BREAD OF LIFE-ARMOR OF GOD

Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69 13h Sunday after Pentecost, August 25, 2024 Rev. Dr. Ritva  H. Williams

Today as we wrap up the “Bread of Life” discourse and ponder its relevance for us in this place and time, I will summarize chapter 6, the longest, and perhaps most important, chapter in John’s Gospel.

 The opening scene is a lesson in economics, faith, and politics. Jesus asks Philip where they can to buy bread to feed the multitude before them. Philip responds that they don’t have enough money. A little boy with five loaves of barley bread and two fish, stepped up as if to say,  “we don’t need to buy bread, we already have bread right here.” Philip’s scarcity mindset is a strong contrast to the child’s faith and trust. Jesus took the child’s gift, blessed it, and began distributing it, inspiring a sharing that multiplied the child’s gift so it produced enough, and more than enough bread to feed 5000 people. This demonstration of abundance excites the crowd so much they decide to seize Jesus and make him their king.

 What were they thinking of? This crowd was the same size as a Roman legion. Did they imagine forcing Jesus to lead them in an insurrection against Herod Antipas and Pontius Pilate? There is no way to answer that question, but we do know for certain that Jesus rejects their agenda, withdraws into the mountains, until he can walk home across the sea under cover of darkness.

 Scene two begins when the crowd catches up with Jesus in Capernaum. Jesus tells them that the feeding in the wilderness was a sign, pointing beyond itself to something deeper, something “spiritual.” Jesus reinterprets Israel’s ancient scriptures about bread from heaven, concluding with the declaration, “I am the bread of life … come down from heaven” (John 6:35, 38).

 In scene three, Jesus responds to some folk who hold traditional “Judean” perspectives emerging from Jerusalem, the temple cult, and its high priestly authorities. They grumble and complain about Jesus, an ordinary Galilean peasant, claiming to come down from heaven, and inviting people to feed on his flesh and blood. Like the crowd that eats the bread but misses the sign, these folk hear Jesus’ words but miss their meaning which Jesus states clearly: no one comes to Christ unless they are drawn by God, unless the hear, learn and are taught by God (John 6:44-45). Jesus promises that those who feed on his flesh and blood “abide in me and I in them …  they live through me … experience age-enduring abundant life” (John 6:56).

 Scene four zeroes in on the actions of Jesus’ own disciples. Many are complaining, “This word is hard, how is anyone able to hear it?” Jesus acknowledges that they are scandalized, and urges them to stop interpreting his words in the most “fleshly” way possible, and switch to thinking spiritually. Unable to hear, receive, and digest the words of Jesus in any other than literal terms, these disciples turn back eis ta opiso — to the things of the past. They choose to walk no longer in the way of Jesus. Jesus is not surprised or hurt, as he says again, “no one can come to me unless drawn by the Father.” God draws us to Christ through the Spirit, like a tractor beam draws a shuttle to the mother ship, each at our own speed, in our own time.

 Jesus then asks the inner circle of his disciples — the twelve — if they also want to return to the things of the past. Simon Peter answers for all of them, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of life that endure through the ages.” (John 6:68-69).

 Flesh and blood is an ancient Hebrew idiom for a whole person, heart, mind, spirit, feelings, hopes, dreams, fear, concerns, everything. In Christ the whole of God meets the whole of human life. Just as we talk about consuming social media, and turn to newsfeeds for up-to-date information, we are invited to consume and digest Jesus’ words and actions, to absorb his teaching and values, his character and mindset until they become a integral part of who we are. Until we too become little Christs sharing the bread of life with one another. This is a lifelong process that we never master perfectly. That is why we return over and over again to our Christ-feed, the stories of Jesus in scripture to hear, learn and are taught to receive and to share God’s love, grace and mercy in our every day lives.

 The Christ-feed frequently challenges and contradicts us, especially about “things of the past.” For example, in Matthew 5-6 Jesus says, “you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times.” Jesus repeats this six times to introduce common attitudes about anger, adultery, divorce, taking oaths, revenge, almsgiving, and prayer. Every time Jesus corrects, adjusts, and updates those attitudes. In today’s Gospel reading turning back to the things of the past causes some disciples to part ways with Jesus.

 We live in time and place where a nostalgic longing for the things of the past coupled with fear for the future is driving people of faith in dangerous directions. As historian Ronit Stahl writes,

 The fiction that some people are trying to build is that there’s a singular conservative Christianity that had a heyday in the past and that can be reclaimed … to fashion a new American society … Some people think we should return to the 1950’s, or the 1790’s. 

 This is one aspect of Christian Nationalism that we will be studying throughout the month of September. To help us prepare for those conversations, let’s look at our reading from Ephesians.

 I must confess that the idea of putting on armor makes me cringe. But a closer reading shows us that this passage does not mean what people think it means. It begins by describing the struggles early Christ-followers faced with social, political, economic and spiritual forces beyond their control. We too live in a world where many things are beyond our personal control. Our world is made even more bewildering by social media driven by algorithms and artificial intelligence. How should we respond? With fear, anger, hostility, and violence? No! The writer of Ephesians urges us to adopt seven practices that promote a courageous, non-aggressive lifestyle that is faithful to Christ. It is good advice of for all of us whether we are returning to school or preparing for a national election.

•   speak the truth in love (4:15, 25)

•   practice right-relations & justice by honoring the image of God in ourselves and others (4:24)

•   proclaim the gospel of peace emphasizing the reconciliation of all peoples in Christ (2:14)

•   lean into our faith by accepting, trusting and relying on God’s grace (2:8)

•   know that our salvation is already accomplished in Christ’s death and resurrection (2:4-7)

•   attend to God’s Spirit-filled Word of grace, mercy and love, i.e. the gospel of peace 

•   in prayer, open ourselves up to the movement of God’s Spirit, lifting up one another into the light

 As Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes writes so eloquently,

 The armor of God is distinctly not-armor.
It’s a renunciation of might, of power and force, a radical commitment to non-violence.
It's gentleness instead of fighting, service rather than superiority, listening instead of yelling,
love instead of self-protection.

You don't just renounce guns. You renounce bullying, aggression, making fun of others.
You set aside the shield of cynicism,  the helmet of acceptability, the sword of being right.
For the sake of healing you accept vulnerability, embrace risk,  and stand with those who hurt.

To put on the armor of God is not for the faint hearted.
It's to trust that love and utter dependence on the grace of God will keep you whole. 
For it will. 
It will.