February 26 - John 6 - "Consumer Christianity"

MPC 26th February 2017.

Phil Campbell

It might not have even occurred to you; but I wonder if you're just at the back of your mind following Jesus for what you can get? For the promise of the here and now benefits.

Maybe for the friendships you can have here at church. Maybe for the networking. The contacts that are good for your business. Maybe kind of like a spiritual insurance policy.

Maybe you've heard on early morning TV that if you have enough faith, and most especially if you give enough. God guarantees to turn your generosity into a harvest of prosperity. And everything's going to go well for you. And you'll prosper.

It's called the prosperity gospel; and it's been sweeping the world. Places like Tanzania.

Unscrupulous preachers who are taking advantage of the poorest of the poor. With the promise of prosperity that will come when they give the last of their money to the preacher.

Who promises that their wives won't miscarry and their pigs will get fatter and their scratchy crops will grow stronger. If they follow Jesus and have enough faith.

I guess closer to home it's not so much the basics of the pig farm and the coat most of us are worried about. The marks of prosperity we're after are things like the size of the house; and the quality of the school and the number of digits in the cost of the car. It's the job title at work; and the number of Michelin stars on our favourite restaurant. Whatever you're chasing, you can go to churches and sign up for conferences, you can watch speakers online: who make exactly the same promises. Of the all -you-can-eat life buffet. Right here. Right now. By signing up with Jesus.

LOAVES AND FISH

Which is pretty much what the crowd's keen about when they see the incredible events here in John chapter 6. It's another dramatic sign from Jesus. As he feeds A crowd of more than 5000 people. From a lunch box with nothing in it but five loaves of bread. And two small fish.

The point to keep in mind before we start though is that the signs Jesus is doing, they're actually meant to point beyond themselves. Like all signs do. As a testimony, we saw last week, to who Jesus actually is. And what he's come for. They're to be understood, and weighed up. As you come to your own verdict on Jesus.

FEEDING A CROWD

At the start of John 6 Jesus has just crossed by boat to the east side of the sea of Galilee with his closest disciples. Taking a break.

But just as they're settling on the side of the hill, they look down, and round the edge of the lake

There's a crowd coming. On foot around the shoreline. The crowd Jesus is specifically trying to get away from.

Everywhere he goes, they're dogging him. Following him, you'll see in verse 2, because they've seen the signs he's performed on the sick. Healing kids who are almost dead. Saying rise up and go home to a guy who's been lying on his mat 38 years.

Jesus and the 12 move further up the hill. And the crowd's still coming.

But verse 4, as he sees the crowd coming, Jesus turns to Philip and asks a really odd question. Where shall we buy bread for all these people? how are we going to stretch dinner? Actually, one of my aunts could always do that. No matter what time of day or night, she could feed any sized crowd any time. Which I think had more to do with a good sized freezer and a hospitable attitude.

No freezers in the desert for Jesus. But that's not really the point. Because he's only asking, verse 6, as some kind of a test for Philip. Verse 6, John tells us, "He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do."

Now I've got a sneaking suspicion John's not just talking about what he's going to do in the next half hour or so. I reckon he's looking further. Which might start to make sense in a few more minutes. "Where would you go, Philip, to provide... for all these people. To feed them."

Philip's thinking well, there aren't even any shops. Philip says to Jesus, That's impossible. He says, "Six months wages wouldn't buy enough bread for each one to have a bite."

It's unattainable. How can you possibly provide bread... for so many people. It's too expensive. What Jesus has got in mind is actually going to cost him way more than that. But let's take it one step at a time.

Verse 8, Andrew calls out, hey there's some food over here. He must be joking.

Verse 9. "Here's a kid with a lunch box. Five barley rolls and a couple of fish; but how far are they going to go among so many?" It's impossible. To feed this many people. With what we've got.

But we're about to see the sign. Verse 10. "Make them sit down." Which is quite a job with only 12 ushers and a crowd of 5000 men and the women and children as well up the back.

There's grass. They sit down.

Jesus takes the barley loaves; five of them. One boy's lunch box. And he gives thanks; and he breaks up the bread. And starts passing it round.

And somehow, keeps passing. And people keep breaking bits off and eating. And passing, and eating. And before you know it they've all eaten and had enough. Satisfied burps. Oh, man... no more thanks, I'm stuffed.

Five barley loaves and two small fish. Andrew says how far will they go among so many? And the answer is, all the way. Verse 11. John says he "distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish."

And when they're all satisfied... Jesus says, clean up. Gather the pieces left over. Let nothing be wasted. And verse 13, they gather up 12 baskets of bread scraps.

This just doesn't make mathematical sense. At all. How do five barley loaves and two fish... feed 5000 men. Plus their families. With 12 baskets left over?

I mean, the maths is easy in the first part.

Each loaf's gotta feed one thousand men and their families.

And after that fill 2.4 baskets of scraps. That's from each loaf.

It's a mind boggling sign. And the crowd... think they get it.

They think they can read the sign. And the sign's pointing backwards, and the sign says Moses.

Because look, it was Moses. At the first Passover. Who led the Israelite's out of slavery. And right at the start in verse 4, John's told us, it's Passover time. It's a clue.

And it was Moses. Who led Israel in the desert. And when the people complained they were hungry, back in Exodus 16 it was Moses who called on God when God gave them bread from heaven. The flakes they called 'manna.' That fed them in the desert. It's a great story. you should read it.

It was Moses. Who said in Deuteronomy chapter 18, one day another prophet like me will come.

THE PROPHET

And so Verse 14 - "After the people see the sign Jesus did, they starting to say, 'Surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world.'" So let's grab him and make him king. Because this guy - makes us food. Like Moses did.

Look, that's simplistic. It's not actually just free food they want. They're hungry for leadership. A leadership that's going to storm the corridors of power. And bring freedom. And prosperity. Like never before. If anyone can do it, Jesus can.

But Jesus, you'll see in verse 15, knowing they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Because he's got other plans. And they've fundamentally mis-read the sign.

We're going to skip a scene. And go straight down to verse 25. By which time Jesus has crossed over the lake. Not in the usual way by boat. And not like the crowds, by walking round the shoreline. Jesus has walked across. Which is another sign in itself.

They're puzzled by that; "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

But straight away the talk is all about the bread sign again.

And verse 26 he says this. Very truly I tell you, you're looking for me for all the wrong reasons.

I'd want to suggest verse 26 makes more sense when you realise the word saw in the original Greek means exactly the same as perceived or understood. In the same way we still say I see. When we understand.

Jesus is saying, You're looking for me not because you understood the signs I performed; but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

He says, you're not looking for me because you get it... you're not looking for me because you've read the sign and understood it. You're here because you want sandwiches. You're here because you want a guy who can give you what you want here and now. And I'm not here for that. I'm here for something longer term. Which is ultimately something bigger. Something better.

So get this. "Do not work for food that spoils," verse 27, "but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you."

The famous thing about the manna, the bread God gave the Israelites in the desert... was that it spoiled overnight. It didn't last. The Moses' food had zero shelf life. Couldn't be kept. What Jesus gives, is eternal food. Better. Far better. Than anything Moses gave.

But I wonder if we need to hear those words today in a fresh way.

I mean, what are you chasing? And how long's it going to last? What are you spending your time on? And your energy?

What percentage of your time goes on working for food that spoils? The breads just a metaphor. Because everything spoils. Your new house. How's it going to look in 250 years from now. Your promotion at work. What's it worth. In 50 years? 100 years? Everything. Is food that spoils.

We work for it and we work for it and we work for it and we've got no time for people and we've got no time for family. I read an article in the Australian yesterday that said your kids just need nine minutes of your eye contact a day. But we're too busy for that. And we've got so little time for our church family and in the end we've got so little time for Jesus. No wonder we can't get life right.

And the prosperity gospel. When life's like that. Is just so attractive. Why. It's just chasing what we're chasing. And telling us it's all okay. Why would so many Christians think that Jesus just wants to give you stuff that's so quickly perishable. He doesn't care about one way or another about the perishable Ferrari. He wants to give food that endures to eternal life.

And get this. Just like back there on the hill; he says, I'll give it. Free of charge.

They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. They're wrong. This is the ultimate free lunch. Not just a fish sandwich. But eternal life food. No cost to you. But big cost to the one who's giving it.

They say in verse 28, so what do we need to do to do the works that God requires. To have this life. And Jesus says, verse 29, it really is free...

The work of God is this. To believe in the one he has sent.

Because the sign's about more than a new Moses.

Jesus says you've read the sign and you've looked backwards. But I want you to look forwards.

Pick up in verse 32:

I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

They say, "Sir, from now on give us this bread." And Jesus spells it out again. I'm talking about... Me. He says, I'm the bread.

Which sounds weird. But when you jump down to verse 48 you'll catch a glimpse of what he means. And it sounds weirder.

He says it again in case they missed it the first time. And then goes further. Here's what the sign's about.

I am the bread of life. 49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Now that of course sounds even more off-putting. And the crowd starts dispersing, because it sounds so bizarre.

But what he's talking about is his death on the cross. The same symbolism we use every time we share the Lord's Supper.

This bread is my body. Broken for you. This cup is my blood. Shed for you. Not literally. But a metaphor. My destruction - is for your gain. My pouring out. Is for your advantage. When Jesus looks at the crowd and says to Philip where are we going to buy bread for these people to eat, and Philip says, it's way too expensive... he's right. But Jesus is going to pay the price anyway.

It's not going to happen in John's gospel for another 14 chapters. But when it does, you'll know what's going on. That like the Passover lamb; his death. Brings our life. His sacrifice once and for all. Means our judgement falls on his shoulders.

He's not offering the free gift of a Ferrari or a golden ring. He's talking about the free gift of eternal life. And to offer that, he plans to be physically consumed. He'll be the bread for our sandwich. He says, the bread from heaven I'm going to give you is me!

JUDGING JESUS

It's clear right from back in verse 41, the Jews there have already judged him. Our series is called judging Jesus. People in John's gospel who are watching Jesus first hand and making their judgement on him. "At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven.'" By verse 52 they're arguing.

By verse 60 the crowds are saying this is too hard. Who can accept it? And by verse 66... even some of his closer disciples. "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him."

Not interested... in following a king who came to be consumed. Instead of to win. Not interested. In thinking further about what he means.

And by verse 68 it's just the twelve. Do you want to leave too?

And Simon Peter says, verse 68, no way. We're staying. Who else would we go to? Where else would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe. And know. That you're the holy one of God.

That's his verdict. So where do you stand with that? In a way it's a complicated passage, isn't it. Symbols; a sign pointing two different directions.

And it sounds messy. And it kind of doesn't make sense.

And yet again, just like we saw last week, John puts it to us that the reality is, the way you judge Jesus... ultimately judges you. He's the one who says rise and people rise. Whether it's a guy who's been lying there for 38 years, or dead Lazarus coming up in chapter 10, or you and me on the last day. That's his claim. Those are the words of eternal life, v. 54:

whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. And I'll raise him up on the last day.

So are you walking away with the crowd? Or sticking around a bit longer? Look, in spite of what the disciples are saying, they still don't get it. They don't get it till later. When they've seen him crucified. And raised again. then. They get it. If you're not sure, stick around.

Though can I say if you're one of those people who's just following Jesus because of what's in it for the short term. Be careful you don't miss out on the fact that he's offering very much more.

If you've listened to prosperity preachers who'll tell you your best life is now... if you're just following Jesus in the hope of getting more of the bread that spoils... make sure you look beyond the sign before you make your judgement.

Just one more point before we finish. About where our confidence lies.

A pastor friend of mine from another denomination posted on Facebook the other day; he's at a denominational conference in Perth where they're making plans for the future. And he posted this question.

The most significant challenge facing our denomination in the next 10 years is...

And one response said this...

Having answers for the homeless, vulnerable, poor, rejected... walking the walk... as talking the talk just doesn't cut it.

Now here's the thing. We Christians. Are absolutely people called to have costly compassion. It's who we are. It's a reflex to care for people; it's a reflex to give and to share. Or it should be.

But when Peter understands what Jesus is really on about in verse 68, you'll notice he doesn't say "talking the talk doesn't cut it."

WORDS OF LIFE

He says you've got the words. Of eternal life. And we're sticking with you because of that. Which is exactly what countless Christians through the centuries have discovered for themselves. They're words that do cut it.

And countless Christians here this morning have discovered the same thing. And we shouldn't lose our confidence in those words. Because our relevance doesn't come from how many people we feed, or how many homeless we house. Though we'll do that.

The most significant issue facing our church in the next ten years, and the next 20 years and the next hundred years. Is what we're going to do with those words of eternal life from Jesus. Whether we'll keep on asking people to come to a verdict. Not for the sake of prosperity now. But for eternal life in his name.

Table of Contents

LOAVES AND FISH

FEEDING A CROWD

THE PROPHET

JUDGING JESUS

WORDS OF LIFE