Dirt Under Your Fingernails - Mark 7:1-13 - Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

 

Mark 7:1-13 NIV

7 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus ² and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. ³ (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

⁵ So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

⁶ He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
⁷ They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’

⁸ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

⁹ And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ ¹¹ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— ¹² then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. ¹³ Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

Dirt Under Your Fingernails

I worked in Maintenance, in one form or another all my life. I worked, Police and Business Radio Rephase, labor, Steel Mill Maintenance, HVAC, Maintenance Supervision, Maintenance Engineering, Contractor Supervision, Predictive and Preventive Maintenance Procedures along with Work Order Systems, and Maintenance Management. All just maintenance stuff. Dirty fingernail and dirty hand stuff. And yes, some Maintenance that required some squeaky-clean hands and uniforms. If you work in maintenance, you can expect to get dirty hands. Did I always wash these hands clean before eating? Well, I was supposed to, but often didn’t.

Wait a minute! I’m pointing to me! So, now, may I redirect your gaze to Jesus. Permit me to Point to Jesus.

The passage of scripture for this week sounds like an issue of dirty hands and dirty dishes; but it’s not all about that at all.

Man’s problems in this world and our problems in life aren’t dirty hands, so to speak. Most of my problems and the problems of this world come from a polluted heart.

This passage of Scripture has three groups of people in mind.

First there are the hostile critics of Jesus. These people are the Scribes and the Pharisees.

Scribes are Orthodox Religious Authorities of the Jewish Religion of Jesus day.

The Pharisees are zealous lay followers of the Scribes.

The Second Group, sort of implied in this passage of Scripture, are the onlooking people of the day.

Finally, the Third Group are Jesus’ disciples.

The major issue at hand here, is the tradition of the elders surrounding the washing of hands before eating food.

Here we need to see that there are commandments of God, which point out are sin and move repentance into our life, and observances or traditions, created by men, put in place to aid our relationship with God.

But what we tend to do as sinners ourselves, along with the Scribes and Pharisees of this passage is to take on religious acts that are void of God given faith. In other words, we make the things we do more important that what our faith in God would lead us to do, in love for God and in love for neighbor.

Here in this passage, we need to understand that this washing of hands was not for some sanitary reason. Rather, the washing of hands was a religious ceremony that was invented by the Scribes.

So, what, you may wonder.

When we fall into the trap of giving ceremony, procedure, even signs, we tend to stop looking at Jesus and look to ourself. I mean, stop looking at yourself and the things you think you need to do to earn God’s or Jesus’ approval, when you can look straight at Jesus for his approval.

Don’t miss the big stuff while staring at the little stuff of your own way. Stop it! Jesus is present here!

Look at Jesus miracles, gifts, life, ministry, teaching, healings and loving salvation for all the world. Why look at your own dirty fingernails, the blood-stained hands, the dirty dishes, when you can see Jesus in your presence?

The Scribes, the Pharisees, the crowd of people, the disciples, and yes, even you and I are guilty of looking inward to our own works and deeds, rather than looking and listening to Jesus. Jesus IS here!

If we create rules and regulations for ourselves and others, are we to exclude people? Or are we to be open to the people God has given to us each day, to include them in our life and the life of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

Don’t approach things in life, yes, don’t even approach Jesus, with your mind made up. Look at, and to, Jesus with open eyes, open ears and an open heart. Jesus IS here! Don’t let yourself get in the way of Jesus presence in your life.

So, back to this washing of hands. All the Jews did not wash hands as a ritual. Not all of them. This was a ceremony a ritual that not all Jews abided by, it was a made-up ritual of the Scribes. Sure, it was a good idea, but it didn’t really bring you any closer to God or God any closer to you.

Washing hands is not a substitute for God given faith. I think that maybe the ritual was meant to bring us closer to God, but did it really?

Psalm 29:2 NIV

² Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

The point is not myself and the things I do. The point is God and what God does.

Don’t get lost in your own made-up ceremonies that may cause you to miss seeing God in Jesus, right there in your face.

You can do a bunch of really nice things. You can read your Bible every day, you can give to Church, you can clothe the naked, visit the sick, feed the hungry, see the elderly. You can do all sorts of really nice things, but if you do these things thinking that they will draw you closer to God… Forget all that! You have just polluted your heart with your own good works thinking that God should now show you favor. God doesn’t owe you one thing!

I say I’m acting out of love for neighbor, but I’m really acting out of love for myself, thinking God will give me my due pay and my due stamp of approval. I say love, love, love, yet I do it all out of love for my own skin in the face of God.  I’m a hypocrite!

A hypocrite that honors God with lip and speech and action that the end result is for my own benefit. I seek MY Kingdom first. Yes! When I act this way, I’m guilty! Think about this for your own life as well. What’s your motivation behind your own good works. Really think about it. Is it more about you?

Isaiah 29:13 NIV

¹³ The Lord says:

“These people come near to me with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
    is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

Are my actions for my own skin in the presence of God, or a result of what God has done for me?

If I support the Temple, can I ignore everything else? If I give to the Church, can I ignore the needs of parents, neighbors or those God gives to me? Surely what I have given goes towards those good people as well. I mean, after all, the Church gets to pick and choose the people that they wish to give to. Maybe if we give good things to people in need, they will increase our numbers at church and give even more money so that we can pick and choose even more people to give money towards what the church feels is needed.

Maybe if my church looks good in my community, we can grow and bring more and more honor and prestige to our congregation. Maybe we can be the number one church in our community!

What? What matters most?

And… Jesus speaks of Corban. Well, what’s that!

Corban is money dedicated under oath to God. Corban is money paid now or even promised after death. It was a way to avoid helping parents in need, in this case, because the son had already given or pledged the money to God.

Corban is a religious practice where children, mainly the son, could offer money to the Temple that would free them from using the money to care for their parents. It’s sort of like saying, well, I gave my money to the church, so I don’t have any money to help my old mom or dad. I mean, really, mom, that money went to a good cause after all. So, God let’s me off the hook for caring for mom or dad.

Like I said above, I’m off the hook of caring cause I gave to the church.

Does this void your commitment to mom or dad? Does this allow you to turn away from that homeless person right in your face on the side of the road? Does this give you a free pass to turn down the hungry or clothe the naked, or visit this sick, or see someone in prison, or to help the addicted?

Where is your heart of love, if you turn from mom or dad or neighbor in need?

Have I let myself be more concerned with religious rules, that I fail to love another?

Where is kindliness, mercy, tolerance, love and concern for people?

What takes priority?

Does my rites or God or neighbor take priority?

Are my little procedures, and rites my excuse to avoid loving God and neighbor?

NO!

Religion should mix in and through my life in this place and in this time and into eternity.

Religion and my practices are not a substitute for love of God and neighbor.

God’s WORD, this Jesus in the flesh, right in my face, takes priority.

External religious action is empty if they lack faith and love that God freely gives to each and every one of us as we come to believe in God our Creator, Savior, and Spirit.

Yes! Meet Jesus. Follow Jesus and yes… Point to Jesus with eyes wide open for Jesus is ALL… today… tomorrow… and forever.

Lord, you turn things upside down and give your children hope. May we seek you and love you and respond in love for you to work to establish justice in this world in which you have place us. For You have delivered us. Lead us to respect and love one another in all we do, each day.

May this YouTube music bring you joy…

Hands of Jesus

 

Questions-Challenges-Decisions Through Love - John 6:51-69 - Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

 

John 6:51-69 NIV

⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

⁵² Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! ⁶³ The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. ⁶⁵ He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Questions-Challenges-Decisions Through Love

The WORD became flesh. For real! Look and listen to how Jesus speaks His message clearly and directly.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NIV

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Mark 14:22-25 NIV

²² While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

²³ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

²⁴ “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. ²⁵ “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 26:26-29 NIV

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

²⁷ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Luke 22:17-19 NIV

¹⁷ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

¹⁹ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Jesus speaks, what to our ears may be, divisive words, grotesque, blunt, crude, repulsive, possibly pagan or just plain crazy talk. Is this a metaphor?

Jesus preached in honesty. Like it or not, Jesus preached both metaphor and literal, one or the other, and sometimes both; but Jesus’ teaching was to the point.

How about today? Do we hear sugar coated words to attract listeners into our church or congregation? Do we lean away from hard truth to avoid offending those sitting in the pews? Do we compromise the Gospel to fill the pew? Or maybe, we are afraid that we may empty the pew when we make obvious the sins of the people.

In the Gospel passage that this reflection began with, Jesus brings us to Questions-Challenges-Decisions Through Love.

Here, Jesus confronts us with His divine purpose. Jesus confronts us with His very own flesh and blood that will give way to our sin. Why? That we may live in and through Him. We live through Jesus and through His love for all God’s people. All people!

But to the ear of the people past and many present; Jesus words are offensive and disgusting. All this talk of Bread of Life has evolved into Body and Blood of Jesus.

How offensive! How disgusting!

It reminds me of an occasion when I took my blind grandson, Jake, to church one week. Jake had not been taught about Holy Communion. Jake sits in a wheelchair for the most part and is very immobile. When it was time for Holy Communion, the Pastor and Deacon came into the congregation to offer Jake the elements.

“This is the body of Christ, given for you.”

“This is the blood of Christ, shed for you.”

Jake didn’t understand. So, he called out, “I’m not a Vampire!”

Later in Jake’s life he would be taught in Catechism the meaning; but for now, this was a disgusting occasion to him.

But I must admit, that Jesus’ understanding and love far exceeds anything I can fathom.

In these words of Jesus, the Spirit gives life.

Physically, Jesus lays down His life that I and you, may be forgiven of sin and live in Him.

In these words of Jesus, He leads me and you to believe in Him. We believe, not from our own efforts, or knowledge, or willpower. No! We believe because God gives us the faith to believe. Faith is not something we can muster up on our own. It’s a gift from God. And through this gift of faith from God we are led to believe.

Our source of life is Jesus’ death. Jesus dies in the flesh and bleeds his blood, in body; out of God’s love for His creation.

But why?

As sinful, fallen humans; we have come to turn away from God. We have come to go out in our own direction, with the idea that we can pull up our bootstraps and save ourselves. We think, at best, we can make something out of ourselves and our world that will make all this stuff we see around us better. Well… we can’t…. we haven’t… and on our own power… we will never make all things better.

We need a Savior. And that’s what God the Father sent to this world. A Savior. God sent Himself in the flesh of Jesus, to be one of us, to teach us how to die to ourself and live in Him. God sent a Savior to give his Body and Blood as a sacrifice for all people that our selfish sinfulness may be forever forgiven. Our source of life is Jesus’ death.

We believers are tied to Jesus in His life for all the world.

God sent His Son, Jesus, to descend to this earth. And before Jesus ascended into heaven, he willingly ascended upon the cross, to bleed and die, for the forgiveness of our sin. Jesus became our sin on that cross. Jesus had no sin, himself. No! He became our sin and died for us.

This is all God’s work, not mine or your work. This is all what God has done for us. And through this work of God in Jesus, we come to believe in what He did in Christ.

Here in the words Jesus speaks of Bread of Life, eating his body and blood, we become One with Him in his death.

The thought would be repulsive to any Jew of the day. This is all unclean stuff! But, as we come to learn through Jesus’ teaching, it is union with Jesus. Jesus is in us and we are in Jesus by taking on the horror of what happened.

But, don’t forget, there is a contrast of the physical with the spiritual here.

Hear and read, once again, the words of Jesus in verse 57…

⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 

Yes, Jesus used harsh, offensive, repulsive words here. Many will choose to go back from these words of Jesus in unbelief, repulsed by the thought and wanting to turn back to themselves for the working out of their own salvation in their own way.

But Jesus’ words are plain here. Jesus IS God and God’s Son. And with Him IS eternal life.

Can you take the harsh reality of this message?

Will you turn and run?

Do you believe Jesus is God’s Son?

Do you see God in Jesus?

Questions-Challenges-Decisions --- Through love.

Don’t forget…

Jesus chose the twelve disciples…

Jesus chooses you as well…

Here the words of Peter…

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Lord, may we live as children of The Light. I know you hear us when we pray. You have chosen us to be yours and to live with you in your Kingdom… today… tomorrow… and forever. Thanks be to God!

I leave you with this interesting  Gospel Song regarding our questions…

Jesus Is The Answer

Jesus Is The Answer

Enjoy!

I Will Raise You Up - John 6:35-51

 

John 6:35-51 NIV

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

⁴¹ At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

⁴³ “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

I Will Raise You Up

Look at that! Over and over, Jesus words tell us that He will raise us, you and me, up on the last day. Just look at that! Look back over this passage of scripture. See how many of these words are the words of Jesus?

Jesus words above, are to the point. Jesus words are the promise of God through Jesus. Believe this Jesus. Take this Jesus in, and consume Him. Jesus IS the only food needed for eternal life. This Jesus, IS the food that feeds us and nourishes us and sends us out, full of love for God and for those God gives to us each and every day as we live out our life in this place and in this time.

It's like this introduction to my reflective work of this week on this passage is a mini-major lesson all its own.

We must feed on Christ. And not just once a week, for maybe an hour or fifteen minutes of waking time during a sermon. No! We need to feed on Christ daily. Let’s take a look at the Third Commandment, with this feeding on Christ daily in mind.

Remember this Commandment? …

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Luther’s Explanation to What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we do not despise His Word and the preaching of it, but acknowledge it as holy, and gladly hear and learn it.

This Commandment wasn’t meant to be a one-shot deal for the week. This commandment wasn’t in place to identify a day of the week to remember the Sabbath day. No! I contend that this commandment was meant to be daily, hourly, and maybe minute by minute. We have a deep need to turn to God. As humans it may be a need to turn to Jesus.

In our call from God, we need the Word to feed and guide us. It’s never our own efforts that drive us to God. No! God draws us in to Himself. Rather the food of Jesus working through and out of us is what makes our life in Jesus’ tick, or work, or come to life. Jesus is the power to live out love into this world.

Never deny the meal of Christ. You need Jesus to live! Crave nothing else in life. You can’t satisfy your need, your life, with anything else. There will be no satisfaction in eternal life with power, money, drugs, education, alcohol, food, sex, prestige or anything else. All these earthly desires which we may work towards, to bring us our own personal satisfactions, will fail when it comes to eternal life.

Crave only Christ Jesus. We have been offered as seen, heard and read, from the above Gospel Scripture the “Bread of Life. “This “Bread of Life” which gives us life. This Jesus! So… Why starve?

Now, let’s go to the “Way Back Machine,” on this feeding, let’s take a look at the Word in Isaiah…

Isaiah 55:1-2 NIV

55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without cost.
² Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
    and you will delight in the richest of fare.

There is God’s Food and Drink in Jesus! The free Food of God!

Wow! That was just the introduction to this reflection on “Pointing to Jesus.” Talk about Pointing to Jesus! That’s ALL Jesus!

Jesus is the One we believe. When we read this account, these words of Jesus, we see through the eyes of faith. Faith is an important gift from God that let’s us see through the eyes of faith and believe in Jesus.

Lets’ take a closer look at verse 37, and contemplate its deep meaning:

³⁷ All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 

These are Jesus’ own words here. Look at that! Jesus thinks of us, you and me, as a gift from God! In this one verse we see that Jesus loves to save us, His gift from God. Yes, Jesus loves to save us from sin and death. Look at these words in this paragraph of Jesus speaking.

God took the first move in giving us to Jesus. Think of that! We are in Jesus because God the Father gave us to Jesus. We were Jesus’ gift, not because we did anything to earn Jesus! It flips this gift thing of Baptism on its head. I’ve never thought of my life with God as being a gift TO Jesus. Wow!

And, on top of all this; Jesus is OUR Gift from God!

What a divine, wonderful, circle God has created in Gifts of Us and Jesus. Gifts One to the other and the other to the ONE.

So, yes, hunger for Jesus.
Jesus comes to us to bring us home to God. This IS God’s love. This IS God’s love for us and God’s grace to us. That leads us to this question; What is God’s will for you and for me?

Well, that sounds like a work question, it is and it isn’t. It’s more like a thankful response question and a gift question. God’s will for you and for me is to have eternal life through Him! That’s a GIFT!

The will of God the Father is that you and I may see Jesus, believe, AND have eternal life and resurrection. This all just blows my mind. It’s all a gift and my own efforts don’t apply towards receiving this gift. What Love is this?

Love, as in Jesus’ love or our love for neighbor, exhibits the power to attract. Look back once again…

Jeremiah 31:3 NIV

³ The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Hosea 11:4 NIV

⁴ I led them (God’s people) with cords of human kindness,
    with ties of love.
To them I was like one who lifts
    a little child to the cheek,
    and I bent down to feed them.

Well, this Gift from God the Father to God the Son to us, blew the minds of the people of that day as well as today.

Some people may only see Jesus as a son of Mary and Joseph. A guy from a small town that was taught the skills of a tradesman, a carpenter. Maybe a few, give Jesus the honor of calling Him a prophet. But many then and today see Jesus in an earthly, material, kind of way.

But… God calls us to see Jesus as the “Bread of Life.” God changes our focus as we have seen in the past few sessions of “Pointing to Jesus,” to move us from a material view to a spiritual view.

God the Father sent Jesus from Heaven to Earth and back to Heaven.

Accept Jesus at His Word. After all, Jesus has seen God. Believe what Jesus says!

We also live out our lives on this earth, in this place and in this time. But when we look to Jesus with the eyes of the Holy Spirit, and through the eyes of what Jesus did for us on this earth; we are led to see how eternal life with God is a gift, freely given to us.

How? We eat the “Bread” freely given to us. Through this “Bread” this Jesus, we are being taught.  And this teaching is a timeless teaching. Back to the “Way Back Machine” of Isaiah…

Isaiah 54:13 NIV

¹³ All your children will be taught by the Lord,
    and great will be their peace.

Jesus is the TRUE giver of life. Jesus IS, once again, as told several times in this passage of Gospel Scripture; I AM. I AM… that is God. The God of all time as witnessed by Moses and all the Fathers of the Old Testament and today.

As the Israelites escaped from the slavery in Egypt and wandered in the wilderness; God freely gave them the gift of manna, Bread from Heaven, to feed them and sustain them for a time, for a while, for a moment in history.

But now, in this passage, we see that God gives us sinful beings, people destined to death and hell due to our sinful nature; something we don’t deserve or could never earn from our own works.

What is this? What is this Bread from Heaven?

Jesus is this “Bread of Life that gives freely eternal life. Eternal life that passes straight through our physical need to spiritual life in Jesus. And through this eating of “Real” Bread, we receive Jesus.

As Jesus words in this Gospel passage make clear, Jesus IS the Bread of Life that gives eternal life.

So…

Eat the Bread of Life. Take Jesus in and live forever. Jesus gives His life for you, today… tomorrow… and forever.

Back to Luther’s Catechism on Holy Communion.

What is Holy Communion?

Communion is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and the wine, given to us Christians to eat and drink as instituted by Christ himself.

Where is this written?

Matthew, Mark, Luke and Paul say:

In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying:

“Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying:

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.”

What is the benefit of such eating and drinking?

It is pointed out in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Through these words the forgiveness of sin, life, and salvation are given to us in the Sacrament, for where there is forgiveness of sin, there is also life and salvation.

How can bodily eating and drinking produce such great benefits?

It is not the eating and drinking alone, but also the words that accompany it, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

These words, together with the eating and drinking are the chief thing in the Sacrament, and those who believe them have what they say and declare, namely, the forgiveness of sins.

Wow!

God gives us to Jesus for us to know Him in all eternity. The Grace of God IS forever! Believe it!

Lord, as we journey in this wilderness of life in which we now live, show us our sin and lead us to Mount Sinai to meet with You and turn to You. Deliver us from our fears that we may live in the love of forgiveness, freely given to us through your Son, Jesus. Teach us to imitate Jesus’ love for us and all people that we too may go, fed by the “Bread of Life” into our world, here and now, to love and serve all those you give to us… today… tomorrow… and forever. --- Amen

I leave you with this hymn that came to mind…

I AM the Bread of Life