Friday, August 2, 2024  

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Today's Scripture
John 6:24–36

So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”

Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. (NRSV)

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Reflection

Soon after he retired from the ministry, my long-ago neighbor published a book of sermons on miracles. “I never understood why the publisher titled it Walking on Water,” he said, “I never preached on that.” My big mistake? Not asking him why. That scene, in which the apostles find Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee, happens to be the lead-up to today’s passage from John 6. The miracle of the loaves and fishes — the only miracle to appear in all four Gospels — had just taken place. So, in memory of a dear neighbor, I’ll imagine his teachings on these back-to-back miracles — and the conversation that followed.

First, after hearing Jesus preach and teach, the 5,000 gathered there were fed from five barley loaves and two fish. My neighbor identified three teachings in this story: compassion for others, personal sharing, and organized action, each of them being an extension of Jesus’ ministry (James O. Gilliom, “Feeding Five Thousand: Ingredients of True Care,” Walking on Water: Sermons on the Miracles of Jesus). Next, Jesus’ disciples found Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee, brought him onto their boat, and landed at Capernaum. They never spoke of that incident again — something made all the more intriguing when a group of followers showed up in Capernaum asking Jesus for a sign so that they might believe. If you were a disciple, wouldn’t you be tempted to say, “A sign? You’re looking for a sign? This man was walking on water just a few hours ago!” No, that would be showing off. It would distract from the message.

Now consider our world today. Signs and miracles seem remote, if not impossible. The noise of daily life can obscure the sense of the holy in God’s creation. Shall we nonetheless look for it, and listen for it, so that our own belief is renewed? So that we don’t allow our connection to the temporal world to obscure our vision of eternity?

If you partake of Holy Communion in worship, then you are among the multitudes receiving the bread of heaven. Consider the symbol of life eternal as you receive the elements. And remember whose life was sacrificed for all humankind.

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Prayer
As we reflect on the bread of heaven, let us pray through this hymn:

Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
hold me with thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more.

Amen.

“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”
by William Williams
Hymn 65, Glory to God
verse 1

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Reflection written by Sarah Forbes Orwig, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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