6:24-35
Farmville Presbyterian Church
8/4/24
We would all probably like to be known for something in life. At least, that’s my assumption. That might be for being a good mother or father or sibling or parent or son or daughter. Maybe it is for some accomplishments you made in life or for a special achievement. Plenty of folk might want to be known specifically as a “good and faithful servant” in the sense of following in Jesus’ footsteps. Our friend Jerry shares freely that he wants to be known as the “Village Idiot,” though I’d like to think he might end up doing even a little better than that. I am thinking of reframing my own notoriety to more accurately propose that “I’m just here for the food.” Makes life simpler and takes some pressure off. The dinner bell has always been my friend and comfort, if you know what I mean…. OK, I may be playing around a bit, but apparently, I am in good company. It turns out that a whole bunch of people back in Jesus’ day were also just there for the food, and that’s how we know them today, thanks to John’s reporting.
As I mentioned, this reading from John is what immediately follows the feeding of the five thousand, that most remarkable all-you-can-eat dinner that Jesus created from just a few loaves of blessed bread and a couple of fish. This miracle is a critical one for all four gospels in that it is the ONLY miracle to show up in all of them. It tells us something important about Jesus. Of course, in each account there are subtle and profound differences. John’s account is the most different from the others, but he clearly wants us to know that Jesus did something profound here. John is also the only writer who gets deep into what happens next. Jesus has this in-depth discussion with the “well-fed followers” which is our passage for today.
Did you catch that Jesus it at least a bit irritated with them, if not angry? He is not surprised that they are hounding him, but it must have been at least a little overwhelming for such a crowd to chase him. They had literally just tried to force him to be king for what Jesus the day before. The situation was a hard one to control. We know Jesus is provoked because his reply of “Very truly…” followed by telling them something they should have already known. And he did this twice. When kids are bugging parents about something silly or something they should already know, its strains nerves, and the parent might easily let slip a “come on, now” or “listen to me” or “for Pete’s sake.” The last one never really worked in my family, though. Jesus is expressing frustration here because the people are flocking to him for the wrong reason, albeit a very human reason.
It should really not surprise us as we would have done the same in a world of food insecurity. Today, it is not all that different either. People have been coming to God or the church for a myriad of reasons. Some folk are looking for friends in a nice place. Some want to be associated with certain people. Some are running for office. Some want peace and comfort. Some want to network and advance themselves professionally. Some are scared of what comes after death. Some are trying to cover their bases. Some are looking for help with utilities, if not food.
Along those lines, I have absolutely figured out how to pack the church, again. Everyone who comes gets $500 a week. We could start out with less, but I feel $500 is pretty enticing. Of course, one would not have to take the money, but if we want to pack the pews like they used to be, this would certainly do the trick. And it IS a trick. This is a gimmick. We know that. Jesus runs the risk of becoming a gimmick back then. They just witnessed someone miraculously provide abundance from a couple of fish and five loaves resulting in 12 baskets of leftovers after feeding well over 5000 people (women and children were not counted in the number). After witnessing something so amazing that they tried to make him king on the spot, they were following him because of their stomachs. It was the next day and time to eat again.
You can imagine that Jesus was not thrilled with their lack of comprehension. Their first challenge was “when did you come here?” Jesus was not acting as they expected or wanted. He was supposed to be the gracious Santa figure doling out healing and blessings or at least now a friendly refrigerator with always something good to eat.
It is hard not to think of God that way sometimes. And God does want to do things for us and with us. That is the nature of love and relationships. What we really want to avoid, however, is making that relationship a one-way street by not paying attention. God desires as much from us as we from God. Think about that. God desires as much from us as we from God. We want God to be devoted to us, and God wants us to be devoted to God. Devotion can look like all kinds of things through service and worship, but it is most likely not chowing down at the buffet. Life is more than food, and spiritual life is more than food, too. Any relationship solely based on kitchen service is doomed to fail, even if you are Julia Child, Paula Dean, or Gordon Ramsey.
As the crowd was closing in on Jesus, he had to make his point. They did not even know how to begin to respond to when he pressed them. “How can we trust you, Jesus?” they asked. This is such a strange response. Just yesterday, they witnessed a life changing miracle. Today, they need more proof that Jesus is from God. The key question is faith. That’s it. That is the one thing the people need, says Jesus, and that is the one thing they truly lack, says their incredulity. Prove to us that you are the one to trust, the one from God. Prove to us you are like Moses.
Their admission says it all: our ancestors ate bread from heaven (manna) for 40 years to sustain them in the wilderness. And Jesus’ answer is perfect: do you really believe Moses did that himself? Maybe Moses went around each morning and laced the ground with manna (which the people grew to despise quickly, by the way). Moses was powerless without God. He was a spokesperson and a shepherd, and that was about it. I would be surprised if Moses could even have baked actual bread himself. Who knows? But I do know Moses had nothing to do with manna, and that’s what the people needed to see.
Jesus confronts them with their need to fill their bellies when their real need is to fill their hearts. It was good that they were there, but they needed to know why they were really there.
Here is the beautiful part of God’s grace. Hunger is not itself bad. Starvation is absolutely bad, but hunger itself is not bad. Hunger is a physical reminder that we need something that we do not have. There is physical need-to-eat hunger and hunger that goes deeper to who we are and what we want to be. Hunger drives us to work. Hunger for success is very prevalent at the Olympics right now. Actual hunger also helps us to remember those who are also hungry. Hunger can show us where there is need. A number of years ago, I shared in a weekend fast with the youth group. We did not eat for a whole weekend, and it became a time of growing awareness about hunger and poverty – what I mentioned earlier as food security. So many people around the world do not have enough to eat this very day. So many people are also hungry for better lives in this moment. Sisters and brothers are craving justice, righteousness, peace, security, and hope. Our family in God is hungry for love and mercy.
We hunger for answers, wholeness, and fulfillment in a world without answers, wholeness, and fulfillment. I wonder for what do you hunger? Where is your righteous hunger? Each of us is hungry for something beyond ourselves. We would not be here if we were perfectly content. Ultimately, hunger brings us to the Bread of Life. If we are hungry enough for long enough, we will come looking for the bread that lasts. If we trust our hunger, we will come closer to our life in our Lord. If we confess our hunger, we also claim we are still in the great pursuit of life. So many Olympic athletes show up and compete and return home to never compete, again. They are done. They worked for their goal. Competing at that level is not sustainable with age. What they will need is a greater and longer-lasting hunger.
You can be just as hungry for trust in Christ at 95 as you can be at 25. In fact, I might guess you could be even more at 95. I might guess at 95, you have a better sense of our pursuits in life – what is crucial and less crucial.
Life is more than food. Jesus is also more than food, yet he comes to us through food, Table, fellowship, and even hunger. He invites us to feast on his grace and to see our life in his life. I we trust our hunger for what is right, we will find ourselves fed on the one bread that endures and satisfies. He is good; he is right; he is our trust. When we hunger for something more, he is calling us to feed and to be fed. To God be the glory. Amen.