Loving God, you offer to us and give to us spirit and life, yet sometimes we cannot see and do not want it. Help us this day to see you as you really are and to know the love that you give to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jesus' disciples had witnessed some great signs. They had seen Jesus feed five thousand people with just five loaves and two fish (Jn. 6:1-14). They had seen Jesus walk on water while they themselves were in the boat (Jn. 6:16-21). They had seen the signs, but they couldn't stand what Jesus was saying.

It seems that two things in particular gave them difficulty - and even offended them. The first was when Jesus said that he is "the bread that came down from heaven" (Jn. 6:41). What? He came down from heaven? No he didn't! He's Joseph and Mary's boy. We watched him grow up. This isn't anybody who came down from heaven! Blinders....

The second really offensive thing was when Jesus started talking about his flesh as food and his blood as drink (Jn. 6:55). They couldn't grasp that Jesus was speaking in spiritual terms. He was speaking about a higher order of reality, and using the symbol of food and drink to demonstrate how he needs to live within those who would follow him. Jesus is speaking in spiritual terms, but the disciples insist on taking him literally! And so, they are offended. Blinders....

We are told in today's gospel that many of the disciples turned back from following Jesus (Jn. 6:66). The words that he had spoken to them are spirit and life, but they wanted no part of it (Jn. 6:63). Jesus himself - God's living Word - is spirit and life, but they do not see it and they do not want to see. And so the twelve remain with Jesus, while many of his other disciples go away.

Would we have been among them? Would we have been offended by Jesus and have said, "We don't want spirit and life!"? Do we, even today, accept Jesus' words which are spirit and life?

If the truth be told, there are probably any number of things which were taught by Jesus that give us trouble. How about, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you? How about forgiving those who have wronged you? How about denying yourself and taking up your cross and following Jesus? How about selling all that you have and giving it to the poor? How about turning the other cheek? How about the new commandment: "Love one another as I have loved you" (Jn. 15:12)?

We must have difficulty with these things, for how often do we actually see them being practised? And - even more disturbing - how often do we actually see them being practised among church members? How serious are we, anyways, about Jesus' words which are spirit and life? Do we assume that it just can't be done? Do we assume that Jesus was referring to some other person? Or, do we just not want to give up our way of thinking with which we are so comfortable?

You see, this is the danger in truly accepting Jesus and his teaching: we might have to change the way we think! Take, for example, selling all that we have and giving it to the poor. Most of us are so attached to our possessions that we could never conceive of doing this. Yet, think about how much energy we put into keeping and looking after our possessions. Think about how much anxiety we experience over the possibility of losing what we have. Think about how we have given away our power and our happiness to those things which we just have to have!

Anthony de Mello tells the story of a wandering mendicant (called a senyasi) in India. A man sets out on a journey one day and meets this senyasi - this wandering mendicant. The man is overjoyed and tells the senyasi, "Senyasi, it is just as I saw it in my dream. I dreamt that I would start out on a journey today and would meet you here. And I dreamt that you would give me a precious stone. Do you have a precious stone for me, senyasi?" The senyasi opens up his pouch and produces what looks to be the world's largest diamond. "Is this the stone that you mean?" he asks the man. "Oh yes, senyasi. Can I have it?" "Of course," says the senyasi. "I just found it in the forest." The man is overjoyed and takes the diamond with him and continues on his journey. However, a few hours later he returns to find the senyasi sitting under a tree. "Senyasi," he says, "I've thought about it, and you can keep the diamond. I want you to give me whatever it is that allows you to give this diamond away so easily."

Isn't that the real treasure? Please give me whatever allows you to give this diamond away so easily. The senyasi has found true freedom. He is not bound by the things of this world. He has found spirit and life. Do we freely use and give away the things that we have been given? Or, are we possessed by our possessions? If we can conceive of actually doing as Jesus says, then we are very close to being set free. We are no longer attached to the things of this world that will not last. Instead, we are free to live in God's love and to accept the words that are spirit and life.

Consider in the same way Jesus' command to forgive those who have wronged us. There is freedom in forgiveness, but quite often we do not want to see it. Let's say that you have wronged me in some way. You have hurt me and I am angry with you. If I hang on to that anger and refuse to forgive you, look at what I am doing to myself. I am filling myself with tension. I am raising my blood pressure with my anger. All I can think about is how I have been wronged. I have no peace because you have wronged me and you need to be punished.

Do you see what I am doing? You have wronged me, and so I am going to punish myself and raise my anxiety level and rob myself of health and peace. Does that make any sense? Forgiving others sets ourselves free, but do we want to see it? Praying for those who persecute us sets us free, but do we want to see that? Loving our enemies sets us free - but oh - that seems too much to ask!

The apostle Paul writes to the Philippians about how he has learned to be content in all circumstances. He also writes about rejoicing at all times and then gives his secret: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). Our gospel, too, speaks of Jesus abiding in us and us in him.

The thing is that when we truly abide in Jesus - when his life becomes our own and his Spirit lives within us - we begin to see things from his perspective, and to know what is truly important and what things we just have to let go. Peter - in a moment of clarity - saw this. Jesus asked if he, too, wanted to go away with the other disciples. But Peter says, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God" (Jn. 6:68-69).

In this moment, Peter recognizes the one who is standing before him. He is Jesus - the Holy One of God - the one who has the words of eternal life. He is the one who even today is the Living One - crucified and yet raised from the dead. He still stands before us today, asking us if we, too, would like to go away.

We always have a choice, for Jesus does not force anybody to follow him. He simply stands and calls us. He says, This is how much I love you. This is how you can have life. This is how you can be set free. Those who have ears to hear, let them hear, and let them come and enter into life. Amen.

Proper 16(B) John 6:56-69
August 27, 2006
St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore
? 2006 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved