Rev. Roland J. Wells, Jr. - Pastor

Second Sunday After Pentecost - June 21, 2003

Lessons:

"I am the Bread of Life"

I) Introduction:

-Teaching my way through John this year.

-John has been ignored by the church for the last century, plus.

-Late date- seen as less authoritative by 'liberals' - like 'Jesus Project'

-Now we have a fragment of John from before 100 AD!

-John written last- expects us to have other gospels- leaves out stories of birth, baptism and even the Lord's Supper being instituted on Maundy Thursday!

-Finally, John's Gospel has seven sections where Jesus brings a teaching using 'I AM' combines name of YHWH with noun- to describe his nature and work- Good Shepherd; Door; Way, Truth and Life; Vine, etc. Today- "Bread of Life."

II) Feeding of the 5,000

John 6 begins with John's version of the feeding of the 5,000 with five barley buns and two 'itty bitty fishees' - hardly more than dried minnows!

The miracle happens, Jesus retreats, disciples take off, Jesus walks out to them, they're terrified- he says 'I AM' and they're immediately at the other side.

The next morning the people have walked all the way around the lake, and they're looking for more miracles; that's when Jesus teaches today's Gospel text:

III) Walking Through the Text

John 6:41-58 : Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, "I AM the bread that came down from heaven."

Here they repeat Jesus' own words- they're so close- but even though they proclaim the very words of Truth, they don't receive them.

[42] They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? That's the whole problem! In John, to know, is to have faith. The DON'T know his Father! In fact in Greek, it's literally, "We don't know his Father..."-- that truth comes out too. They are convicted by their own words, but they don't get it. They don't trust in YHWH, the God of Israel- and they can't know him, because they won't believe in his Son. So they say, "How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

[43] Jesus answered them, "Do not complain among yourselves. This word, 'complain' is actually the same word the OT uses when the people of Israel 'murmur' against Moses. This whole section talks about Moses- and here the people are murmuring against Jesus just like they murmured against Moses! Jesus goes on:

[44] No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. The Father draws all who come to Jesus; Jesus is the Father's Word- that Word comes and it's the Father reaching out to the world- the Father draws those who believe in Jesus. And bottom line is that that brings the resurrection! He goes on the same way: [45] It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. [46] Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.

Jesus restates the central theme: [47] Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.

Then he goes back to the Bread of Life theme: [48] I AM (the) bread of life. [49] Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. [50] This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. [51] I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." Here Jesus ties together the IAM, with Moses and brings in the Bread of Life- something like the Manna, but different and greater.

[52] The Jews then disputed ("FIGHT") among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" For the umteenth time, a question is the basis for humor, and shows the leaders to be ignorant. Like Nicodemus (John 3:4) How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" How can this man give us his flesh to eat? You understand that! But those who do not believe can't. Now here comes the central point:

[53] So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Life- that's that Zoe word- like John 3:16- Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man- drink his blood- no eternal, spiritual life. This is serious! Receiving Jesus' body and blood is central to the spiritual life of believers.

[54] Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; That's because in his supper, we receive Jesus. Jesus' promise comes to us in this way we can touch and taste and smell. We take Jesus' Word of Promise not into our ears, but into our very selves. You are what you eat!

To begin to understand this we have to understand the 'thingly' nature of God's Word. When God says 'Let there be light'- there's light. When he says "Let there be firmament."- it happens. When God speaks, stuff is formed. Reality is formed. Earth happens. When God blesses, good stuff happens. Now, make this connection-

Jesus is God's Word come with skin on. Jesus is the Word. When his promises come to us, it's Jesus. And when that Word comes to us in the form of bread and wine, it's Jesus. When we receive Jesus in his supper, we receive Jesus in his supper! It doesn't symbolize Jesus, somehow, because of his Word of Promise, we receive his Word, we receive that Word as bread and wine, and we receive Jesus.

We actually believe that when those Words of Promise are said over bread and wine, "On the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus too bread... etc." we believe that those words of promise make that bread and wine become Jesus' body and blood. We receive the promise. Hear the promise again: [54] Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; He makes it much clearer:

[55] for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. [56] Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. [57] Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. [58] This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."

This passage is the clearest explanation of the Lord's Supper in the Bible. Jesus says that he comes and personally enters us in his Supper. Isn't that enough? John clearly teaches the 'Real Presence' of Jesus- that in the Lord's Supper, because Jesus said so, we receive Jesus himself, in, with and under the forms of bread and wine.

Invitation: we'll be sharing Jesus' supper in a moment. Come and receive Jesus!

June 22 - P-2

John 6:41-58

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." [42] They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" [43] Jesus answered them, "Do not complain among yourselves. [44] No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. [45] It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. [46] Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. [47] Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. [48] I am the bread of life. [49] Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. [50] This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. [51] I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

[52] The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" [53] So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. [54] Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; [55] for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. [56] Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. [57] Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. [58] This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."