John 6:24-35
August 4, 2024 – Jazz @ St. Benedict’s, Clarks Summit
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 lake, 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.
My father and I were there. We had a very tasty meal. Lunch was pita bread and tilapia. Our destination was Tabgha, a spot on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is a stone’s throw from the ruins of Capernaum, at the bottom of the hill where Jesus gave the Beatitudes. It is the place where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish.
These days, the Benedictines run a tourist chapel there. "Watch your step," said the bus driver, "and be sure to see the mosaic in the floor." If you’ve been to the Holy Land, you know how it works: pay your admission, work your way through the gift shop, and snap some pictures before the tour guide starts talking. True enough, the mosaic was a sight to behold. Little chunks of porcelain tile have been shaped into the image of loaves and fish.
Tabgha is the place. Last week in church, maybe you heard the story of what happened there. A large crowd gathered around Jesus. Five thousand people, they say. None of them were invited; they simply showed up. None of them were screened; they were all welcomed and fed, with a whole lot of food left over. Sounds like a church picnic! Loaves and fish.
We listened to the tour guide. At that point in the two-week trip, heard one, you’ve heard them all. He droned on, "The church is styled as a Byzantine Basilica. Over there we see the remains of a fifth century church." Blah, blah, blah. It’s the sort of thing you hear whenever you visit any of the sacred spots. I must confess I was underwhelmed. I did not even take any pictures.
You know, it is one thing to hear the Bible describe the generous feeding of the five thousand. It is another to stand right there, smell the fumes of tour buses, keep your eyes peeled for pickpockets, see the pious Orthodox kiss the floor and the indifferent Baptists look at their watches. Of all the spots I visited in the Holy Land, Tabgha was the biggest letdown.
It helps me understand why the crowd chased after Jesus the day after he fed them. The miracle was over. The leftovers were stale. Their empty stomachs were aching again, and Jesus had gone on ahead of them. Some of them figured, "We had a free meal once, let's get another." The rest followed along because they did not have anything else better to do.
They ask about his travels. "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus talks right past them: "You are looking for me, not because of my signs, but because of your stomachs." Then he adds, "Don't work for perishable food. Pursue the enduring food that gives you life."
I wiped my brow at Tabgha and took a minute to scan the crowds. There was a large person in blue spandex bossing around a short little guy (must have been her husband). Three dark-eyed beauties were crossing themselves and praying in Italian, while their bored-looking taxi driver took a long drag on his cigarette. Over here, a few puffy Presbyterians posed for a photograph.
Why do people go to places like that? Why pay all the money and fly across the sea? We have a clue in what the people said in today’s text. "Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness. Way back then, God gave them bread from heaven to eat. It happened long ago.”
I pondered that as I heard a tourist in Bermuda shorts say, "Evelyn, stand over there by that pretty mosaic. I will get a picture of you in the place where Jesus once fed the multitude. Smile!" For spiritual tourists, as for that ancient crowd chasing after Jesus, faith is remembering something that happened long ago. Mark the spot, snap the picture.
How does Jesus respond? He changes the tenses from past to present. He says, “Don’t look to Moses as if he gave you the bread of heaven. It is my Father who gives the true bread, the bread that comes down and gives life to the world. I am the bread of life." In that subtle shift of grammar is the fundamental change of perception from history to faith. Jesus reveals God into the present tense. That is the invitation to a living faith. It’s better than a misty memory.
In a way, it is a lot like jazz. My daughter once said, “Jazz musicians know how to play the old tunes because they perform for a lot of old people.” She is thirty-two. Yet under the inspiration of the Creative Spirit, jazz musicians aspire to bring the music alive. That’s what matters. Not merely the old tune but the living music, the toe-tapping, heart-stirring, abundant life-giving music. Here and now, alive! Can you tell the difference? I’ll bet you can.
We could visit the Red Sea and remember how God split the waters and brought the people out of slavery. We could remember that. Or we can look around and see where God continues to free the oppressed and lift up those once beaten down. The miracles continue.
We could rent a camel and ride out to Mount Sinai, and say, "Wow! Once upon a time, there was fire and smoke, and God gave us the Ten Commandments." Or we can look around to see people who don’t need the commandments bolted to a kindergarten wall because the Words of God are inscribed upon their hearts. They are living a faithful and obedient life in praise to God.
We could travel to ancient Bethlehem, make our way through the barbed wire, and drive out past a new row of condominiums. After the tour guide takes our money, he says, "This is the place that we sing about every December. You know, “Angels We Have Heard on High, Sweetly Singing Over the Condominiums Built Upon the Old Fields.” But we sing, "O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today."
Jesus Christ brings the ancient activity of God into the present tense. All he asks is that we trust that, that we trust him here and now. In the power of his resurrection, he is not bound by history. Rather he comes to feed us. For he is the Christ. He reveals the truth. The truth is the God who gave is the God who gives. Everything we need to flourish in life is given to us.
Do you
believe that? Then, taste the Living Bread from heaven!
(c) William G. Carter. All rights reserved.
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