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Year B  Trinity 7/Proper 30 : John 6:1-21

JN 6:1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Feast was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9 "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" 10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

We are surrounded by signs. This church building is a sign. Our Notice Boards are signs. The Pew Bibles are signs. They are point to something.

In today's gospel we have signs.

We have the sign of the miraculous healings that Jesus did, verse 2.

We have the sign of the Passover, verse 4.

We have the sign of the feeding of the five thousand men, verse 10. This number could be doubled if we account for women and children.

We have the sign of the abundance in providing food. 12 large basket were used to collect the left-overs, verse 13.

We have the sign of Jesus walking on water, verse 18.

We also have the sign of the boat immediately reaching the shore once Jesus was invited into it, verse 21.

Signs point to something or someone. These signs point to who Jesus is and what he will do.

 

When sin came into the world it spoiled God's perfect plan and unleashed, disorder, disease and death. The healings of Jesus are a sign that he had come to undo the effects of sin.  They show his power and his mission. They also point to his motivation, caring for people.

4 The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

The Passover was a sign of God's gracious deliverance of his people from the slavery of Egypt. Bread was one of the elements of this celebration. Bread would feature in the feeding of the five thousand.

Jesus was bringing in a new deliverance and a new Passover, the Lord's Supper. This is a sign which we share in this service. A sign of God's deliverance through Jesus' death on the cross. A sign that challenges us to respond today. A sign that will no longer be needed once Jesus has returned and fully brought in God's kingdom.

The Jews expected the Messiah to repeat the miracle of Moses and supply manna or bread in the wilderness. By multiplying bread in this wilderness area Jesus fulfilled those expectations and showed who he is.

This contrasts with the disciples who could only think of the physical, the market place, and how much money it would cost to buy enough food. This assumed that so much food would be available there, immediately!

We have the sign of the abundance in providing food. 12 large basket were used to collect the left-overs, verse 13. Jesus didn't want God's resources o go to waste.

Jesus walked on water, verse 18. The water in the Bible often symbolizes chaos and disorder. Jesus had the power to calm a storm and to defy the laws of nature be able to walk on water. In the Bible God has power over the elements, so this shows us that Jesus is God. No wonder the disciples were terrified, verse 19.

We also have the sign of the boat immediately reaching the shore once Jesus was invited into it, verse 21.

Signs point to something or someone. These signs point to who Jesus is and what he will do. He is God and man. A mere man couldn't multiply food, walk on water, calm a storm, and transport a boat and its crew to the shore. Jesus will save God's people.

For a sign to be effective people have to respond to it.

If we want to go to Welwyn we have to follow the sign.

If we want to send a parcel we go to the Post Office.

If we don't want to be electrocuted we keep outside metal boxes that warn of high voltage.

In this passage we have different responses to Jesus;

The Crowd.

They followed him for their own selfish reasons. They didn't have television and slow motion action replays so, if they wanted to see some action they had to be there themselves! They pursued him after he had  healed people to see what would happen next. We know from Mark's account that he had taught them before he fed them.

Of course, he also taught the disciples by feeding the crowd.

After he had fed them they correctly recognized that he was the Messiah. But, he was not the type of Messiah they expected. He would not establish his kingdom by force. Indeed, his kingdom would not be the prosperous earthly one that they desired and expected.

This was all part of God's plan and Jesus rejected the temptation of following the way of the crowd. It is a reminder that popularity and the way of the majority is not necessarily God's way.

God's plan was not achieved by inflicting violence on others, but by having violence inflicted upon Jesus. Jesus suffered a long, slow, painful death, and also suffered separation from God the Father as he took upon himself the punishment that we deserve for our failure to live life God's way. We remember this saving act in our service today. Jesus has not delivered God's people from the domination of a foreign power, but he has freed us from the domination of sin and death. So we know longer follow our own selfish desires, and so we can have a right relationship with God and be free to follow God's will.

The disciples.

Their response to Jesus when he asked them "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" was to think in worldly terms. Of how much they would need to feed these people. They ignored Jesus as an answer to this problem and were rather dubious about what they did have. 9 "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

We need to have faith in Jesus. Not only can he transform a packed lunch into a banquet, he can transform sinners into saints. We have a God who transforms.

The disciples response to seeing Jesus walking on the water was to be terrified. From the Mark 6:49 we know that they thought it was a ghost. Jesus had to reassure them by identifying himself, verse 20.

The question for ourselves is "How  do we respond to Jesus?"

Have we put our trust in Jesus. Do we recognize him as God and man, who has died and rose again for us? Are we letting him transform us?

If you have not done this don't put it off any longer. Turn to Jesus. Trust in him.

If you have done this you should be a living sign. A testimony to his transforming power. We should be pointing to Jesus, encouraging others to follow him.

One of the ways in which we can do this is by inviting people to The Alpha Course. We are currently finalizing plans to launch a new course in September.

In the last year we have really seen God at work in the current group who went on to study "A Life Worth Living" which is based on Philippians. From the group Alan McGarry was confirmed earlier in the year and Wendy Tharani was baptized.

If you know Jesus can I encourage you to pray about the preparations for the course. Please pray for the people who will be invited to the course. Pray, too, for the opportunity to invite someone to the course. It may even be right for you to offer to accompany someone on the course, yourself!

If we are to be the church that God wants us to be that has to involve all of us in praying for people to come to faith and being ready to be the answer to our payers. We can sow seeds by inviting people and, as we all know...

"There's no growing without the sowing".

 

27/7/03 : Trinity 6/Proper 12 -John 6:1-21

PRAY


The feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle recorded in every one of the four gospels, so it must be very important. We read of Jesus being both practical and spiritual. Practical in the way that he gets everyone to sit down, and he gets the disciples to give out the food and to gather up the left-overs. Jesus is spiritual in that he looks to God for the provision of more than enough food. Verse 11 says that he 'gave thanks'.

I don't know how many of us here give thanks to God at mealtimes ?
A five-year-old said grace at family dinner one night. "Dear God, thank you for these pancakes ..." When he concluded, his parents asked him why he thanked God for pancakes when they were having chicken. He smiled and said, "I just thought I'd see if He was paying attention tonight."

The way that God provides more than enough food for everyone shows the ample provision that God makes for people. Probably everyone of us here today has more than enough for our needs, although perhaps not us much as we might want. If you were to compare our standard of living to places such as Romania, where some people have no shoes, this shows us how  rich we really are. This should lead us to be grateful to God. To thank him for providing us with food, shoes, and the other material and spiritual blessings that he gives us.
When I used to go to tea with my grandmother she used to make us eat all of our food. If we protested she would come out with one of her favourite expressions, 'Waste not, want not.' Jesus gets the disciples to gather the left-overs in large baskets usually used for putting fish in. This was a Jewish custom at the time.  It is a demonstration that we are not to waste what God has given us abundantly. This applies to us as individuals, as a church, as a nation, as citizens of the world. God has provided enough food for all the people in the world, but those of us in the Western World eat most of it. Even though we account for less than a third of the world's population. God has given enough for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed. I have been encouraged by the collection of items for the Elizabeth Trust that  continue to be given, and when we have had collections of food, clothing and shoes for Joe Smith to take to Romania.

Jesus and the disciples were near to Bathsaida when he fed the 5,000. This was Philip's home town. Jesus asks Philip in verse 5, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"
Philip responds by concentrating on the physical and not the spiritual. Upon the need rather than the one who can meet our needs He says "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

There are links to the story of the Exodus, of Israel's deliverance and of the formation of the first Israel: the "mountain" where Moses met with God and received the law (vv. 3, 15, Sinai). Jesus' question to Philip and his answer (vv. 6-7, like Moses' question to God and God's answer - when God gives the people meat to eat), and feeding the crowd (vv. 11-13, like the gift of manna in the wilderness.) Philip thinks in material terms, as did Moses (v. 7), but Andrew, in contrast  is more helpful, although still a little uncertain, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

They remind you of the two brothers who come downstairs on Christmas morning. They unwrap the first present. One of them is downcast and says, 'It's a bucket of horse manure !' The other one is delighted and starts rushing around. When asked why he said, 'Don't you see, there must be a horse around here somewhere !'
Do we, perhaps concentrate on the dung, rather than looking for the horse ?

This gospel account features different responses to Jesus who reveals himself by this sign. A sign points to someone or something. This sign points to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah or the Christ. We have the responses of Philip and Andrew. We also have the response of the crowd.

Initially, in verse 2 we read that they followed Jesus because of his healing ministry. They were following Jesus for the wrong reason. They were there for the 'buzz' of seeing a miracle, perhaps so they could impress there friends with the story. It was all about the experience, the emotions, the feel 'good' factor.

I wonder why we come to church ? Are we coming expectantly, looking to worship God, to pray, to share, to learn ?  What we think makes a 'good service' ? Is this based on the feel-good factor alone ? Obviously it  is great when that happens. But we should be wary of seeking an emotional experience at the expense of worship, prayer, and teaching. All of these things should, ideally play a part, but the major factor is our attitude. To God, worship, prayer, learning, the Bible, and church.

In the last two verses of our reading we see the response of the crowd again. This time to Jesus' miraculous provision of food, rather than his healing. Their response is in two areas, both of them concentrating on what they could get out of it.

One focuses on food. Verse 26 : 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."

The second one focuses on what they perceived Jesus to be. 14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

The people misunderstand who Jesus is; they believe him to be "the prophet". In Deuteronomy 18:18, God tells Moses that he will raise a prophet like Moses who will speak what God commands. The Jewish people were, at this time desperately awaiting their Messiah. The anointed one from God who would deliver them. They expected that the prophet would, like Moses, repeat the miracle of providing manna or food in the wilderness. Jesus had just done this. The crowd thought that here was the Messiah who has come to deliver them from Roman rule in the same way that Moses delivered the Israelites from the rule of Egypt. They were ready to support Jesus by force. To do things their own way. But this was not God's plan, so Jesus left them.

God's plan was achieved not by inflicting violence on others, but by having violence inflicted upon Jesus. By Jesus suffering a long, slow, painful death, but also suffering separation from God the Father as he took upon himself the punishment that we deserve for our failure to live life God's way. Jesus has delivered God's people not from the domination of a foreign power. He has free us from the domination of sin and death. So we know longer follow our own selfish desires, and so we can have a right relationship with God.
Jesus sends the disciples ahead, by boat, back to Capernaum.

Verse 17: "dark": This symbolizes the lost and bewildered state of the disciples, "when Jesus had not come to them". Recall : "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it". Nicodemus comes "by night". In 8:12 Jesus says: "'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.'

Verse 18: The terrain of the land around the Sea of Galilee renders it subject to sudden storms.

Verse 19: "Jesus walking on the water": This recalls God's control of the waters in the act of creation (Genesis ) and the deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt by the miraculous crossing of the sea. It was through God's control over the sea that the first Israel emerged. John implies that Jesus is the new Moses; in the following verses, he is seen to be greater than Moses, for he has the power to bring forth the new Israel.

Sea represented confusion and disarray to the Jews. Jesus walking on the water shows his power and supremacy over the natural order. For God's power over the sea, see also Psalms.

Verse 20: "It is I": It being dark, Jesus may be merely identifying himself: the disciples would know his voice. But it is never safe to assume that John does not intend a deeper meaning, so perhaps we should see here another instance of Jesus identifying himself theologically, as the In v. 20, "It is I" translates the Greek phrase ego eimi - the words which God uses to identify himself to Moses in the Greek translation of Exodus 3:14. So Jesus is probably claiming to be God. After all, who but God could walk on water ?!
Verse 21: The disciples are lost at sea, and probably far off course (per the other gospels) but after Jesus appears, the boat "immediately" reaches "the land to which they were going". Probably this is another miracle.

John tells us about certain signs (of which these stories are two) which he hopes will encourage belief, be a starting point for understanding Jesus, and show Christ for who he is.

In today's gospel we have Jesus performing two miracles or literally 'signs'. We have two responses, that of the crowd, and that of the disciples. In John's account they are not rebuked for their lack of faith, so perhaps their response, of welcoming Jesus into the boat, contrasts to the reaction of the crowd.

The crowd wanted Jesus for their own interests. Healing when someone was ill. Food when they were hungry. Military victory when they were under a foreign power.

Whilst there are, undoubtedly, benefits in following Jesus, discipleship has to be selfless. I wonder why we follow Jesus ? I guess there is some selfish motive in some way if we are honest.

I wonder how much we receive, and how much we give ? If we are receiving a lot more than we give ?
Jesus said 'It is more blessed to give than receive' ( Acts 20:35 ). If we are not getting blessed maybe we are not giving enough.


Let us not follow the ways of the crowd. Of following Jesus for our own selfish motives. Let us follow the way of Jesus. Of choosing God's way. This is a way of sacrifice.

There are three areas that I feel we need to continue to be sacrificial in our church life.
Firstly, of using our time, energy, and  gifts to serve God more.
Need more to be involved. Encouraged by 6 who joined me on Monday. Know everyone not physically able. Good to see most there are not at the centre of church life, even though most attend regularly.

Secondly, prayer.
Remember how Moses won the victory for the Israelites on the praying field and not the battlefield. Whilst he continued to hold up his hands in prayer the Amelakites were/enemy was being defeated. When he grew tired he was supported by Aaron and Hur.
If any progress is going to be made we need to pray passionately and persistently together. So people will come to Jesus. For Christians to grow spiritually. For Christians to serve sacrificially. For Christians to be holy.
Mention weekly prayer meeting on Tuesday mornings.


Thirdly, money.
Encouraged by gift aid response & recent Tax refund of £2,200. Also payment of flat roof replacement. Cannot be complacent, still below budget this year to pay running expenses.

So as we sit here today let us think of who Jesus is. Of what he has done for us and of everything that he gives us. Let us consider also how he is calling each one of us to respond with our service, our prayers, and our money.

PRAY

B.C.P. Lent 4 - 30/3/03 8 a.m. John 6:1-14

PRAY

This is the only miracle recorded in every one of the four gospels, so it must be very important. Jesus and the disciples were near to Bathsaida when he fed the 5,000. This was Philip's home town. Jesus asks Philip in verse 5, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"

Philip responds by concentrating on the physical and not the spiritual. Upon the need rather than the one who can meet our needs He says "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

Andrew, in contrast is more helpful, although still a little uncertain, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

They remind you of the two men in the pub, both of whom have drunk half of their beer. One sees the glass and declares it to be half empty, the other sees the glass and declares it to be half full. Perhaps we tend to look at the emptiness rather than our fullness at times !

This gospel account features different responses to Jesus who reveals himself by this sign. A sign points to someone or something. This sign points to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah or the Christ. We have the responses of Philip and Andrew. We also have the response of the crowd.

Initially, in verse 2 we read that they followed Jesus because of his healing ministry. They were there because of the experience they would get from it. The eyewitness accounts they could give to their absent friends.

In the last two verses of our reading we see the response of the crowd again. This time to Jesus' miraculous provision of food, rather than his healing. Their response is in two areas, both of them concentrating on what they could get out of it.

One focuses on food. Verse 26 : 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."

The second one focuses on what they perceived Jesus to be. 14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." 15 ( not in BCP ) Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

The Jewish people were, at this time desperately awaiting their Messiah. The anointed one from God who would deliver them. They expected that God would raise up a prophet like Moses who would repeat the miracle of providing manna or food in the wilderness. Jesus had just done this. The crowd thought that here was the Messiah who has come to deliver them from Roman rule in the same way that Moses delivered the Israelites from the rule of Egypt. They were ready to support Jesus by force. To do things their own way. But this was not God's plan, so Jesus left them.

God's plan was achieved not by inflicting violence on others, but by having violence inflicted upon Jesus. By Jesus suffering a long, slow, painful death, but also suffering separation from God the Father as he took upon himself the punishment that we deserve for our failure to live life God's way. Jesus has delivered God's people not from the domination of a foreign power. He has free us from the domination of sin and death. So we know longer follow our own selfish desires, and so we can have a right relationship with God. We focus on Jesus' sacrifice for us later in the service as we receive the bread and wine, symbolizing His body broken for us, and blood poured out for us.

The crowd wanted Jesus for their own interests. Healing when someone was ill. Food when they were hungry. Military victory when they were under a foreign power.

I wonder why we follow Jesus ? I guess there is some selfish motive in some way if we are honest.

I wonder how much we receive, and how much we give ? If we are receiving a lot more than we give ?

Jesus said 'It is more blessed to give than receive' ( Acts 20:35 ). If we are not getting blessed maybe we are not giving enough.

Let us not follow the ways of the crowd. Of following Jesus for our own selfish motives. Let us follow the way of Jesus. Of choosing God's way. This is a way of sacrifice.

There are two areas that I feel we need to be more sacrificial in our church life.

Firstly, of using our time, energy, and gifts to serve God more.

We were blessed at the Annual Meeting to have a full P.C.C. of 14 & 2 churchwardens. But we still need three people as Deanery Synod Representatives. Please pray about this and be open to God showing you who should serve him in these ways. Even be open to the fact 'it could be you' !

Secondly, prayer.

It is encouraging that we have over 30 people on the prayer clock every month, yet there are still spaces if any new folk want to join. We are only talking about a 20 minute commitment each month , although I am sure many people use the Prayer pointer Sheets at other times during the month. Of course, we have a weekly prayer meeting on Tuesday mornings at Graham & Dorothy's.

So let us think of who Jesus is. Of what he has done for us and of everything that he gives us. Let us consider also how he is calling each one of us to respond with our service, our prayers, and our money.

PRAY