The Message of the Loaves Week Four: Faith Seeking Understanding

Unedited Transcript Follows:

In the name of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy. Oh man. Well today, so, 12 years ago today, I was ordained, a priest. So uh, people were crazy enough. To lay hands on me and make me a priest in the Holy Catholic and Apostolic church. Which Uh, when you think about the audacity of that, Uh, it's a, it's a little insane.

Uh, that that the that the Lord um, Paul's ministers. To minister the gospel when he is perfectly capable of doing it himself. Uh, he he doesn't need our help. Um, he's not like man. If I just had some more people that could lift that, like I it'd be easier to move that.

Like that's not how God is. He can move heavy things without our help. He can he can do all the work that we do without our help. So it's a beautiful thing that but one of the things that we hear, And and in a few months, we'll be hearing it with Deacon Andy.

Um, as we hear the exhortation, Um, and the exhortation That is, um, offered to a priest before he's ordained. Uh, is enough to talk anyone out of it, really? But uh, but one of the things that is said, is these are the sheep of Christ. And they are purchased with his own blood.

It is a great do not underestimate the gravity of. If one of these sheep were to walk away because of your negligence or the Grievous judgment, that will result So this is what's told, if one of them walk away because of your negligence, um, that uh, that God's gonna hold you accountable because he purchased them with the blood of his son.

So it's a weighty thing to hear. Um and I I think reflecting always every time I go to ordination, I always reflect on those words, it's always really interesting too because When they put the chasable, Or it might be the stole on on the priest. They'll say remember Jesus said, my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

I was like, were you here for what? We were just saying, you know, because I who doesn't feel that light, I'm not feeling light right now at all, right? And so, I can relate with the disciple I think, as I was just reflecting this morning, I was relating on the disciples saying to Jesus, man, this is all this is a hard saying And this is where they started like we're coming to the end of the bread of life discourse.

We've just walked through a whole lot and the disciples open open up by This is a hard sale. Um, this is the language that they choose for what Jesus has just been saying. This is a hard saying A new character is introduced here in verse 60. So in the, in the narrative, Um, the better life discourse Begins by addressing the people.

So it's addressing the people. And then there's a section where it starts. There's a spar between Jesus and the Jews, right? So, um, the Jews, there are to be associated with like it's not like, just like Jewish people. Jesus is Jewish all his disciples are Jewish all the like so everyone there is the Jews in that sense but when it when Narrative is talking about the Jews.

They're talking about Jerusalem leadership, Jerusalem, religious leadership and often a sparring partner with Jesus, right? And then we now we have this new character introduced. And it's his disciples. His disciples. These are his followers. They're not the kind of indifferent people. They're not the combat combat Partners in, like, in debate.

They're his people. There are people who have said, I will follow Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus. There there are those people that have said that, right? Um, Yeah, it was, it was powerful for me to sing those words when the cross was processing forward. The World by me the crossed before me, you know, and These are the people that have said I've decided to follow Jesus.

Right, they're his disciples. The circle's getting smaller and smaller by the end of what we read today, he's going to be addressing the 12 in particular. So he's talking about a larger group of his disciples before that, and now he's turning to the 12 by the end and no matter how small the circle gets, there are some who lack faithfulness or loyalty to him.

Is what we're finding. Um, this cut off two verses early where he spent more time discussing Judas, but Judas is even mentioned in the part we read and so even within the 12th, there's going to be people that are lacking faithfulness and loyalty to him and that's kind of the theme.

So now we're turning to people who have said, their followers of Jesus. And we're still seeing that many of them aren't showing loyalty. So, the text says, this is a hard saying, Who's able to listen to it, right? I think it's worth reflecting on what this is referring to.

What do they mean? When they say this is a hard saying The nearest context. Is that Jesus has just said, You have to eat my flesh and drink my blood, or you have no wife in you. So, that's the near like, that's what he's just now. Said, that was kind of a big deal, right?

That, uh, that he's just said to us. Like, that's when the story got kind of weird, like you're following the guy. And about the time when he says, you have to eat my flesh and drink. My blood is maybe about the time that you're like, okay, maybe different guy to follow, right?

And a lot of them did that, that was about the time. They're like, all right. That's that just got weird. That was a turn. I didn't expect right. And so that's like the nearest context is. He's just said that. Right. Uh, Saint Augustine said, but the people did not perceive That what he had said had a deeper meaning or that Grace went along with it, rather receiving the matter, in their own way and taking his words in a human sense, they understood him as if he spoke of cutting of the Flesh of the word into pieces for distribution, to those who believed on him.

So Saint Augustine is pointing out. Yeah, there's probably some people who definitely misunderstood him here. I think there's more at play though. I mean, that's definitely the nearest context, but there's more at play. There's an entirety of a message here. He's given a sermon, right? And it said he's had many things, he said that are maybe hard, we've been covering the sermon for four weeks, so maybe that makes it feel deceptive or make it feel longer, but it takes probably five to seven minutes to read John 6 in its entirety.

So it's not like so you could just read it in one sitting and it wouldn't

Your bring your uh bring your Bible to the bathroom and you could read the run of life discourse you know so like so it's it's short and so probably all of the sermon is in view here. So remember all that Jesus has said, stop laboring for food that perishes Right, even though you can't live very long, Yeah, if you don't receive that food that bears is right.

You can't live very long. He says, I am the true food. I came down from heaven. Right? He said that and they're like, don't we know his parents, remember that? So I came down from heaven to give people life that endures and receiving that bread, the flat, my body has something to do with eating, my flesh, and drinking my blood, the entire thing.

Is a hard saying, It's hard to come to grips with our absolute neediness, our contingency, like we've been talking about, it's hard to hear that our Rebellion against God. The God who made us was a rebellion against the only one who's capable of giving us life. It's hard to hear a teacher make himself, the content of the message.

And seem to be the only one in the area who's excluded from this whole contingency and morale and mortality thing, right? It's hard to hear that part of participation in this life involves eating his flesh and drinking his blood. So among even among his disciples, the people who have said, I have decided to follow Jesus.

No, turning back, right? The word we hear is. This is a hard saying, who is able to hear it? Right. And Jesus's answer might be interesting to ask. Jesus answer is that. Understanding this requires spiritual. Enlightenment. And it requires Enlightenment from the Holy. You know, in the face of this criticism that's coming from his followers, it's pretty surprising and astounding, to me to reflect on Jesus response.

He doesn't revise or soften up the message at all. It's not what he does. In fact, he answered up amps it up, right? He says, you think this is hard. You think what you just heard? It's hard. What about when you see the son of man ascending to where he was before?

That's when it's really going to get hard, right? Like when you when you see me like fly up into the air and get hidden by the clouds, that'll be hard. This is nothing compared to that. So he even amps it up. He doesn't revise or soften anything that he said in the slightest, He tells them that the way forward.

Is spiritual enlightenment. Verse 63 tells us, the spirit gives life. And the flesh is no help at all. Right. This isn't pitting when he says the spear gives life and the flesh is no up at all. It's not pitting invisible versus the visible, okay, so sometimes we are A tendency to see those words that way when we hear like oh it's a spirit, not the flesh.

We think like oh it's the invisible stuff, not the stuff, it's of Flesh and blood. Some people want to see this as softening. What Jesus has just said about gnawing his flesh and drinking his blood right and say, oh no, he's really taught. He tells us here, it's really about whatever's happening invisibly or spiritually but that's not that's not what he's doing or else.

He wouldn't have chosen to say gnaw On My Flesh and drink my blood right? So so he's he's telling them something else. He's saying like you need spiritual enlightenment. About the need for the Holy Spirit to provide insight into spiritually grasp realities, so Saint Augustine again. I'm quoting him a lot today but says he is talking there about flesh that is alone by itself.

Let Spirit be added to flesh and it profits very much. For a flesh. Profited nothing. The word would not have become flesh to dwell Among Us. So he says, I so he's saying like, it's not like He's not saying flesh doesn't matter at all or else the word wouldn't have bothered taking on human flesh.

What he's saying is Add to the flesh, add to the stuff, we see spiritual enlightenment and then it's profiting flesh. By itself is worthless. This is very it's it's almost like Saint Paul followed Jesus. When he talks about The fruit of the spirit versus the way of the flesh, right?

So it's it's very similar language. Jesus is using here. So, to perceive that, the man Jesus is the Eternal Son of God In the Flesh. We need the holy spirit's guidance in Revelation, to perceive that we receive the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist. We need spiritual understanding given by the Holy As a preacher, Jesus example is instructive.

I preach a lot of sermons. Right. And I might revise my teaching in the face of criticism and sometimes there's a good reason because I'm wrong a lot you know like like I'm wrong a lot. Jesus wasn't though and He doesn't like revise in the face of criticism. He he he doesn't soften his message.

He doesn't soften the blow. And I think it's important to recognize that as preachers of the word, as people are just telling your friends about Jesus criticism, and misunderstanding is not a clear sign that the truth hasn't been spoken. Okay. Like criticism and misunderstanding people being mad at you Um is not a sign that you haven't spoken the truth necessarily.

It could be so we should be humble and reflective and all that but it's not a sign that the truth hasn't been spoken

So Saint Jerome says, Isaiah goes naked, without blushing as a type of the Captivity to come Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the Euphrates and leaves his girdle to be marred in the, Chaldean Camp among the Assyrians hostile to the people. Ezekiel is told to eat bread made of mingled seeds.

And sprinkled with the dung of people in cattle, To see his wife die without shedding a tear. Amos is driven from Samaria. Why is he driven from it? Surely in this case as in others, because he was a spiritual surgeon who cut away the parts diseased by sin and urged people to repentance the Apostle Paul says, have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth, the Savior himself found it.

No different. Many of the disciples left him because his sayings seemed hard People leave, because There are things about the gospel that are hard and in our culture today, just like in every culture forever. We'll run into various things that are hard sayings. And that people will leave because the sayings are hard.

And every age has it. So it's not like we're not like further from God today than we were in other ages. Every age has their things, that are things that will cause people to walk away. And say this is a hard saying who can hear it Right. So, we're saying Jesus sermon was the whole sermon was a difficult saying.

Saint, Jerome tells us all the truth is a difficult saying. So, what's this mean, for those who would want to follow Jesus Faithfully? What's the way forward? Toward following Jesus in this situation. In a situation where the truth is maybe hard to hear. The way forward. That we see here is Faith seeking understanding.

It's faith that seeks understanding Jesus turns to the smallest Circle in his sermon here, right? When people start walking away, he turns to the twelve. And he gives them a choice. Do you want to go away?

He hasn't answered their questions for them. He hasn't cleared up the problem.

And yet he turns and asks them do you want to go? You can go. If you want to, He hasn't kicked them out, he doesn't cast them away from him. But he also doesn't hold him there against their will. He says do you want to go? You can go.

And Peter's answer is incredible. It's just incredible. He comes. What's he say to Jesus? He says, where else are we gonna go? Like, where, where else do we got to go? I mean, we're stuck with you, you're the only one with the with life to give you're the only one that can give eternal life away.

You're the guy. I have nowhere else to go. And Peter talks about two things, he talks about belief and knowledge. Right. He says, I I've come to believe and no. That you are the Holy One of God, right? Peter remember? Nothing has been cleared up for him. He's just heard, Jesus say you're going to have to eat my flesh and drink my blood.

But he true, he he believes Jesus. He believes Jesus, he's loyal and faithful to Jesus even without understanding. What he could have meant by that. He also knows Jesus and he knows that Jesus is leading him into fulfillment of the law. He knows that Jesus is leading him into faithfulness.

He knows that Jesus is leading him in the right way that connects him to the god of his fathers. And he know. So he knows that he might not get it, but he know he knows because he knows Jesus that they're not actually going to eat his by, cut him up and hand him out and and eat him like cannibals.

Like he knows that because he knows Jesus. Cleared it up for him, not because Jesus has answered all his questions, but because he knows Jesus, Any trusts Jesus. And so, he remains loyal to Jesus even without The book being opened. Right.

And what we're seeing here is a laying out of what Christian epistemology looks like. That's that study of how do I know what I know, right. Even before gaining full understanding. Peter's displaying Covenant, loyalty and faithfulness. And that can be done outside of full understanding. So, this is the last time I'm quoting Saint Augustine.

I think, uh, he said Saint Augustine says for we believed in order to know, Had we wanted first to know and then to believe we could never have been able to believe. If we wanted, all the question answered before, we could believe We had never been able to believe.

There's a great myth in the enlightenment that we all have this like common sense that's actually you guys probably use that language with each other. Um we like that comes from philosophers talking to each other Common Sense. Realism people might say oh this is just common sense, right? And we're even using language that says like hey there's this like sense that's like everyone is rational and everyone has like if they can just be objective and look at the facts they can put to the puzzle together, right?

That even comes across in how we're taught um to study the scriptures sometime the scriptures is just like data and we just get the data out and if we just like All our emotions and turn off all our presuppositions, then we can just look at the data and let it lead us.

Right. This is like, this is the myth of the Enlightenment. You know. Christianity doesn't agree with any piece of that story. We believe that we are contingent. We believe that we are Fallen. And we believe that when we fell even our knower got broken like the way that whatever that thing is that we used to know things the knower.

I like to call it that knower. It's a broken. You got a broken knower. I got a broken knower all of us do, right? And so like even our knower got broken that thing that tool that we used to know stuff is jacked up. And the only way forward, Is trust in Jesus is coming to know Jesus.

Coming to know that he he is trustworthy coming to find him trustworthy rationalism as a system. Says, prove it to me, and I will believe it. Christianity says believe, and then come to Fuller understanding. Now, this isn't a turning off of our brains, as if like reasoning is bad, Peter had some obvious Experience with Jesus.

So that that led him to believe what he believed about him, right? It wasn't like, he like turned off his brain. It doesn't matter what's going on and I'm just like, like he'd seen Jesus. Do kind of a lot of really cool stuff like make a bunch of wine.

Uh, feed 5 000 people with a couple lows and some fish like he'd see. Like he'd come to know by experience who Jesus was so it's not like a complete turning off of our brain, but it is an understanding that our knowledge is helplessly limited and marred by the Fall and without submission Intellect.

To the testimony of Apostles and the prophets. We cannot follow Jesus. Peter didn't wait till Jesus. Cleared up what he meant by eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Based on what he already knew. He trusted that Jesus was leading him in the right direction, the way toward eternal life.

So we come to the end of the bread of life discourse here. It's my favorite sermon. It's my favorite sermon that Jesus gave. He gave several of them and it's my favorite. He starts by exhorting us. Hey, don't labor for food that perishes right? It just leaves us hungry again, but seek the food that leads to eternal life.

He tells us that food that that food that we should be seeking, is his flesh and he's going to give it for the sake of the world that we may feed on him and live forever. We participate in that food which endures to endure. Eternal life by faith in Jesus, by putting our trust in Christ.

Trust in Christ, and we follow him. We participate in that food as faithful people, loyal to Jesus. He gives us his very body and blood in the Eucharist. He, he gives that to us as a gift which is the medicine of immortality. The food that endures to eternal life according to Saint Ignatius of Antioch?

Following Jesus requires us being willing. To take a leap though. And say. I've come to believe and know what I can I recognize that I'm not going to have everything lined up, all my ducks in a row that that's not even possible in this life. And being willing to submit.

And follow Jesus. The one who we know can give life. Let us follow Jesus, and let us eat the bread that came from Heaven, to give life to the world. Amen.