The Bread of Life

I almost said, please be seated, because I'm used to saying that immediately after without having the choir have us be seated.

I have an odd sense of humor. Because I'm married to a very sane woman, I'm often successful in keeping it in check.

But when people have a first baby, you have to bring them a gift, you know, people you know, and what do you bring them as a first gift?

And time after time, I've suggested to my wife that we bring them a toilet plunger, which I don't think anybody's ever given a new mom and a new dad having their first baby a toilet plunger, but it's actually a very practical gift.

Those of you who have children know, what will a child do fairly soon after they can walk?

They will throw something in the toilet.

Virtually every child does it. Even the best behaved child will eventually make their way into the bathroom.

They'll toddle in there, and one of the first things they'll do is they'll discover that if you do this flapping moment to the toilet paper roll, it will completely and utterly empty, and it's a very fun thing for a child to do.

And another thing that they'll discover is that there's water to play with that they can reach, and they'll throw things, often the toilet paper, in fact, in, and maybe even flush it.

So to give new parents a toilet plunger is actually a very practical gift, but my wife has never let me do it yet.

The second thing, of course, that would be that all children do at some point in time is lock themselves in the bathroom.

Virtually every child, once they get old enough, will figure out that they can go in the bathroom door, they can play around with it, and they can lock the bathroom,

and almost every child will not only lock themselves in the bathroom, but not be able to figure out how to unlock themselves from the bathroom.

I only read part of John 6 today, because it's a very, very long reading, but if later on you were to go back and read the rest of John 6,

it continues to talk about Jesus being the bread of heaven, and later on it will tell you how we have to eat him,

and eat his flesh, and drink his blood, and unless we eat his flesh and drink his blood, we have no part in him.

And John 6 is probably one of the most controversial passages in the entire Bible.

Between Protestants and Catholics and Orthodox and Coptic, it is a major point of division and difference in terms of how to interpret it.

And I'm today going to really focus on one verse, which is the linchpin verse in the entire text.

It's not only the linchpin, it's the foundation of the entire text, and it's John 6.35, where Jesus says,

I have to put my glasses back on, where Jesus says,

I am the bread of life, he who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.

And if we want to understand this verse, and in fact all of John 6, we just have to remember three simple things.

We have to think of the Lord's Prayer, we have to think of being a child locked in a bathroom,

and we have to think of a wedding ceremony.

And if we can sort of keep these three things before our mind,

this verse starts to be more clear to us, as well as the entire chapter.

First of all, the Lord's Prayer.

We could just say it off by heart, because most of us probably do that,

but it's a good thing occasionally to see where things come from in the Bible.

So please take your pew Bibles and turn to Matthew chapter 6,

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

or take your own Bibles if you've brought your own Bible.

Matthew chapter 6, verses 9 to 13.

Matthew 6:9–13

The reason the Lord's Prayer is called the Lord's Prayer is because it's a prayer which Jesus taught us to pray.

And so some people say that John 17 should really be called the Lord's Prayer,

because we have the high priestly prayer.

But here is a prayer which Jesus taught us to pray,

and we say it every Sunday, and here it is in this translation.

And listen to it again.

Matthew 6, verse 9 through 13, page 837 in your pew Bibles.

Matthew 6:9–13

In this manner, therefore, pray.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.

Amen.

It's a wonderful and beautiful prayer.

And you'll notice there, verse 11,

give us this day our daily bread.

I think every one of us knows instantly what that means.

Obviously, it's not just praying for bread.

I mean, they'd pray this prayer in China,

where they eat very little bread,

and rice would be the staple.

And they'd use this prayer in South America,

where tortillas might be more common,

and bread wouldn't be as common.

We all know, when we read this,

that what Jesus is telling us to do,

when we give us this day our daily bread,

we're saying,

the basic sustenance of life,

the basic stuff that we need to eat

and to receive every day,

dear Father, give us.

That's what Jesus is teaching us to pray.

It's significant that he doesn't say,

you know, please give us this day our daily,

you know, our oysters and caviar and lobster tails

and things which are really, really expensive

and very, very fancy champagne.

But it's almost a universal symbol,

at least in Western lands,

that bread,

that asking for our daily bread

is that we're asking God

to give us the basic, basic, basic stuff

that we need just to live.

And Father, may you provide that for us.

So now turn in your Bibles

to John chapter 6, page 924.

John 6 · chapter mention

And mindful of the Lord's Prayer,

let's listen again to what Jesus says.

I'm going to begin reading at verse 32,

on page 924, John chapter 6.

John 6 · chapter mention

Jesus said to them,

Verily, verily, I say to you,

Moses did not give you the bread from heaven,

but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is he

who comes down from heaven

and gives life to the world.

Then they said to him,

Lord, give us this bread always.

And Jesus said to them,

I am the bread of life.

He who comes to me shall never hunger,

and he who believes in me

shall never thirst.

And mindful then of the Lord's Prayer,

we can see that what Jesus is talking about here

is a very, very powerful and simple image.

Just as when we pray the Lord's Prayer,

we're saying, you know,

give us this day our daily bread,

we're asking the Father who loves us

to give us the basic stuff

that we need to eat

and be able to live.

And we see here then when Jesus said

that he is the bread of life,

he is saying that the Father has provided

the basic stuff that we need

to have the life of heaven,

to have everlasting life,

to have eternal life,

to have life of the age to come,

to have life from above,

a life which is different than this earthly life,

that the very, very basic sustenance,

the very, very basic stuff

that we need to have

to be able to live in heaven

and live beyond the judgment

and live for everlasting

and live eternally,

that very, very, very basic stuff

God has provided.

And it is the person of Jesus.

It is not only the person of Jesus,

but what the person of Jesus has accomplished.

Remember that Jesus is described early on

in John's Gospel

as the Lamb of God

who takes away the sin of the world.

And if you were to go back

and read John 6 very carefully,

we're not going to go into

all of the little nuances of it,

we'll see that there's even images here

of the crucifixion in John 6

because the bread is given

for the life of the world

and there's this image

and idea of sacrifice.

But it is that the Father

in the person of Jesus

and in what Jesus is going to do

upon the cross

and in his resurrection

that the basic sustenance,

the basic stuff needed

for eternal life

is given to us

from the Father.

Now,

I don't know if any of you

have ever been hungry.

Years ago,

I used to hitchhike.

I used to hitchhike all the time

and I did some hitchhiking

around Ontario

and I remember being hungry

and looking at food.

And if you're hungry

and you're looking at food,

it doesn't really help you very much.

It only makes you more hungry.

You have to get the bread inside you.

Right?

I mean,

bread on the outside

is only good

if you know that soon

you're going to be able

to eat that bread

and to be filled.

Food is only good

if you can get it inside of you

and it can quench your hunger.

Listen again to what Jesus says

in John 6, 35.

I am the bread of life.

He who comes to me

shall never hunger

and he who believes in me

shall never thirst.

You know,

one of the reasons

that we know

that this isn't just referring

to communion

is because there's

finality about there.

Isn't it?

Notice that again.

It says,

whoever comes to me

shall never hunger

and whoever believes

and he who believes in me

shall never thirst.

It implies that

there's a way of receiving

the bread of heaven.

There's a way of having

the bread of heaven

come to us

in such a way

that our life afterwards

is completely

and utterly different.

There's,

you know,

one of the things

about children

being locked

in the bathroom door.

Remember I said

we needed three things

to understand this text.

We had to think

of the Lord's Prayer.

We had to think

of a child

locked in a bathroom

and we have to think

of a marriage ceremony

to be able

to understand this text.

And I'm going to play around

with the image

a little bit

but,

you know,

one of the things

about a child

locked in a bathroom

is at first

the child doesn't realize

that they're locked

in the bathroom.

They're happy

unrolling the toilet paper,

playing in the toilet,

squeezing the toothpaste,

crayoning the walls,

whatever it is

that they're doing

and they're peace

and quiet,

completely and utterly

contented

while they're making mischief.

But then,

they maybe decide

that they'd like

to go see their mommy

or their daddy

and they go

to open the door

and they cannot

open the door.

And that's when

their tension

starts to rise.

Maybe they try

and try and try

and try and try

but at some point

in time

they start to wail

and to cry

looking for someone

to come

and open the door.

You know,

and here I'm going

to sort of mix images

a little bit.

You have to be pretty quick

to catch these two images.

But one of the most famous

images in the Bible

and it's been the subject

of a famous painting

is the image

of Jesus standing

at the door

of our lives

and knocking

at the door

of our lives

to come in.

It's one of the most famous

things.

It comes from the book

of Revelation chapter 3

Revelation 3 · chapter mention

and Revelation chapter 3

Revelation 3 · chapter mention

is in a sense

picturing us

like a house

with a door

and Jesus

is on the outside

of our house

the outside

of the door

and he wants

to come in

and he's knocking

and knocking

and knocking

and knocking.

You know,

one of the things

which is so comforting

about the gospel

is Leah

I've mentioned earlier

Andrew's

and Lisa's

new daughter

was born

at 7 o'clock

in the morning

on Friday

and now she would be

27,

no,

48,

51 hours old,

52 hours old.

For 52 hours

Jesus has been

knocking on Leah's

the door of her heart

and at no point

in time

in Leah's life

until she lets him in

Jesus will always

be there

knocking

and knocking

and knocking

and here's where

the images get

a little bit confused.

Okay,

you have to be

with me here.

I apologize for this.

You know,

many of us

our life

in church

is like the child

in the bathroom

and we know

that our mommy

and daddy

is off somewhere

in the house

and they're doing

their stuff

and we're quite content

in our little

cozy bathroom

coloring on the walls

playing with the

toilet paper

squeezing the toothpaste

and doing the mischief

that we're doing

in our little room

and we feel pretty

safe and secure

because we're in

this little room

and mommy

and daddy

is off there

and many people

that's what church

is to them.

Maybe you don't get

into mischief

in church

but church

is sort of

a cozy place

and they sort of

have this sense

that God is off

with Jesus

and the Holy Spirit

doing something

somewhere

but they know

we're all in the same house

and God is out there

and we're sort of

having our cozy

little time

within the walls

and then maybe

something happens

a sickness

or a tragedy

at work

or some pressure

builds up within us

and we call out

to God

and we start

to wail to God

and call out

to him

who's on the other

side of that door

and many people

they live their entire lives

very very content

just to have God

on the other side

of that door

knowing that

when things get

very desperate

they can slip God

a note underneath

the door

they can talk to him

through the keyhole

but the scripture says

that Jesus

desires

to come in

and it pictures

us

then

as if

we are

inside of a room

the room

the room of myself

the room of my soul

the room of my body

and Jesus

is knocking

to get in

and the Christian life

really begins

when I open the door

and let Jesus

come in

I don't have to be

like a child

feeling he's locked

or she's locked

in a room

wailing for Jesus

or content

to have Jesus

out there

somewhere in the distance

that the whole

Christian life

really truly begins

when I realize

that Jesus

doesn't have to be

out there

that he wants

to be

in here

and so

I open the door

of my life

and I look at Jesus

and I in a sense

say Jesus

you've been knocking

to come in

please come in

I invite you

to come in

I give you

permission

to come in

I'd love it

if you came in

and that's when

the Christian life

really truly begins

when we ask Jesus

to come into

the door of our lives

and live within

and you see

that's why

in this text

there is this idea

of some dramatic

change

which happens

once again

listen to verse 35

I am the bread of life

he who comes to me

shall never hunger

and he who believes

in me

shall never thirst

it's telling us

that the bread of heaven

the stuff

of everlasting life

and eternal life

the basic sustenance

for that

can't just stay

outside of us

it has to get

within us

and once it gets

within us

there is a finality

and a change

that takes place

because it's no

not no longer

something that we

look at out there

it is now

something which is

within

and that by the way

is is all the thing

that's going through

of John 6

about eating

and believing

and seeing

and all of the text

is trying to say

to us

listen

Jesus is the bread

of life

get him inside

of you

and you know

whatever the imagery

that Jesus is able

to use in John

it's all an imagery

of you have to

get him

inside

now how does

the inside

part

come in this text

listen again

to the verse

it goes like this

I am the bread

of life

he who comes

to me

shall never

hunger

and he who

believes in me

shall never

thirst

now notice

that there is

coming to Jesus

and believing

in Jesus

and that these

two things

are sort of

seem to be

related

not quite

parallel

but complementary

where is it

in life

that you have

this combination

of coming

and believing

coming together

and believing

well the first

thing to understand

is that in the

New Testament

when the word

believing is used

it never is

referring to

something

of the mind

primarily

believing

isn't something

primarily of the

mind

in other words

it's not that we

have to have

certain thoughts

in our head

that we have to

assent

to certain thoughts

or certain

beliefs

or certain

ideas

or certain

phrases

it's not a matter

of knowing

things about

Jesus

that we

can assent

to

and it's

not primarily

referring to

something of

the heart

which is

emotions

because as

you know

we all

on one level

can make

emotions

come to us

we feel like

having a good

cry

or we feel

like getting

angry

and so we

can sort of

evoke anger

or a good cry

or whatever

within us

but ultimately

the things of the

heart are things

like a storm

that blows in

and blows out

that in fact

the word

believing

primarily refers

to an act

of the will

not

I mean the mind

is involved

and the heart

is involved

the heart

rejoices

the mind

descents

but it's

primarily

something

of the will

so where

is it

that we

see a picture

of coming

together

and believing

well

I've been

very blessed

on Friday night

I did a wedding

and on Saturday

afternoon

I did a wedding

on Saturday

and Nadia

and I

were here

Nadia played

the organ

I did a wedding

for a young woman

who comes to the

915 service

Emma

and in three weeks

time

if you were here

at the 915 service

I used the young woman

sitting right there

who was helping

with the overhead

projector

Kendra

many of you

might know her

she is going

to be marrying

Jeremy

right up here

right where I'm

pointing

right there

on the 4th of November

Kendra and Jeremy

are going to get married

and if you come

to this Anglican wedding

you would see

and by the way

Kendra's invited

all of you

to come to the wedding

if you come

to the wedding

you'll see

perfectly illustrated

what Jesus refers

to as coming

to him

and believing

in him

because here's

how an Anglican

wedding works

whatever

it's at 4 o'clock

I can't remember

what time

the wedding's at

but let's say

it's at 4 o'clock

at 4 o'clock

Jeremy

and his best man

and his groomsman

will be behind

that door

out of sight

and Kendra

with her dad

and her mom

and with her bridesmaids

will be behind

that door

out of sight

and when everything

is completely

ready to go

I think this is

how they're doing it

the bride's mother

will be escorted

to her seat

the final one

seated

and then I will

come out of that door

with Jeremy

and the other men

and Jeremy

and the men

will stand

at the front

of the church

facing the front

back to the door

and I will stand

on that steps

and I will say

ladies and gentlemen

please rise

and greet the bride

and at that point

in time

the music begins

the congregation

turns

Jeremy

and the men

turn to face

the back

and the bridesmaids

start to come

into the church

and eventually

Kendra will come

into the church

and Kendra

and James

will come together

and meet

right there

and then after

I give some

housekeeping instructions

and after we

describe what

the purpose

of marriage is

and after we

have scripture

read

and after I

talk a few minutes

about what

Christian marriage is

and what the

scriptures have said

then I will say

to Jeremy

Jeremy do you

intend to be

Kendra's husband

forever

and he'll say

I will

and then I'll say

to Kendra

do you intend

to be Jeremy's

wife forever

and she'll say

I will

and then I'll

have Kendra

hand off her

bouquet

to the bridesmaid

and James

I mean Jeremy

will turn to face

Kendra

and Kendra

will turn to face

Jeremy

and they have

nothing in their

hands

and I instruct

Jeremy to have

his hands like

this down

because it's the

posture of taking

and Kendra

will put her

hands

in Jeremy's

hands

and Jeremy

will say

I Jeremy

take you

Kendra

to be

my wife

to have

and to hold

from this

day forward

for richer

for poorer

for better

or worse

sickness

and health

this is my

solemn vow

and then I'll say

that's very lovely

and I'll have

Kendra and Jeremy

momentarily break

their hands

and then Kendra

will have her

hands down

like this

open

in a position

of taking

and Jeremy

will put his

hands in hers

and then Kendra

will say

I Kendra

take you

Jeremy

to be my

husband

to have

and hold

from this

day forward

for better

for worse

for richer

for poorer

on and on

and on

this is my

solemn vow

they have

come together

and they

have believed

an act

of the will

the will

is used

to take

the other

person

to allow

the other

person

to come

into their

lives

to pledge

themselves

to that

other person

in an

Anglican

wedding

ceremony

you see

between Kendra

and Jeremy

what Jesus

desires

between you

and me

he is

the bread

of life

that has

come from

heaven

he is the

one who

is the

very sustenance

that we

need

to have

the life

to come

eternal

life

everlasting

life

he is

the very

very

sustenance

which we

need

and it's

no good

if we

just look

at him

we need

to have

him

inside

of us

we need

to have

a way

to have

him

come

inside

and how

do we

do

Jesus

says

if you

come to

me

and if

you

believe

and we

can just

think of

Kendra

and Jeremy

of the

coming

together

of the

opening

of the

hands

and of

saying

I give

myself

to you

Jesus

and Jesus

says to

us

I give

myself

to you

for better

for worse

for richer

for poor

in sickness

and health

forever

and ever

and ever

and that's

how the

Christian

life

begins

so some

of you

maybe are

wondering

how does

this

believing

stuff

work

and it's

not a matter

of trying

to screw

up a

particular

type of

emotion

in your

life

it's not

a matter

of trying

to believe

certain

things

in your

life

in a

sense

what I'm

telling

today

is this

if you

haven't

done

this

yet

picture

yourself

at the

front

of the

church

and picture

yourself

looking to

Jesus

and saying

Jesus

you are

the bread

of life

you are

the sustenance

of heaven

you are

what I

need

to have

eternal

life in

me

and picture

looking at

Jesus

with your

hands open

and saying

Jesus

I take

you

and then

picture

Jesus

putting

his hands

out

and you

putting

your hands

in him

and saying

and Jesus

says to

you

I take

you

and that's

how the

Christian

life begins

let's bow

our heads

in prayer