Tom Johnson, July 29, 2012
Thirteen years ago, my family and I were in Sweden for a summer mission project. We had such a large group that we rented hotel that was only used during skiing season. We arrived at the hotel and took a quick tour before cleaning it up. When we came into the kitchen, it was shut down for the summer. The appliances were shut down and the cabinets and refrigerators were empty. There was, however, a small bowl filled with uncovered Wasa bread. Wasa bread is barley-based flatbread—a crisp, dry cracker-like bread in the shape of a rectangle. There was the Wasa bread in an uncovered bowl—in an abandoned hotel for who knows how long. One of the Swedes immediately stepped forward, grabbed a piece, and took a large and loud crunching bite. I was stunned. Those who were well acquainted with Swedish culture were not. Wasa bread is meant to last without preservatives. For centuries, Scandinavians have more easily survived the long, dark winters because of this bread. They would suspend the bread from the ceiling out of reach of livestock and pests. Since medieval times, rye grain and Wasa bread have been the staple of life.
Because of chemical preservatives and refrigeration, we may have forgotten how important growing these staple crops is. Corn and soybean are the breadbasket in the Midwest hit hard by this hot and dry summer. You’ll remember Joseph stored wheat in Egypt during the seven years of plenty. And then he sold it during the seven years of famine. They stored up wheat grain—burying the seed in the soil—and after years and even a decade it would be useful for making bread. You’ll remember God preserved the lives of the Israelites for 40 years with Manna, the bread of heaven. Some gathered a lot; some gathered a little. But everyone had plenty to eat and to sustain them on the long journey.
Many cultures have their own variety of daily bread. Russians have winter wheat. Southeast Asians have rice. Native Americans have corn. Each culture relies on their daily bread to get them through cold winters and drought. Human beings have always needed basic food to survive harsh climates and times of famine. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray for daily bread because we need this basic sustenance to support and strengthen our physical bodies. Without it we starve and die. Today, Jesus reminds us that is no different for our spiritual lives.
Jesus says, “I AM the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.” “I AM the Bread of Life.” This statement is pointed and powerful. “I AM.” Jesus uses the divine name YHWH—“I AM that I AM”—the Name God first used to identify himself with Moses at the burning bush. Jesus is saying that he is God. It’s why those who heard Jesus say this take offense. They know Jesus’ family. It is hard to believe that he is both human and divine. It is difficult to imagine how he can give himself as heavenly food. It is a difficult saying: “I AM the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.” It suggests that may be living our lives with unnecessary hunger. We don’t need to feel empty, needy, and weak. Jesus is the Bread of Life.
We don’t need to fill ourselves up on junk food. Other food may leave you unsatisfied and hungry only hours later. This world’s food will spoil in times of famine and heat. This world’s food will not last the cold, dark nights of the winter. The things of this world can never satisfy a hungry heart. Our spiritual stomachs are made to feast on God himself. As the French scientist and philosopher Blaise Pascal said, “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”
Jesus is the gift of God the Father—he is the gift from heaven—the bread from heaven to feed the world. He feeds us his Word through the word we heard earlier read so well from the lectern. He feeds us through the faithful preaching of the Gospel, the Good News. He is the Word—the very bread that feeds us. He gives himself up into death on the cross. He feeds us the forgiveness of sins that will not rot or spoil. He feeds us eternal life—by his rising from the empty tomb—sustaining us with the nutrients of his resurrection power. He feeds us himself—the Bread of Life—with His true Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper. We eat and drink with the assurance that “He strengthens and preserves us in body and soul to life everlasting.” “I AM the Bread of Life,” Jesus says, “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.” “Taste and see that the Lord is good!”
No comments:
Post a Comment