(John 6: 24-35)
Who remembers Wonder Bread? What was its’ claim to fame? “Helps build strong bodies 12 ways” which referred to the number of added nutrients. Wonder Bread originated in the United States in 1921 and was one of the first commercially made breads to be sold pre-sliced nationwide in 1930, which was a wonder in itself. In fact, you’ve probably heard someone describe some new innovation as: “the greatest thing since sliced bread.” During the 1940s they began adding vitamins and minerals to Wonder Bread as part of a government-sponsored program on enriching white bread, which was notoriously deficient in vitamin and mineral content, to combat certain diseases. It was also the first national bread brand to feature open dating as well as nutrition information on its packaging. When post-war television advertising took off the company sponsored the Howdy Doody Show with host Buffalo Bob Smith telling the audience, “Wonder Bread builds strong bodies 8 ways.” By the 1960s, Wonder Bread was advertised with the slogan “Helps build strong bodies 12 ways,” referring to the number of added nutrients. I guess it would be fair to say that sliced white bread on its’ own doesn’t really have that much to offer other than temporarily filling you up and not providing anything nutritionally.
And that’s what Jesus is trying to explain to those who had followed him to Capernaum, that the bread they seek only satisfies them for a little while, but the bread he offers will sustain them for life. After the feeding of the 5,000 that we studied last week, Jesus withdrew again to a mountain because he knew they were about to take him by force and make him king. So when evening came Jesus and the disciples went down to the Sea of Galilee, got in a boat and headed for Capernaum. The next morning, when the crowd realized Jesus and his disciples had left by boat, they boarded some other boats that had just arrived and headed for Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him, they asked: “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Kind of a silly question if you ask me. Jesus answered: Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal. Jesus is obviously a little irritated with them as the last thing they said to him after eating their fill was: This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world, and now they were showing up for their next meal. He’s thinking that they should be asking him what they need to do next as he is obviously the one sent from God. Now times were tough and for many, like now, knowing where your next meal was coming from was uncertain at best. They weren’t wrong to seek physical food, but they were wrong to be satisfied with it alone. Jesus is urging them to work for the food that endures for eternal life that he alone can give them. This talk of “food that endures for eternal life” is a huge clue that Jesus has moved the conversation to a level beyond the merely physical, kind of a “now that I’ve got your attention” moment. And now that he’s gotten their attention they ask: What must we do to perform the works of God? Jesus answered them: This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. Puzzled, they then asked: What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ At this point I would expect Jesus to be dumbfounded, standing there with his mouth hanging open, shaking his head from side to side. They’re requesting a sign from Jesus so that they may believe? Didn’t they just witness one less than 24 hours earlier?
The Old Testament allusion is significant, since it recalls God’s provision of “bread” for a grumbling people, and we are about to hear about God’s new “bread” provided to another group of grumbling people. So Jesus takes this opportunity to interpret the scripture for them. He says: Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. He is reminding them of what Moses said to the people about not forgetting the Lord in Deuteronomy, chapter 8 where he said in verse 3: He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Jesus is using this opportunity to make two very subtle and interrelated interpretive moves here. He points out that it really wasn’t Moses who gave the bread, but God, and then shifts from the past tense to the present tense telling them that God was the giver back then and is the one who is giving now. Jesus clarifies for them what “the true bread from heaven” is. The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. The challenge for these people is connecting the dots and realizing that Jesus is the one who has come down from heaven and is the giver of life. The crowd does not understand what he means, but it does sound like an offer too good to refuse so they said to him: Sir, give us this bread always. Jesus is probably getting somewhat exasperated with them as he explicitly declares what, to him, has been implicit all along. He states rather matter-of-factly: I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Jesus’ metaphorical language is now clear. He is the spiritual bread, the bread that gives life. The crowds have seen Jesus and they believe he can multiply bread, but they are having a hard time believing that he is the spiritual bread that fulfills their deepest hunger. I guess, to be fair, this is a lot to ask of a people who weren’t getting the truth from the religious leaders of the day, the ones who were more interested in maintaining their status quo and hanging onto their power within the Roman world. They were looking for answers, but their physical needs were always out in front of them. When you think about it, we’re kind of the same way. We spend the better part of our lives working hard to secure our future thinking and hoping there will be time for God later, after we retire if we make it that far. Not having that spiritual bread to feast on is why we see so many people leading unfulfilling lives, just going through the motions, trying to keep up with the Joneses.
And many sincere seekers for God are puzzled about what he wants them to do. The religions of the world are people’s attempts to answer this question which may explain why so many bounce from one religion to another in their quest for the meaning of life. But Jesus’ reply is brief and simple; we must believe on him whom God sent. Satisfying God doesn’t come from the work we do, but from whom we believe and the direction we receive through him for our lives here on earth in his service.
Life for many is just like eating bread. It fills you up, temporarily satisfying your hunger, but leaves you wanting more. The bread of life that Jesus offers is truly enriched giving us what we need to satisfy our spiritual hunger, our hunger to know God and lead a life more fulfilling, meaningful, and rewarding. So how do you get this amazing bread? You start by accepting Jesus as who he claims to be and then you too can feast on this Wonder Bread and hunger no more.
Let us pray.
We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing; he chastens and hastens his will to make known. Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining, ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine. Gracious and loving God how grateful we are for the gift of the bread of life, your Son Jesus Christ, who sustains us through our journey here as we strive to do your work and your will. We praise you for the enriched life we now have through a closer relationship with you made possible by Jesus’ supreme sacrifice as we have accepted him as our Lord and Savior. Let thy congregation escape tribulation; thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.