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John 6:1-21

¹ After this Jesus went across the Galilee Sea (that is, the Tiberias Sea). ² A large crowd followed him, because they had seen the miraculous signs he had done among the sick. ³ Jesus went up a mountain and sat there with his disciples. ⁴ It was nearly time for Passover, the Jewish festival. ⁵ Jesus looked up and saw the large crowd coming toward him. He asked Philip, “Where will we buy food to feed these people?” ⁶ Jesus said this to test him, for he already knew what he was going to do. ⁷ Philip replied, “More than a half year’s salary worth of food wouldn’t be enough for each person to have even a little bit.” ⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, ⁹ “A youth here has five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that for a crowd like this?” ¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there. They sat down, about five thousand of them. ¹¹ Then Jesus took the bread. When he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, each getting as much as they wanted. ¹² When they had plenty to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing will be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves that had been left over by those who had eaten. ¹⁴ When the people saw that he had done a miraculous sign, they said, “This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world.” ¹⁵ Jesus understood that they were about to come and force him to be their king, so he took refuge again, alone on a mountain. ¹⁶ When evening came, Jesus’ disciples went down to the lake. ¹⁷ They got into a boat and were crossing the lake to Capernaum. It was already getting dark and Jesus hadn’t come to them yet. ¹⁸ The water was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing. ¹⁹ When the wind had driven them out for about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water. He was approaching the boat and they were afraid. ²⁰ He said to them, “I Am. Don’t be afraid.” ²¹ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and just then the boat reached the land where they had been heading.

Today’s reading is part of a longer narrative that stretches over two days of Jesus’ ministry. Right in the middle of the action we note a significant event—the people want to force Jesus to be their king.
The crowd’s reaction to the feeding of the five thousand with twelve baskets left over seems understandable: Deliverance is at hand. Jesus is just the man to overthrow the Roman occupiers and reinstate a kingdom bound by the law. Here is a king who can also take care of the physical needs of his loyal subjects—Jesus has bread-making on his resume! Why not force him to accept their adoration, their followership, their willingness to fight alongside him? What could go wrong, given the power of this convenient neighborhood messiah? No fault here!
One large problem: These newly zealous believers are trying to force him into their mold, to fit their preconceived notions of what God desires. Forged by years of revolutionary theology, these people remain self-serving with narrowly conceived notions of messiah. Perhaps unknowingly, they are trying to put God into a box by determining God’s nature and priorities. Another way of describing self-idolatry!
I understand their impulsive semi-adoration: How easy it is for me to recast Jesus into the kind of Savior I need just for myself! If it was only “me-and-you, Jesus,” and this salvation thing was some kind of game, I could get away with that attitude. But Jesus came to redeem the entire world for all of time. My self-idolatry is petty compared to the needs of the cosmos and the scope of God’s all-encompassing love for the world.
How dare I remake Jesus into a Bread King to serve only me! A grievous fault that requires yet another mea culpa!

Almighty and all-loving God, forgive me for missing the point: You love far more people than simply me! Amen.

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John 6:1-21

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Leccionario Semanal

July 23–29, 2018

Resumen de la Escritura

The Bible is filled with the stories of imperfect people. David is a classic case. In Second Samuel he commits adultery, tries to cover it up, and then plots a murder. How can this be the same man who penned this week’s psalm, which decries the foolishness of people who act in a godless way? Like us, David was a fallen person who needed God’s extravagant mercy. In Ephesians we read of this same extravagance given through Christ, whose power can do what we cannot—namely redeem all of us who are also foolish and fallen. The Gospel author demonstrates the power of Jesus through what he describes as “signs,” which Jesus performed not primarily to amaze the onlookers but rather to point them to his identity as the Son of God.

Preguntas para la reflexión

• Read 2 Samuel 11:1-15. How often do you consider the ramifications of your decisions and actions on the wider body?
• Read Psalm 14. How frequently do you find yourself envisioning a life free of constraints? What does that life look like?
• Read Ephesians 3:14-21. How does “being rooted and grounded in love” manifest itself in your life?
• Read John 6:1-21. When have you tried to force God into a mold of your own making to serve your needs?

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John 6:1-21

John 6:1-21

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