Pentecost 12, Proper 14, Year B, 2024
1 Kings 19:4-8; Elijah asks to die under broom tree; an angel feeds him;
Psalm 34: O taste and see that the Lord is good;
Ephesians 4:25-5:2; live in love as Christ loved us;
John 6:35, 41-51; I am the bread of life, he who comes to me shall not hunger;
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Did you know that the “I am” statements made by Jesus are found only in the Gospel of John? Sometimes they are metaphorical (“I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the good shepherd”). The Gospel according to John includes many metaphors: bread, light, Word, life, lamb. And the metaphors John uses are simple descriptions, and we know what he means when he uses them. Bread.
Remember at the end of the Gospel reading last week, Jesus said, “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” The crowd said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Then he said, “I am the bread of life, etc.” It is not surprising that His critics reacted to Jesus’ statements that he is the bread from heaven. Isn’t this Joseph and Mary’s kid? We watched him grow up. We know them, they are with us here on earth! How can He have come down from heaven?
Jesus continued to claim his heavenly, divine origins, saying that no one can come to him except by being led to him by God. No one can learn of him except by God’s teaching. No one can see him except by God revelation. It is a divine gift, the revealing by the Holy Spirit, and not through our own efforts, that we may come to know, see, and experience Jesus in our lives. It is a gift come down from heaven.
Having said that, do you think that we could put ourselves in the right place at the right time, so to speak, to receive that gift? Are we open to God’s revealing, teaching, healing? Or are we looking for the bread of life, for spiritual food at the hardware store? Or, as the hit song from the 1980 movie Urban Cowboy says, are we “looking for love in all the wrong places”?
At times we may think, feel, or believe that we must climb up to the divine. Maybe we want our God to be high, lifted up, distant, exclusively in heaven? He may be “from heaven” but he is also the one who has come down to earth. He is the Word, the eternal Word made flesh.
From the passage in Psalm 34, read today: “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” Knowing what we know about the Gospel according to John, that line sounds like John could have written it. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” It sounds like a metaphor, doesn’t it? Eugene Peterson, in the Message, puts it this way, “Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see – how good God is.” Taste and sight, two of our five senses, two ways we take in information from outside ourselves, two ways we learn, feel, experience. Two gifts from God that help us experience the world, creation, the cosmos. And help us experience God. And we experience God outside of those physical senses. “You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” Also gifts from God.
The theme of bread and nourishment from God is also found in the Hebrew Scripture reading from the 1st Book of Kings. A little context, because we come into the middle of the story – Elijah, the great prophet of Israel, is on the run after winning a victory over the prophets of Baal. Elijah had taunted them to prove that their god was real. But nothing happened. Then Elijah built an altar, prepared a sacrifice, and prayed to the Lord. Fire fell from heaven and consumed everything. When the Israelites saw it, they fell on their faces and shouted, “The Lord indeed is God.” The prophets of Baal were seized, and Elijah was portrayed as a model of piety and righteous zeal for the Lord.
When King Ahab reported this event to his wife, Jezebel, she became furious and promised to kill Elijah. He had to flee for his life, and that’s where today’s passage begins. Elijah is in despair, asks that he might die, and falls asleep. An angel, a messenger from the Lord wakes Elijah and feeds him with bread and water. Even though Elija asks to die, the messenger of the Lord brings life to him. But Elijah is still exhausted and returns to sleep. The angel persists, saying, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” Sounds like a smart angel. Have you ever tried to work, exercise, just go about your day, without having had enough to eat or drink? The Lord provides food which makes life possible.
Can we compare this emphasis on food to the sacrament of Communion? And how Communion not only unites us with God in Christ, but nourishes our spirit? Our Post-Communion prayers state how we are thankful for the strength we obtain from the sacrament. This theme of feeding reinforces my faith in God’s continuing care for me. God’s grace multiplies in the miracle when bread is broken and shared. There is more than enough for everyone. “Taste and see that the Lord is good!”
When we don’t have enough to eat or drink to go about our day, we know what happens. We get tired, weak; I don’t know about you, I get “hangry”, hungry and angry at the same time. And if you don’t believe me, just ask Doug. What do you think happens when we don’t attend to our need for spiritual food? Joyce Rupp is a spiritual writer, and retreat and conference speaker. In her book, “Fresh Bread”, she explains the need for feeding the hunger of our spirits. She encourages readers to be faithful to the practice of spiritual nourishment. She writes that our spirits must receive daily nourishment, just as our bodies must receive daily nourishment.
How do we care for our deepest selves? How often do we set aside time for prayer, quiet, reading God’s word, journaling, or just being, being in the presence of God? God made us for Himself. God loves us and delights in our presence. “Taste and see that the Lord is Good.”
The Rev. Robin Finch