Reverend Philip Stringer
John 6:56-69
LET US PRAY: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Feed us with your word and speak to our hearts, that we may love and serve only you, now and forever. AMEN
My Mom could never tell a joke. She always got it turned around. For example, here’s a joke:
“Do you know what John the Baptist and Winnie the Pooh have in common? They have the same middle name...
Mom would say something like: “Guess who has the same middle name as John the Baptist?”
Perhaps what’s worse is that she couldn’t even tell someone else to tell a joke. For example, she would say to me, “Hey, Phil -- tell the joke about John the Baptist’s middle name!”
The fun of a joke is the surprise at the end.
The same is true of a book or a movie. Don’t you just hate it when someone blows the ending of a story? We like being led through a story because it’s like an adventure and we don’t know what we will find.
Or at least most of the time we like it. Not all surprises are welcome. Not all journeys take us where we want to go. Usually, we can tell from the start if it’s a book we don’t want to read or a movie we don’t want to see and we just avoid it. But sometimes we don’t realize right away and that’s when we get unhappy.
There were people following Jesus. LOTS of people. They came from all over the place -- north, south, east, west -- rich and poor -- young and old -- healthy and sick -- Jew and Gentile -- powerful and weak. It seems like they just couldn’t stay away. There was something tremendously exciting about Jesus and everybody wanted to be part of it. He said amazing things -- he DID amazing things. People GOT STUFF from him -- like food and wine and health and hope. This was a GREAT story and everyone wanted to see where it would lead . . . at least . . . that’s what they thought at the start . . .
And then he started saying things and doing things they didn’t expect. Things they didn’t understand . . . and suddenly they weren’t so sure anymore.
Our Gospel reading for today is the conclusion of Jesus’ proclamations about himself as the bread of life. The readings have been filled with controversy and scandal, and we have read repeatedly about the negative reaction of the crowds -- They cannot accept the words of Jesus and turn away.
Today’s reading ends, however, with Peter making a proclamation of his own. When Jesus asked the twelve if they also wanted to desert him, Peter answered, “Lord, where would you suggest we go? You have the words of eternal life.” The crowd had followed Jesus because he did miracles. But Peter and the twelve follow because they believe that Jesus has come from God. He’s not just from Nazareth and Joseph and Mary. In other words, Jesus has authority -- and that makes all the difference.
Peter proclaims that he believes in Jesus. But somehow, I just can’t see it as a joyful proclamation. I have a hard time believing it was a joyful proclamation because of the context in which it is made. The twelve believed that Jesus was the Messiah -- he’s the one; this is it. And I suspect that they didn’t like or understand the words of Jesus any better than the others, but – well -- to paraphrase Peter, if what they want is the truth, -- like it or not, Jesus is their only option.
As we know, Peter and the other disciples had plenty to be concerned about -- events leading up to the crucifixion -- and even following Jesus’ resurrection -- were not easy.
And they’re not easy today, either. Even after 2000 years of hearing Jesus’ words, people still have a hard time accepting them. That includes me, and I suspect you, too. Jesus said himself that it is impossible for us to believe. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can have faith -- and THAT is central to what I hope you remember from today.
The text today isn’t about you and me. It’s about Jesus. It’s not about our strength or our willpower. Or our righteousness. Today’s gospel points us toward the strength, power and righteousness of Jesus.
I hope that you will remember that -- because that is true not only of this reading today. It’s true about life.
This is not a story about us. It’s a story about Jesus. It’s about God’s grace -- and what we seek is to respond to God’s grace.
And believe it or not, that is scandalous. Because many people are offended by grace. God’s idea of justice is all about grace, whereas our society usually equates justice with retribution and vengeance.
If we TRULY have faith in God’s grace -- if that is truly the source of our hope -- then we will follow it wherever it leads -- even when we don’t understand. Even when it’s confusing. Even when it’s frightening. Because even then, faith believes it’s real. So what other choice do we have?
I remember hearing shortly after Mother Teresa died that she had had doubts about her faith. And the media jumped all over this -- because that’s a great story – scandalous -- the poster child for faithful devotion questioned her faith!!! Oh how we love to see the great ones fall!!! With a mindset that justice is retribution — to hear that a spiritual hero had doubts makes her a fraud and a hypocrite.
Except for Teresa -- she knew -- as we know -- that it isn’t about us. It isn’t about our ability to understand or to hold all the pieces together; It’s not about the strength of our faith.
It’s about Jesus. And what Mother Teresa expressed is what we have all felt at some point -- which is that what we are called to believe and do as followers of Jesus isn’t always easy and sometimes, we can even admit to ourselves that we don’t like it -- that it can be hard and unpleasant and frightening.
But what else can we do? Where else can we go? We know that Jesus is the one who knows what is right and genuine and true -- even if we can’t grasp it at the moment.
John wrote the fourth gospel for a Jewish audience that faced expulsion from the synagogue if they followed Jesus. It would mean an end to life as they knew it -- being cut off from their families and from their place among the Chosen People.
That sounds to me a lot like the pressure that many Chinese people face, being torn between the gospel and the traditional beliefs of their families. (((((Lily)))))))) ((((( at odds with the traditional beliefs of our culture, too -- namely, that we can stand on our own; that the key to our own happiness is through hard work and wealth)))))))
To follow Jesus puts all of us at odds with the world around us -- and even ourselves. As much as we’d like to think otherwise, the truth is that it’s not always clear what the right thing is to do. Sometimes we’re not sure and sometimes we’re just plain wrong!
But -- IT’S NOT ABOUT US. Our faith is not about our ability to know and do the right thing. It’s about Jesus. It’s about the Holy Spirit sustaining us. It’s about the Father who lives -- drawing us to Jesus -- who has life because of the Father’s love -- drawing us to Jesus so that we too are alive. Jesus lives because of the power of God’s love. When everything else is stripped away -- our faith is a belief in the power of love.
And John reminds us about that. This isn’t a story about the disciples doing the right thing or the crowds doing the wrong thing. It’s a story about Jesus, and what we learn about Jesus is that he is giving himself as bread for the whole world. Before Jesus gave this speech, he was already on his way to the cross.
Before the crowd of would-be disciples turned back and before the twelve stayed, he was already on his way to the cross for BOTH of these groups of people, and he is still on his way to the cross for them afterward.
Instead of focusing on our strength -- or the rightness of our decisions, John is telling us to focus on who Jesus is.
Mark Twain wrote, “many people are troubled by the parts of Scripture that they don’t understand, while I find the parts of scripture that bother me the most are the ones I DO understand.”
You face hard realities as a Christian in this world. Not just when controversial statements are made, but everywhere in daily life. Sometimes the hardest part about being a Christian is getting along with other Christians!!! So. do we just stop trying to live together?
If community is hard, should we just stop trying? Oh, it would be SO much easier!
If breaking down the walls of injustice and discrimination in our country is hard -- should we just stop trying?
If the poor are always going to be with us, should we stop trying to end poverty and hunger?
There is always a war somewhere. Should we stop working for peace in the world?
No. We do not stop feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. We do not stop giving our time and our money and our tears and sometimes our lives.
Because as hard as it may be to live together, living apart is harder.
There can never be peace as long as there is injustice. And whether we can fix the world or not, it doesn’t really matter because it’s not about what we can do. It’s about trusting Jesus to end what is wrong, and believing Jesus’ teaching that the fullness of life for us is not in fixing one’s neighbor, but in loving one’s neighbor.
And, no, we don’t turn our backs on the church, because even in those times when a congregation’s human flaws seem to be its most prominent features -- it is still the church. You see, it’s not about who we are. It’s about Jesus -- and who he is.
Jesus has promised to be present in you and me -- flawed as we are. We can still be the instruments of God’s grace.
Jesus is here, in our midst -- and here in these gifts of bread and wine.
He is the one who lives through the power of love.
He is the one whose love overwhelms everything that is wrong in this world and in us.
He is the one whose love is poured out and endures forever.
In him is hope.
In him we have peace.
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
AMEN
Comments