Sermon - Laetare 2023 - John 6:1-15

Four Loaves and Two Fish, Mosaic at Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha, 5th Century

More than a Bread-King

1. Jesus is the King of all creation and provides for His hungry people

2. He provides food to nourish our bodies

3. Most importantly, He provides Himself as the Bread of Heaven, and nourishes our souls

Last week we talked about the Exodus out of Egypt in which the Israelites were rescued from their bondage to Pharoah. Nevertheless, in spite of their rescue, they did as we often do: they grumbled. “The whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” When it says they grumbled against Moses and Aaron, they were really, in all actuality, grumbling against God, not truly Moses and Aaron. Thus, when they grumbled against God and wished they were back in Egypt, it was a rejection of God’s lordship over them and a desire to have Pharoah as their king once again.

This is frequently our problem as well. When things go wrong we grumble against those whom God has placed in authority over us. But in doing so we are actually grumbling against God and doubting God’s providence. So we indiscriminately seek out whomever will fill our bellies, be it God, Pharaoh, or the devil himself. But what we need is more than a bread-king.

The One whom we need is Jesus, the King of all creation, He who provides for His hungry people. “The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.” On the last day, “when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.” In Paradise the slain Lamb of God will stand upon His throne, He shall guide us to springs of living water, shelter us with His presence, be our light in all the world, and we shall never hunger again. Until that time, however, He is still our King and physically provides for us abundantly here on earth. The eyes of all wait upon Him, our Lord, and He gives us our meat in due season, He opens His hands and satisfies the desires of every living thing. 

Thus, God gave Manna and Quail to the Israelites during all of the 40 years that they wandered in the desert. There was to be no question: God is the King and He provides for His people. Jesus did the same thing in feeding the 5,000: He proves that He is our King who provides food to nourish our bodies. We do well to remember that all of our daily bread comes from Him alone. 

It seems in recent years that the economic stability of our nation grows worse and worse. We have a very efficient and very cheap supply of goods in our country, but it’s very fragile, and we keep getting reminded of just how fragile it is. But lest we forget, our daily bread is dependent on God’s generosity, not on all of the fragile mechanisms of society. It is God who gives and it is God who can take away. We trust not in princes for they are but mortals. Instead we hope in God and trust that He will provide for our every need according to His good will.

And He does! But realize that what God provides may not be exactly what we want. He gave the Israelites Manna and Quail, which was great, but not necessarily the best. When Israelites had a feast they slaughtered a calf and had beef, we do the same, and if we want some cheap meat we have poultry; so God gave them poultry to eat. The manna was white and fine as frost and flake-like, tasting like wafers made with honey. Doesn’t sound too bad, but it also doesn’t sound like the best, it just sounds okay.

Or when Jesus fed the thousands on the mountain, He fed them barley bread and some sort of fish condiment. Barley bread, at least in the ancient world, wasn’t anything special. It was bread for poor people, the kind of thing you’d feed to prisoners, or some considered it only good enough for animals. The two small fish are some sort of baked and prepared fish condiment type of thing that could probably be spread on bread. So again, none of this sounds too bad, but it also doesn’t sound great, it’s just okay. Sometimes God doesn’t provide the richest and finest feast for His people, sometimes it’s just fine, it’s okay, it’s sustenance food.

But the manner in which Jesus instructed these people to eat this meal of okay food is instructive for us. Jesus instructed the people to recline on the grass, not just to sit, but to recline. This was a posture Israelites took when eating a feast, not just some ordinary meal, and it was also the same posture the apostles took when Jesus fed them the Lord’s Supper. Then, Jesus took the bread and the fish and gave thanks to God for this meal. Then, Jesus, through the hands of His apostles, served the people this meal. This wasn’t a casual buffet line, but a formal dinner. 

Whenever and whatever God feeds us, let us learn to receive it with that kind of respect for God. The food may be just okay, but it’s still a gift from God, and worth treating like a feast. When we eat, it is good to pray, just like I assume all of you already do, acknowledging our food as a gift from God. Even when there isn’t anyone to serve us our meal, let us remember that God has already served it to us.

But all of that said, why would God feed the Israelites such okay food when He could feed them the best? He does it to teach us that the food for the body is not the most important food and nourishment. Instead, He provides Himself as the Bread of Heaven who nourishes our souls. Remember, man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. God doesn’t want our bodies to starve, and neither does He want our souls to starve.

After Jesus performed this miracle, feeding thousands, the people wanted “to come and take Him by force to make Him king.” They wanted a Bread-King to fill their bellies. Some of the crowd followed after Him the next day, and Jesus confronted them, saying: “You are seeking me… because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.” Jesus confessed that He is the bread of life! Whoever believes in Him shall never hunger or thirst again, but shall have eternal life and be raised on the last day. Everyone who eats regular bread dies, but whoever eats Jesus shall never die. Jesus gives us His body and His blood to eat and drink and abide in Him and have life, for His body is true food and His blood is true drink. After Jesus taught this nearly everyone left Him, save the twelve, since He alone has the words of eternal life.

Today there are many hungry and starving people. Not for food and drink, mind you, we’re not a particularly skinny people. We have plenty of that, indeed too much, our bellies are always so full and our minds so drowsy and distracted it’s hard to think clearly today. With our senses dulled by indulgent foods and screens, it’s hard to notice the more important hunger growling from within our souls. There’s a spiritual hunger and starvation afflicting our nation. You who have eyes to see have seen it.

When Philip is confronted with the problem of feeding thousands of people (it’s probably around 20,000 people, when you add women and children), he does the math and runs the numbers, calculating by human reason how the problem can be solved. But Jesus isn’t troubled by the impossibility of the cold hard math, instead He just feeds the people. We need to learn to do the same. Don’t worry about the statistics and the demographics, don’t worry about the cold hard math, you should be informed but not worry, instead let us serve the people by feeding them the Bread from heaven. Jesus is the Bread you and your hungry neighbors need. There is life nowhere else but in Jesus. When He feeds us His own flesh and blood, it’s not just that our bellies are filled with some food, but we are filled with Christ, and so we overflow with love, peace, and joy. Jesus has filled us, my brothers and sisters, so let us go forth confidently in the name of our King Jesus. Amen.