Sunday Next Before Advent, 2002
John 6:1-14

Conquering Everest is a dream for mountain climbers. Several companies promise to take you to the summit for a hefty fee. One expedition attempted to scale Mount Everest in 1996. Of the 33 members, some were experienced sherpas, others were neophytes. At long last the group arrived at Camp IV, pitching their tents in the deep snow. From there they could reach the summit and get back in one day. That was the plan.

The climbers set out before dawn. They took in breathtaking views, spectacular sights they had never seen before. But the weather was changing. Thick clouds gathered, the wind whipped up, the temperature plummeted. They were still two hours from the peak. A decision had to be made. Would they continue on? Or turn back?

The pressure on the leaders was great. Most of these members had shelled out up to $25,000.00, and had been climbing for two months to get to the top of Everest. It would be a crushing blow to back out now. The choice was made to forge ahead. It was a tragic decision. The wind blew fiercely. Some squalls almost ripped the members off the mountain. The snow fell so thickly it was like being inside a milk bottle. The members got separated and lost. They ran out of oxygen. One survivor later said, "I was yelling for help, but I soon figured out nobody could hear anything. I mean, it was like a hundred freight trains running on top of you, and I was screaming, but you know, a person five feet away couldn't hear anything."

Of the thirty-three climbers who ascended Mount Everest on that fateful day twenty-eight returned. Several narrowly escaped death and others suffered such severe frostbite that their limbs required amputation.

What is the lesson to learn? It is sometimes better to turn back than go ahead unprepared. Our Gospel text for today describes a mass of people who because they refused to turn around, ended up far from home without any food. Our story takes place in a lovely location of Galilee. It is springtime with the feast of Passover approaching. The pastures are green, the sun golden, and the Sea of Galilee sparkles like an emerald. A crowd of thousands reclines on a stretch of grassy territory between a hill and the sea. On the hilltop Jesus and his disciples stand looking down on them. Behind the multitude gentle waves lap happily on the seashore. The crowd is tired and hungry. The sun is quickly setting.

The disciples realize that a potential problem is developing. It isn't their fault. Jesus had been healing the sick for days on end. As the word of his wonders leaked out, the crowds flooded in. Exhausted, Jesus now needs a break. He decides to cross over the Sea of Galilee from the west side to the eastern shore. As was his custom from time to time, the Lord sought a peaceful retreat to rest and pray. Hence they set sail. But the people were frantic to stay with him. As his ship sailed out, they could see it on the blue water. For some reason the entire throng decided to follow Jesus on foot. Maybe they didn't know how far the ship was going. The craft arrived at the opposite side of the lake, four miles away. However, the people circling on the shore had to walk much farther than four miles to reach him. Skirting the northern bank of the Sea of Galilee lengthened the trip and the Jordan River created another problem. At the halfway point they encountered the swollen Jordan. Since the river could not be forded at that spot, they were forced to trek two extra miles north in order to safely cross. Their hike totaled nine miles by the time they joined the Lord.

John 6:5 says, "Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward him, He said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?' But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, 'Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.' "

A couple points are worth noting. First, Jesus did not regard this mass of people as an unwelcome disturbance. That is amazing considering his weariness. Fatigue causes most of us to lose patience. Second, it is evident that Philip is more of a calculating businessman. Jesus asks how they are going buy enough food to feed everyone, and Philip already knows how much it will cost. "Two hundred denarii worth of bread will hardly do it." Two hundred denarii are roughly equivalent to $3,000.00. Maybe Philip knows that Judas does not have enough money in the money bag. He shakes his head and sighs. Whereas Philip grows perplexed, Andrew runs off looking for a solution. He wades into the crowd and brings back to Jesus a lad with a basket. In his basket the little boy has five barley loaves and two fishes.

Now we read of the miracle itself. [Reading John 6:10-14.]

There were five thousand men present. If we add women and children the number may have been more than 20,000. The miracle is simple to comprehend. Jesus multiplied enough little barley loaves and fishes to feed everyone. At what precise moment did the bread and fish multiply? Inside the basket, or in his hands? We don't know and it doesn't matter. Jesus broke off fragments. He gave them to his disciples, who carried them to the people. With the fishes the procedure was similar. Everyone present devoured as much as they wanted. When everyone was completely satisfied, the disciples gathered twelve baskets of leftovers.

Let's consider some other aspects of the miracle. St. John has this habit of calling Christ's miracles "signs." He does that much more than the other Gospel writers. Verse 14 says, "Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, 'This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.' " What does John mean by the term "sign"? Why does he call it that? A sign is an unique miracle that proves Christ's divine authority, his messiahship and majesty. The miracles of Jesus were not merely performed to provide for the needs of people, or to relieve their sorrow. More than that, they highlighted his deity and his messiahship.

Furthermore, John gave the term "sign" a kind of sacramental meaning. A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given. Many of Jesus' miracles resembled that. The things he did in the physical realm pointed to spiritual truths and certain facets of redemption. Thus, the sign of turning water into wine pointed to Christ as the one who transforms sorrow into joy. Jesus' walking on the water brings out his government over all nature. Opening the eyes of the blind reflects the truth that Christ is the light of the world. The raising of Lazarus from the dead shows Jesus to be the life-given Savior. The multiplication of loaves rivets our attention on Christ as the Bread of Life, the only one who can satisfy our deepest needs.

Let us furthermore acknowledge the link between the feeding of the five thousand and the sacrament of Holy Communion. What does this miracle have to do with the Eucharist? Notice in verse 11 that Jesus takes the loaves in his hands, and he gives thanks. The Greek word for "give thanks" is eucharist . After giving thanks he breaks the bread and distributes the fragments. All eat and are satiated. The actions of the Lord at the Sea of Galilee foreshadow his actions a year later when he instituted the eucharist in Jerusalem. Both events happened on the eve of Passover. Saint Paul describes how the Savior instituted the Communion: "the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you.' " (1 Cor. 11:23-24). The rest of John chapter six bolsters the connection between Christ's miracle and Holy Communion. For example, John shows Jesus clarifying the spiritual meaning of his miracle. "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (John 6:35, 53).

In spite of the evidence, some people dismiss the notion of any sacramental teaching in John's Gospel. Why is that so? We are told that the words "Baptism" and "Lord's Supper" are missing in the book of John. It is true. They are absent. Nevertheless, when Jesus declares in John 3:5, "unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" most listeners understand that as a reference to Baptism. When Jesus teaches, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John 6:55), John's readers infer the Lord's Supper. A modern minimalist approach tends to miss the sacramental symbolism taken for granted by the first century mind. Some people never see the symbols. Moreover, one's doctrine of salvation and sanctification can color things. Those who insist on centering salvation on personal acceptance of Jesus as the one sent by God, those who rest entirely on a conversion experience are more reluctant to accept material intermediaries like the sacraments. They tend to ignore the physical means of grace that God provides for our spiritual growth. This super-spiritual preference obscures the role of the visible Church, its liturgy, and its sacraments.

Classical Anglicanism differs. Granted, personal acceptance of Jesus as Savior is a must, and conversion experiences have their place. Yet, there should be more. We ought to hail the place of baptism in our relationship to God. We treasure the transforming power and soul-satisfying nourishment of the Holy Communion. When received in faith, the body and blood of Christ truly nourish our souls, sanctifies our bodies, and binds us to Christ in the most intimate fashion.

On that spring afternoon 2,000 years ago, Christ took compassion upon the worn-out condition of the people. He supplied their needs. We can be confident that the Lord's provision for his people is boundless. This is a good Thanksgiving lesson. Our Heavenly Father also supplied the needs of the Pilgrims and other colonists that came to New England. If Jesus can supply the physical needs of the five thousand, He certainly will have compassion on you. This does not mean that food should be expected without working for it. Saint Paul warned the Thessalonians: "if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat" (2 Thess. 3:10). After the miracle, a laziness set in among the five thousand. They were so tickled by the free food, that they attempted to take Jesus "by force to make Him king" (John 6:15). Jesus rejected their effort. His kingdom would advance by spiritual means first.

The Puritan and Anglican colonists of New England reveal much better how the Kingdom of God moves forward. These children of the English Reformation clearly understood the priority of God's grace in salvation. They believed that God's grace alone had redeemed them in the blood of Christ and granted them saving faith. Yet their reliance on grace did not cause them to sit back and slumber. The colonists were church going, law abiding, and hard working. They were anxious to acquire education and to take advantage of self-government. What was the consequence of such conduct? The colonies experienced, on the whole, overwhelming prosperity. The Lord smiled on their churches, families and businesses. Shipbuilding, fishing, whaling, tobacco trade, and manufactures of all sorts, started out slowly, then flourished. God showered his blessings on the land because of the hard work and obedience of the people.

Let their example be an inspiration to you. As you share a Thanksgiving feast this week consider your blessings. You have been saved from sin by the blood of the Lamb, God grants you his means of grace: his Word and Sacraments, prayer and fellowship. You live in the greatest nation with a most godly heritage. The cooked and dressed turkey set on the table is a symbol of the blessings our country has enjoyed. The bread and wine we now consecrate represent Christ's body broken and blood outpoured on your behalf. Come now with grateful hearts to the Feast.

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