For the Life of the World

Jesus said, “And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:51b ESV) With this invitation, Jesus calls us to abide in Him. Today at International Lutheran Church we conclude our threefold examination of the feeding of the 5,000 with this hard saying from John’s gospel. Jesus is the “bread from heaven.” He is the “living bread” that gives life to all. This “bread” that we are invited to “eat” is His flesh! We have been reflecting with the Apostle John on the theological meaning of the feeding of the 5,000 that we read about in Mark 6:30-44 several weeks ago. Today Jesus tells us plainly that His life - His flesh - is real food that calls us to receive all of Him.

Every day is filled with many choices. Some of these choices might be something simple or natural, like what we will wear or what we will eat for that day. Our decision might be based on what we feel like eating or wearing or the kind of statement we want to make to others. Our own preference or taste in clothes or food may have a lot to do with our decision and the outcome. Sometimes, though, we are faced with the need to make decisions that have a lasting impact on our own life or on the lives of others. Unlike the so called “trivial,” or day-to-day choices, these choices have a lasting and sometimes unchangeable result. Most of these decisions we try to base on something a little more substantial than just our feelings or preferences in the moment. Seeking the advice or counsel of a trusted family member, friend or professional might be a part of the equation. And while fear of choosing the wrong path may make us unable to decide, doing nothing is still making a choice.

In our Old Testament lesson today, we read how Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-8) was at a critical crossroads in his life and ministry. Jezebel was out to do to him what he had done to the prophets of Baal. And so Elijah ran to the desert to seek the face of God. Yet the journey he was on was too difficult for him and so in order to care for His prophet God sent an angel to feed him and give him drink that would sustain him the full 40 days of his journey – just as God had fed the children of Israel and provided for them what they needed to reach the promised land during their 40-year journey.

The gospel lesson from John 6 fleshes out the situation of 1 Kings 19 and sets before the disciples and us the ultimate provision to prepare us for what is next. These words are a literal turning point in the gospel of John and the ministry of Jesus. In response to the people’s clamoring for food, for bread from heaven, Jesus sets before the people the “bread of heaven” come down in His person. Jesus is the real food, the only “living bread” that can give life – eternal life. But this life is the very flesh and blood of Jesus. He gives to us Himself to satisfy our hunger, our thirst, our every need. The decision though is not for you and me, but for God alone in Christ. He has chosen to give His life and draw us to Himself. His Body on the tree, His Blood from the cross was His choice to give for the life of the world, that you and I would live in Him. This crossroads is a person, not a location. It is Jesus. His consumption, His dying, gives us the strength we need. Eating His flesh brings us the forgiveness of our sins, life, and salvation. He is the food that gives us strength for the journey ahead. Jesus puts into our mouths His “flesh” so that we can experience His decision to forgive our sins in a personal way. Jesus floods us in baptism so that we can know His commitment to us personally. In His Word, He speaks hope, forgiveness, and strength into our weary and exhausted bodies, so that we can serve Him all our days even as He has risen from the dead and lives and reigns eternally!

This Living Bread is real for you and me. He feeds us His own self so that we can make the most of every opportunity to serve our neighbor in love. Jesus’ flesh is food, real food for the life of the world. His decision brings life into our lives each day. Every day is filled with many choices, but in Jesus we see how God chose us in giving us His very self that we would know Him and share Him with the world.

Pastor Carl