Hear the word of God:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
(John 15:1-8, NIV)
You are the vine, I am a branch
Life flows from the vine out through the branches. When Jesus calls himself the true vine, he describes our relationship with him as one of dependence. We cannot bear fruit without remaining connected to the vine. A branch by itself is nothing; the only thing to do is cut it off. A vine has a special connection with its branches, though. As long as the branches are connected to the vine, the vine sends out life to the branches
You are the vine, I am a branch
"Remain in me and I will remain in you," Jesus says, indicating the scope of that connection. The fullest realization of who Jesus is comes when we are so fully consumed and subsumed in him that we are unable to distinguish who we are apart from who he is. When we remain in Jesus and he remains in us, we know who he is at a gut-level. We have become so saturated with who he is that we know his identity deep down, in the pits of our stomachs.
You are the vine, I am a branch
This call means letting go of the pride and self-sufficiency that suffocate us. Holding to the true vine means acknowledging that he is the vine and we are branches. We cannot do anything on our own, so we must learn to abide in the vine. We cannot produce fruit without him, without the power that always flow from vine out to branches, never the other way around.
You are the vine, I am a branch
Our fruitfulness brings glory to God, and so he prunes us to make us even more fruitful. Here is yet another dimension of Jesus' metaphor - as branches, we are the agents of God's work in the world, the hands through which he touches the world. We are the fruit-bearers of the true vine, receiving life and power from the vine and bearing fruit that is visible to all. A vine does not simply bear fruit itself, it breathes life into its branches so that they can bear fruit.
You are the vine, I am a branch
Blessings,
Greg
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
More than veracity ...
Hear the word of God:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
(John 14:1-7, NIV)
Much of who a person's character is revealed in what they say before they leave. A harsh word at the end of an argument, a loving word to a spouse on the way out the door, a cheerful farewell at the conclusion of a friendly greeting - all these instances reveal who we are. On the eve of Jesus' final departure, he tells his followers simply, "Do not let your hearts be troubled ... I am going away, but you know the way to where I am going."
Thomas flatly disagrees with Jesus, protesting that the disciples do not know the way to where Jesus is going. Jesus engages him more deeply, though:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Often in the Gospel of John when Jesus speaks of his impending death he says that he is "going to the Father," a thread which he picks up again here. Jesus clarifies that his destination is the Father, and so the disciples do know the way - through Jesus. If the disciples understand that Jesus is about to leave, then they are sorely in need of a path at this point. They have left home, family, jobs, and all hope of security in order to follow Jesus. Now their teacher is leaving and they don't know which way to go. Jesus reassures them with the words, "I am the way."
You see, the disciples' abandonment of their former lives was not simply a rash, impulsive decision, nor was it merely a journey of self-realization. In fact, it was quite the opposite: the point of their journey had been to come to the Father, a purpose which Jesus affirmed they could continue even in his absence. Jesus showed humanity the nature of God, and so he told his disciples to continue following his way even in his absence because that path still leads to the Father.
The purpose of Jesus' mission was to give life to all. In fact, yesterday we heard Jesus say, "I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly." The way leading to the Father is life, like food and drink. It is a life that reaches beyond the grasp of death. He who declares himself to be the bread of life, the resurrection and the life, and the giver of life makes an unequivocal statement: "Continue to follow my way, and you will have the life that I give and embody, the life which is through and is me."
Sometimes truth means something more than veracity or even reliability. Sometimes truth needs to be more than simply correct. Sometimes, when it really matters, truth needs to be sturdy enough to build your life on. This is one of those times. Jesus' testimony is absolutely true, including his testimony about his own identity. If what he says about himself is true, he knows that it will change everything. Thus, before he leaves Jesus tells his disciples that he is the truth. They can and must hold to all his teachings and all his commands, because he is the truth. Later on, Pilate will ask Jesus, "What is truth?" If he had heard these words, perhaps Pilate would have understood. Jesus and his life-giving way are truth.
Here, then, is the word of Christ: "I am the way to the Father, I am the truest testimony of all, and I am the real abundant life that everyone wants."
Blessings,
Greg
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
(John 14:1-7, NIV)
Much of who a person's character is revealed in what they say before they leave. A harsh word at the end of an argument, a loving word to a spouse on the way out the door, a cheerful farewell at the conclusion of a friendly greeting - all these instances reveal who we are. On the eve of Jesus' final departure, he tells his followers simply, "Do not let your hearts be troubled ... I am going away, but you know the way to where I am going."
Thomas flatly disagrees with Jesus, protesting that the disciples do not know the way to where Jesus is going. Jesus engages him more deeply, though:
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Often in the Gospel of John when Jesus speaks of his impending death he says that he is "going to the Father," a thread which he picks up again here. Jesus clarifies that his destination is the Father, and so the disciples do know the way - through Jesus. If the disciples understand that Jesus is about to leave, then they are sorely in need of a path at this point. They have left home, family, jobs, and all hope of security in order to follow Jesus. Now their teacher is leaving and they don't know which way to go. Jesus reassures them with the words, "I am the way."
You see, the disciples' abandonment of their former lives was not simply a rash, impulsive decision, nor was it merely a journey of self-realization. In fact, it was quite the opposite: the point of their journey had been to come to the Father, a purpose which Jesus affirmed they could continue even in his absence. Jesus showed humanity the nature of God, and so he told his disciples to continue following his way even in his absence because that path still leads to the Father.
The purpose of Jesus' mission was to give life to all. In fact, yesterday we heard Jesus say, "I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly." The way leading to the Father is life, like food and drink. It is a life that reaches beyond the grasp of death. He who declares himself to be the bread of life, the resurrection and the life, and the giver of life makes an unequivocal statement: "Continue to follow my way, and you will have the life that I give and embody, the life which is through and is me."
Sometimes truth means something more than veracity or even reliability. Sometimes truth needs to be more than simply correct. Sometimes, when it really matters, truth needs to be sturdy enough to build your life on. This is one of those times. Jesus' testimony is absolutely true, including his testimony about his own identity. If what he says about himself is true, he knows that it will change everything. Thus, before he leaves Jesus tells his disciples that he is the truth. They can and must hold to all his teachings and all his commands, because he is the truth. Later on, Pilate will ask Jesus, "What is truth?" If he had heard these words, perhaps Pilate would have understood. Jesus and his life-giving way are truth.
Here, then, is the word of Christ: "I am the way to the Father, I am the truest testimony of all, and I am the real abundant life that everyone wants."
Blessings,
Greg
Thursday, July 16, 2009
If you had been here ...
What does Jesus say in the midst of devastation? Who is he really, when the chips are down - not just standing on the hillside or in the city street teaching, but in our lives and in this world? Who is Jesus in the face of death and pain?
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
When faced with the terrible tension occasioned by the apparent failure of the Teacher whom we follow to act in our time of need, there are a variety of possible responses. Mary stays at home, sad for the loss of her brother. Martha goes out to meet Jesus, expressing faith that he could have saved her brother, but probably still feeling the sting as well.
Martha makes a bold statement, though. Even though she believes that Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying and didn't, she still chooses to voice her belief that "even now God will give you whatever you ask." Martha has an idea about who Jesus, an idea which includes wonderful teaching, miraculous healing abilities, and a special connection with God.
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
Martha expects words of comfort from the Teacher. When Jesus states that Lazarus will rise again, she hears eschatological philosophy of the sort one would expect from a wandering rabbi/street teacher. She knows that Lazarus will rise with the righteous at the end of this age, but she is still left to deal with the pain of losing a loved one. She may even be grateful for the Teacher's presence and words of comfort in her time of trial, but nothing can take away the pain. She may even be glad to have someone to hold onto in such a disturbing moment in her life, but Martha is still operating within a framework based on who she thinks Jesus is. As he is often wont to, Jesus shakes up that framework a bit:
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
It becomes clear that Jesus' ideas about life and death are different form Martha's. The focus of Martha's understanding of Jesus to this point has been pastoral. Jesus points out that he did not need to be in Bethany any earlier than he was. Lazarus' death is a tragedy, but death is not the final word. Jesus reveals to Martha that death is powerless in the face of the Christ, God's anointed one. Against the Christ, death cannot even hold those whose bodies perish, and those whom it cannot hold will live forever. Like Lazarus, those who die will not be abandoned to the grasp of death forever. Those like Lazarus whom the Christ sets free from the power of death will live forever because the tentacles of death will never be able to claim final mastery over them.
Shortly after their conversation, Jesus literally resurrects Lazarus' body. Martha is at first taken aback that Jesus intends to brave the foul odor emitted by a dead body, but Jesus asks her, "Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" Jesus reveals himself to be not just a teacher and miracle-worker, but one whose power reaches even to the deepest parts of life - the pain and loss of death and the loneliness of the grave. He reaches down into the grave and defeats death in order to reveal to Martha and her family that through him God provides us with a life which cannot be destroyed. May that life abide in you today and every day.
Blessings,
Greg
(John 11:17-25, NIV)
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
When faced with the terrible tension occasioned by the apparent failure of the Teacher whom we follow to act in our time of need, there are a variety of possible responses. Mary stays at home, sad for the loss of her brother. Martha goes out to meet Jesus, expressing faith that he could have saved her brother, but probably still feeling the sting as well.
Martha makes a bold statement, though. Even though she believes that Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying and didn't, she still chooses to voice her belief that "even now God will give you whatever you ask." Martha has an idea about who Jesus, an idea which includes wonderful teaching, miraculous healing abilities, and a special connection with God.
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
Martha expects words of comfort from the Teacher. When Jesus states that Lazarus will rise again, she hears eschatological philosophy of the sort one would expect from a wandering rabbi/street teacher. She knows that Lazarus will rise with the righteous at the end of this age, but she is still left to deal with the pain of losing a loved one. She may even be grateful for the Teacher's presence and words of comfort in her time of trial, but nothing can take away the pain. She may even be glad to have someone to hold onto in such a disturbing moment in her life, but Martha is still operating within a framework based on who she thinks Jesus is. As he is often wont to, Jesus shakes up that framework a bit:
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
It becomes clear that Jesus' ideas about life and death are different form Martha's. The focus of Martha's understanding of Jesus to this point has been pastoral. Jesus points out that he did not need to be in Bethany any earlier than he was. Lazarus' death is a tragedy, but death is not the final word. Jesus reveals to Martha that death is powerless in the face of the Christ, God's anointed one. Against the Christ, death cannot even hold those whose bodies perish, and those whom it cannot hold will live forever. Like Lazarus, those who die will not be abandoned to the grasp of death forever. Those like Lazarus whom the Christ sets free from the power of death will live forever because the tentacles of death will never be able to claim final mastery over them.
Shortly after their conversation, Jesus literally resurrects Lazarus' body. Martha is at first taken aback that Jesus intends to brave the foul odor emitted by a dead body, but Jesus asks her, "Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" Jesus reveals himself to be not just a teacher and miracle-worker, but one whose power reaches even to the deepest parts of life - the pain and loss of death and the loneliness of the grave. He reaches down into the grave and defeats death in order to reveal to Martha and her family that through him God provides us with a life which cannot be destroyed. May that life abide in you today and every day.
Blessings,
Greg
(John 11:17-25, NIV)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Live in the gate ...
Hear the word of God:
"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
The explanation of the parable lies in who Jesus is. Keep reading:
Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
"I am the gate for the sheep." In the parable above, the gate is the means by which the true shepherd enters into the sheep fold. Robbers must enter another way. All the broken ways of humanity have influenced our decisions, but faith is ultimately a choice not to listen to the thieves and robbers. Instead, it is a choice to enter through Jesus, the gate, in order to find life that is more fulfilling than the glitz and glamor which the world offers us. Those who enter any other way than the gate come only to destroy and despoil. The only way to defend ourselves against such malice is to enter through the true gate. Our Lord is the portal of our every movement, the door through which our lives flow.
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep."
Just as the door serves to differentiate the shepherd from the robbers, so the wolf serves to differentiate between the shepherd and the hired hand. In the first explanation Jesus reveals himself as the standard for our lives - he is the gate by which we can distinguish the shepherd from the thieves, and thus have full, abundant life. In this explanation, Jesus affirms that he is also the shepherd. This statement is proven in his self-sacrificing love - a hired hand may be a good caretaker, but in times of trouble he will abandon the sheep. The shepherd, though, loves his sheep as much as he loves himself. The shepherd will give up his own life for the sake of his sheep. Not only is Jesus the thing which gives us true life and keeps us safe, he is the one who ensures that safety with his own blood.
Live in the gate, marking your every movement by it. Listen for the voice of the shepherd, and follow his voice instead of the voices of thieves. When the wolves attack, know that the good shepherd has already laid down his life for you.
(John 10:1-15, NIV)
Blessings,
Greg
"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
The explanation of the parable lies in who Jesus is. Keep reading:
Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
"I am the gate for the sheep." In the parable above, the gate is the means by which the true shepherd enters into the sheep fold. Robbers must enter another way. All the broken ways of humanity have influenced our decisions, but faith is ultimately a choice not to listen to the thieves and robbers. Instead, it is a choice to enter through Jesus, the gate, in order to find life that is more fulfilling than the glitz and glamor which the world offers us. Those who enter any other way than the gate come only to destroy and despoil. The only way to defend ourselves against such malice is to enter through the true gate. Our Lord is the portal of our every movement, the door through which our lives flow.
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep."
Just as the door serves to differentiate the shepherd from the robbers, so the wolf serves to differentiate between the shepherd and the hired hand. In the first explanation Jesus reveals himself as the standard for our lives - he is the gate by which we can distinguish the shepherd from the thieves, and thus have full, abundant life. In this explanation, Jesus affirms that he is also the shepherd. This statement is proven in his self-sacrificing love - a hired hand may be a good caretaker, but in times of trouble he will abandon the sheep. The shepherd, though, loves his sheep as much as he loves himself. The shepherd will give up his own life for the sake of his sheep. Not only is Jesus the thing which gives us true life and keeps us safe, he is the one who ensures that safety with his own blood.
Live in the gate, marking your every movement by it. Listen for the voice of the shepherd, and follow his voice instead of the voices of thieves. When the wolves attack, know that the good shepherd has already laid down his life for you.
(John 10:1-15, NIV)
Blessings,
Greg
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Bread of life ...
Hear the word of the Lord:
“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. 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. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
(John 6:47-59, NIV)
The very people we discussed yesterday who asked Jesus for a sign cannot accept that he is the sign. They begin to grumble against Jesus, unsettled by his proclamation. Their feeling of displacement is common; oftentimes when Jesus reveals who he is to us we are left feeling uneasy or unsettled.
Though the crowd is unable to see that Jesus is the sign and thus believe, Jesus affirms that those who do believe will have the life everlasting. Jesus once again identifies himself - "I am the bread of life." His identity introduces the contrast between what the crowd expects and what Jesus really is. They want a sign like the manna in the desert (even though Jesus has already given them divinely provided breaded), but those who ate manna died. Jesus, the bread which comes down from heaven, is different from the manna that comes down from heaven. The manna could only feed the body, but whoever eats the bread of life receives life everlasting. Just as Jesus taught the crowd to work for food which endures to eternal life rather than food that spoils, he now urges them to eat of his flesh instead of depending on manna from heaven to sustain their bodies.
If you think about it, using the metaphor of bread is jam-packed with meaning. It means that we depend so fully, freely, and openly on God that we cannot survive without Christ, the bread he provides for us. In this metaphor, Christ is our sustenance. He comes down from heaven not only to give us eternal life in heaven when we die but also to invigorate and animate us now. He is our food and our drink - everything that gives us life and keeps us alive.
Without eating Jesus' flesh, we have no life in us. His body and blood truly sustain us. The sacrifice of the Christ on the cross nourishes us like bread and beverage, which we eat and drink in order to remember that sacrifice. When we participate in that meal, Jesus lives and abides in us. He moves in us and through us, just as God moved in and through him.
So not only does the bread of life represent the true sign of God's love for us, it also lives inside us. Unlike the manna, which could not give life everlasting and did not remain within us, Jesus is the ultimate sustenance. In what ways can we depend on Jesus like food or water or air? In what ways can we need him so desperately that nothing else matters without his nourishment?
"I am the bread of life."
Blessings,
Greg
“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. 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. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
(John 6:47-59, NIV)
The very people we discussed yesterday who asked Jesus for a sign cannot accept that he is the sign. They begin to grumble against Jesus, unsettled by his proclamation. Their feeling of displacement is common; oftentimes when Jesus reveals who he is to us we are left feeling uneasy or unsettled.
Though the crowd is unable to see that Jesus is the sign and thus believe, Jesus affirms that those who do believe will have the life everlasting. Jesus once again identifies himself - "I am the bread of life." His identity introduces the contrast between what the crowd expects and what Jesus really is. They want a sign like the manna in the desert (even though Jesus has already given them divinely provided breaded), but those who ate manna died. Jesus, the bread which comes down from heaven, is different from the manna that comes down from heaven. The manna could only feed the body, but whoever eats the bread of life receives life everlasting. Just as Jesus taught the crowd to work for food which endures to eternal life rather than food that spoils, he now urges them to eat of his flesh instead of depending on manna from heaven to sustain their bodies.
If you think about it, using the metaphor of bread is jam-packed with meaning. It means that we depend so fully, freely, and openly on God that we cannot survive without Christ, the bread he provides for us. In this metaphor, Christ is our sustenance. He comes down from heaven not only to give us eternal life in heaven when we die but also to invigorate and animate us now. He is our food and our drink - everything that gives us life and keeps us alive.
Without eating Jesus' flesh, we have no life in us. His body and blood truly sustain us. The sacrifice of the Christ on the cross nourishes us like bread and beverage, which we eat and drink in order to remember that sacrifice. When we participate in that meal, Jesus lives and abides in us. He moves in us and through us, just as God moved in and through him.
So not only does the bread of life represent the true sign of God's love for us, it also lives inside us. Unlike the manna, which could not give life everlasting and did not remain within us, Jesus is the ultimate sustenance. In what ways can we depend on Jesus like food or water or air? In what ways can we need him so desperately that nothing else matters without his nourishment?
"I am the bread of life."
Blessings,
Greg
Monday, July 13, 2009
See the sign ...
Hear the word of God:
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat."
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
(John 6:25-40, NIV)
A group from among the 5,000+ Jesus had miraculously fed on the other side of the Sea of Galilee have followed the teacher after his mysterious disappearance. Jesus, however, insists that they followed him not because they saw the signs, but because they ate the bread. The people are completely unable to alter their focus to encompass anything beyond their physical needs. As people living a hand-to-mouth existence, their entire lives are organized around securing their next meal. Jesus has another idea, though. Jesus tells the crowd that physical and material realities wear out and fade away, but spiritual realities endure.
When Jesus tells the people that the work of God is to believe in him, God's emissary, the people react lukewarmly. They ask what sign they may see, in order that they may believe. In the past, when Moses acted as God's emissary, he provided Israel with bread from heaven. These people must be blind! Even though they ate the loaves, they did not see the sign in Jesus' multiplication of the bread. They so completely failed to see the sign that they ask for a different sign. They reference bread from heaven after Jesus has already provided them with bread from nothing. They want to see a sign, but refuse to see the sign that Jesus has already performed.
Jesus explains that he is the real manna. It was God who provided the manna in the desert, and it is God who now provides Christ as bread from heaven. Unfortunately, even though the people see Jesus, they do not believe. The people asking for a sign have already seen the sign, they simply refuse to accept it. Jesus is the sign! They ate the bread, but the bread wasn't the sign. What these people have tragically failed to understand is simply that Jesus is the sign - the sign which points to God's activity in the world and his provision for his people. God gives Jesus, the bread of life, in order that those who eat of him may be fulfilled and may participate in another life at the close of this age.
Jesus, the one whom we call Christ, says to the people of Galilee 2,000 years ago and to the people of Hollis today, "I am the bread of life, the bread that gives life to all. I am the sign, the sign you are all looking for." When it is difficult to see, look for the sign and believe.
Blessings,
Greg
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat."
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
(John 6:25-40, NIV)
A group from among the 5,000+ Jesus had miraculously fed on the other side of the Sea of Galilee have followed the teacher after his mysterious disappearance. Jesus, however, insists that they followed him not because they saw the signs, but because they ate the bread. The people are completely unable to alter their focus to encompass anything beyond their physical needs. As people living a hand-to-mouth existence, their entire lives are organized around securing their next meal. Jesus has another idea, though. Jesus tells the crowd that physical and material realities wear out and fade away, but spiritual realities endure.
When Jesus tells the people that the work of God is to believe in him, God's emissary, the people react lukewarmly. They ask what sign they may see, in order that they may believe. In the past, when Moses acted as God's emissary, he provided Israel with bread from heaven. These people must be blind! Even though they ate the loaves, they did not see the sign in Jesus' multiplication of the bread. They so completely failed to see the sign that they ask for a different sign. They reference bread from heaven after Jesus has already provided them with bread from nothing. They want to see a sign, but refuse to see the sign that Jesus has already performed.
Jesus explains that he is the real manna. It was God who provided the manna in the desert, and it is God who now provides Christ as bread from heaven. Unfortunately, even though the people see Jesus, they do not believe. The people asking for a sign have already seen the sign, they simply refuse to accept it. Jesus is the sign! They ate the bread, but the bread wasn't the sign. What these people have tragically failed to understand is simply that Jesus is the sign - the sign which points to God's activity in the world and his provision for his people. God gives Jesus, the bread of life, in order that those who eat of him may be fulfilled and may participate in another life at the close of this age.
Jesus, the one whom we call Christ, says to the people of Galilee 2,000 years ago and to the people of Hollis today, "I am the bread of life, the bread that gives life to all. I am the sign, the sign you are all looking for." When it is difficult to see, look for the sign and believe.
Blessings,
Greg
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)