A Full Life is in the Details
John 6:1-15
March 10, 2024 anno Domini
When Jesus was tempted by Satan to make bread out of stones Jesus replied with Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” When Jesus said that He hadn’t eaten for 40 days. That’s what makes the feeding of the 5000 so sad. They were only going to miss one meal, but they preferred bread in their stomachs over God’s Word in their ears. By the end of John 6 most of these folks with full bellies walked away from Jesus. Saint John, who was there, lugging his own basket of leftovers, records that everyone “ate their fill … as much as they wanted.” He could have added “and that’s all they wanted.”
The crowd followed Jesus because they were empty. They saw the signs He was doing on the sick. They brought the mute, the deaf, the lame, and the blind. Empty mouths that could not speak and empty ears that could not hear. Empty legs that could not walk, and empty eyes that could not see. We’re in that crowd too aren’t we? Your body is emptying out, until finally the breath of life goes out of you. Because we fail to keep God’s Word our bodies fail us. Man cannot live by bread alone. All that you think will give you the full life will prove to be empty.
But like that crowd, if you hear of anything that helps, you’ll go there. You’ll see the specialist, buy the supplement, eat that vitamin, try that home remedy, buy the copper bracelet. They didn’t have Walgreens, CVS, or Centacare by the Sea of Galilee. So when Jesus of Nazareth arrived on the scene they went where He was, because where He was the blind saw, the lame walked, the deaf spoke, the dead were raised. The crowds followed the signs. This Jesus guy will fill you up with health and life. He’ll make you whole.
What makes you full? With what are you satisfied? Have you ever had as much as you wanted? Did it last? Now you know why the crowd was following Jesus. He will fill your empty life. That truth is in the details of this story as the John recorded it.
Detail #1: Jesus went up on a mountain. Whenever God is on a mountain get ready for a big sign. Abraham offered up Isaac on a mountain showing us what God would do for us with His own Son. God married Israel on Mount Sinai through Moses showing us what God would do in our baptisms – He would marry us to Christ and our bridegroom would give us the Kingdom. God burned up the sacrifice of Elijah and obliterated the false prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, showing us what He would do at the cross. He would consume the sacrifice of His Son and obliterate the Devil and his demons by forgiving us.
Detail #2: Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. The Passover was the salvation event of the Old Testament. A perfect male lamb was sacrificed, and its blood spared the Israelites from death. The Egyptians were not so fortunate – every firstborn male in their homes died. Thoses deaths momentarily opened Pharoah’s ears and cracked his heart. He let Israel go. They left their slavery to live in freedom under the Lord.
But as we heard in the Old Testament they were grumbling about food before they even got to Mt. Sinai. In the wilderness God fed them bread from heaven. Do you think the crowd of 5000made the connection? They were in the wilderness getting fed miraculously. Did they realize Jesus was Lord? Would they be satisfied with Him or would they complain the moment they got hungry again? Are you satisfied with what God gives you in this wilderness? Or are you going to grumble because you’re bored with His gifts? Is forgiveness too ordinary and bland for you? Would you rather live in the slavery of sin, than under the grace of Christ?
Detail #3: Lifting up His eyes, then, … [He saw] that a large crowd was coming toward Him. Jesus is looking up and out at the people. Where were all the people looking? When you’re climbing up a mountain where are you looking? You’re looking right in front of you. How often isn’t that the sad state of our faith? We’re looking right in front of us. We’re worried and anxious about the next step. Meanwhile Jesus is enthroned on high and sees everything, but especially us – the crowed of empty people. He sees the politicians scheming and the media lying, and the people hating and divided. He sees our empty lives and He is ruling all the earth for one purpose – that you might be that Jesus is the Christ, that believing you may life in His name. Full life, eternal life.
The fourth detail is something that is often missed in this sign. Jesus didn’t need to feed these people. The other Gospel writers tell us that they were close to villages where they could buy their own food. It sounds like there was a Coborns, Aldi, and Kwik Trip right down the highway at the first exit. The disciples asked Jesus to send the crowd away. That’s what’s behind Philip’s answer. They could have bought food if they had the money, but they were on their vicarage and weren’t paid much. Jesus could have multiplied the coins in Judas’ money bag to buy food. Instead He hosts the meal Himself as a sign – to show that He is the Creator of the world and He is the gracious Savior who fills empty sinners with His gifts.
Once everyone was seated Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them. Now, I know we’re deep into the sermon and you might have started daydreaming, but what does that detail call to your mind? He took the bread, gave thanks, and gave it to them. That’s Lord’s Supper language. Now this wasn’t the Lord’s Supper, but it sounds like Jesus had it mind when He served the crowd and John had it in mind when the Holy Spirit gave him these words. If that detail didn’t remind you of the Lord’s Supper listen to what Jesus says later in the chapter, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
What does the feeding of the 5000 tell us? The Lord’s Supper is a feast. It’s more than you deserve. Jesus did not have to give His life on the cross. He chose to do that for you. He did not need to give you His body to eat and blood to drink, but He did that you might have another sign like your baptism that you are His and His death and resurrection are yours. In a few weeks we’ll have such a feast on Easter.
Most Sundays, however, the Lord’s Supper is simply our daily bread. It’s our manna in the wilderness. It’s the food of daily life for the Christian. A little wafer and a little sip of wine, plain and simple. But that’s okay too. Not every meal at your house is a feast serve on the good China with crystal goblets. Sometimes you just eat whatever’s in the fridge – leftovers from the day before. It still feeds you. It still give you life. That’s what the disciples got out of the feast – 12 baskets of leftovers for the 12 apostles – leftovers for the church.
The oddest detail of this sign was that in the end it didn’t work. For a moment the people wanted Jesus as their bread king, but by the end of John 6 most of the disciples left Him. After they were fed and followed Him He told them His flesh is the only true food and His blood is the only true drink, They wanted bread and fish, not death and resurrection. They wanted full bellies instead of full souls. Jesus told the truth to the Devil and to this crowd – man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. And every Word is tied to the Word – the Word made flesh, the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth. He’s your food and your feast for life. In the name of Jesus. Amen.