John
Bread isn't as
popular as it once was. In Jesus' day,
bread was a staple. It was a basic and
essential part of a normal diet. The
word bread was even used to signify any kind of food or nourishment. It was almost a synonym for food. And it was even more than that. When we pray in the Lord's Prayer "give
us this day our daily bread" you may remember learning from the Catechism
that daily bread includes everything that we need for our body and life.
But bread isn't
so popular today. Dieticians and
nutritionists may tell you something like "bread has some vitamins and
minerals, but by no means all the essential nutrients we need on a daily basis
to stay well." You may know that
for people who follow the popular Atkins' diet, bread is one of the things to
avoid because it has carbohydrates.
Even if we, in
our society, do not have the same regard for bread as the people in Jesus' day,
we must never downplay the value of the bread of which Jesus speaks in the
Gospel for today. This bread is a staple
for our salvation. It is an essential part of our diet. This bread is Jesus himself. Jesus is essential for us because:
JESUS IS HEAVENLY BREAD
II. He is Bread for Heaven.
"At this the Jews began to grumble about
him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." (41) If you
recall the Gospel lesson from the last two weeks, you may remember that this
lesson follows those other two, all from this sixth chapter of John. It is the day after Jesus fed the 5,000. The Jews came looking for more. They wanted a sign, like the bread from heaven
that Moses gave to the Israelites in the desert. Jesus said he had bread from heaven. He said that bread would give them life. They said, "Give us that
bread." But when they found out
that the bread he was talking about was Jesus himself, they were no longer
interested. So they grumbled.
"They
said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we
know? How can he now say, "I came
down from heaven.'" (42) They said, this can't be.
He can't be from Heaven--we know where he came from! He came from
"Stop
grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. "No one can come to me unless the Father
who sent me draws him."
(43) Jesus is talking to the Jews
about getting into a right relationship with God. He's talking about being in a relationship
where we can be completely confident to stand before God, to speak with him, to
know him, to be at complete peace with him.
Who can come to him? Jesus says,
"No one." And
the reason? As God says, "There
is no one who does good, not even one." (Ps
53:3) Not a single person can come
to God because sin separates man from God.
On his own, man can't come closer to God, he
can only go further from God. Imagine
being on a motorcycle, a Harley or otherwise, going down a steep hill. You have no brakes, and because you are going
so fast, have no way to turn around. On
their own, sinners cannot turn back to God.
They are heading for hell and can do nothing to stop themselves.
"Jesus
says, "No one can come to me unless the Father draws him." (44)
There is one way out, and it must be God's work. We were on our pleasant path to hell, and we
would have continued had not the Father drawn us. God draws mankind to himself - even when they
are running away. He draws them, not by
force, not by a command, but with a sweet invitation. Though we would not, God draws us back into
his arms. And how does he do that?
"It is
written in the Prophets: 'They will all
be taught by God.' Everyone who listens
to the Father and learns from him comes to me." (45)
God draws people to himself with his voice. God draws man to himself by
teaching them. He shows them who he
is. But Jesus reminds us "No one
has seen the Father except the one that is from God; only he has seen the
Father." (46) So there
is only one person who can show us the Father.
There is one person who teaches us the lessons that come from the
Father. There is one person whom God
uses to draw us. That is the bread which
has come down from Heaven. It is Jesus
Christ.
In
Jesus Christ God demonstrates his love to man.
God showed his love by sending his own dear Son to become a man
himself. God ultimately showed his love
in giving him up to die in the place of man, and then proved his love and power
by raising Jesus from the dead.
Therefore because Jesus is bread from Heaven, he is able to draw sinful
mankind back into a loving, perfect relationship with God.
What
Jesus says is no less true today than it was when he spoke these words: "No
one can come to me unless the Father draws him." (44) No one.
You can't. I can't. Not even the best of Christians can come to
God on their own. God's demand of total
perfection applies to all of us. And all
of us have fallen short. If that isn't
completely clear to you just think for a moment about the thoughts that went
through your mind this past week. Greedy or envious thoughts, perhaps lustful thoughts. Maybe this week it was angry thoughts. Perhaps you had thoughts that, if they were
made public would make people ask: 'And you call yourself a Christian?' Of course, you do. You call yourself a Christian not because of
what you have done. You call yourself a
Christian because God the Father has drawn you.
He drew you through the message of Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy
Spirit. He drew you in Holy Baptism and
made you his child. He draws you through
his Word, preached, taught, and read here as well as in your own home. He draws you once again through another
visible sign, his true body and blood in the Lord's Supper. Again, it's not your own worthiness that
enables you to come to the Lord's table. Rather it is the Lord's invitation: to take
and eat - for the forgiveness of your sins.
Jesus
our heavenly Bread, because he is from Heaven, draws us to the Father and
bridges the gap between earth and Heaven.
The bread which is from Heaven has come to earth to bring people to
Heaven.
Jesus
says: "I tell you the truth, he who believes has
everlasting life." (47)You may remember from last week that the
Jews sounded interested in the bread Jesus was offering. "Sir," they said, "from now on,
give us this bread." (34) They wanted bread that would keep forever,
bread that would always satisfy, bread that gave
life. That's something worth looking
for. But if the Jews missed the point
before, Jesus now makes it very clear exactly what he is talking about. Five times in these verses Jesus mentions
life, or living forever.
"Your
forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from
heaven, which a man may eat and not die." (49,50)
Jesus was certainly not talking about earthly, physical bread. That is what the Israelites ate in the
desert. They all died. So, too, he was not talking about earthly, or physical life.
He was speaking about spiritual life.
This
spiritual life that Jesus brings is not just a life that begins sometime in the
future. It isn't just a life that Jesus
will give when our earthly life is over.
Listen again to v47: "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life." To those who believe in him, Jesus gives new
life, right now, today.
The
apostle Paul described this life that Jesus gives when he wrote the words of
the second lesson today: "Be
imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love,
just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God." Eph 5:1,2) Because Jesus gave up his life in our place,
to remove our sin and guilt, we no longer must live in fear of death and
separation from God because of our sins.
Those sins are removed. That guilt is removed. Death is removed, and life is restored. So now, in this new life we have the
motivation and strength now to get rid of sin in our lives, to really be imitators
of God, and to live a life that pleases God.
And
finally, with our new life comes confidence when we must leave this earthly
life. "I am the living bread
that came down from heaven. If anyone
eats of this bread, he will live forever." (51) Those who eat of this heavenly bread, that is, those who believe
in Jesus Christ will live forever. On
the last day Jesus will raise you from the dead, and once more, God will draw
you into his loving arms and you will never leave.
Jesus
is Heavenly Bread. Eat this bread, Jesus
says, and live. We eat of the bread from
heaven when we hear, read, taste, and see God's love for us in Jesus
Christ. We eat this bread here in
worship, in Bible Classes, in Christian schools, hopefully in our homes as
well. So eat of this heavenly bread, not
just as a occasional snack, or as a side dish. Eat this bread as the main course, because
without the bread from heaven there is no nourishment, no life.
And
when we have eaten, we live. We live the
new life that this bread brings. We live
a life of love, being kind and compassionate, forgiving each other. We live a life confident of God's love, both
in good times and bad, in life and in death.
For Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, he who believes has
everlasting life." (47)