Year B

John 6:56-69

The Very Rev. Denise Vaughn

Words of Life

“To whom can we go?” To whom do we go for counsel, guidance, help, strength, as we fight the battles of this life? Do we cast our lot with the world? There can be no doubt to the answer to these questions as followers of Christ. There is only one possible answer and yet the answer can be hard to hear and hard to follow. Today’s texts include hard things. The most difficult are Jesus’ words today as he restates what he has been talking about in this whole chapter about who he is; the true bread from heaven that God provides. He is the source of life, real life, life that lasts forever.

Just as we must consume food or bread to live, so we need to consume him, take him into our hearts and lives to help us fight the battles of this life and truly live. St. Augustine of Hippo once prayed “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” We all experience at times a hunger for God. In Jesus, in his life, his love, and his teachings, God is offered to us. We find what our hearts hunger and thirst for in him. We find bread for our souls. Like Peter today in the gospel who refused to draw back from Jesus because he had found in Jesus the source of true nourishment. 

The gospel text continues the themes that we have heard throughout this remarkable chapter: Jesus is the bread of heaven who offers eternal life; Christ’s body and blood recall the Eucharistic meal; highlighted is his relationship with God; many turn away from his teaching and today we hear Jesus ask his twelve closest disciples to decide if they wish to turn away from following him, also. We might wonder how any of disciples would want to walk away from the chance to abide in God, to dwell in Jesus and Jesus in them. But these are hard words from Jesus in the gospel and they are rather shocking and disturbing to the Jewish audience that day. Certainly the twelve could have turned away after hearing these hard words yet they remain at Jesus’ side.

Peter answers for them, he says, “Lord, to whom can we go?” In following Jesus they came to recognize that Jesus was the Holy One of God, who alone possessed the words of eternal life.  Like the disciples that day, we have the freedom to follow him or go away. Yet, to go away from Jesus is to be famished; it is to suffer hunger that no one else and nothing else can satisfy. We are tempted to believe that things can satisfy, that full stomachs and full pocketbooks can meet the deep needs of the soul. Yet, when we are truthful with ourselves we know, to seek for satisfaction in such things is to be left empty. Only Jesus is the new bread giving life to his believers as God gave it to the Israelites in the wilderness. Jesus nourishes and saves life by giving life.

The very thing that we yearn for is being offered to us, and still many turn away. Why is it so difficult to accept life? Paul reminds the Ephesians today that they are engaged in a spiritual struggle so they must be on their guard, fully armed with the whole armor of Christ, against the evil assaults of the spiritual and earthly forces. It’s not easy to be a disciple. They are to stand firm in their faith and be aware of what’s going on around them. From this passage we might assume that the Ephesian’s have been coming under attack or persecution. Christians were not exactly welcomed with open arms in every community or by Rome the governing power.

In language that reminds us of war, Paul speaks of their “struggle” or fight or conflict, forces that would use flesh and blood to fight against them and the church. He is writing this advice to the church from house arrest in Rome, on how to live the new Christian life in a pagan world that would pose challenges to the Ephesians. Roman civilization was built on militarism. Paul is not asking the Christians to bear arms against humans because their battle is against sin, evil, and death, forces that constantly wage war in their inner spirit. In this spiritual warfare, God in Christ through the Holy Spirit supplies to Christians power and strength so they are able “to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.”

This means being willing to be humble, willing to listen and to walk in the ways of God which are love, peace and boldness in bringing peace in these evil days.  We see this willingness to walk in the ways of God in the story of Solomon today as he prays to God, reminding himself and the people that there is always the potential for failure if they do not remember their story of redemption and fail to continue being faithful to God. This is hard to learn and remember. So as he dedicates the temple, Solomon gives thanks to God, recognizing God’s greatness and steadfast love for keeping the covenant God made with his father, David, and for forgiving the sins of the children of Israel.

The vision that David first had of building the temple but could not do and left to his son, Solomon, had now come true. It took seven years to build the magnificent temple and it would be the center of Israel’s worship for over three centuries and yet, as Solomon admits in his prayer, reminding himself and the people that no house will ever be large enough to contain God. This will be a place where people can pray, touch God and be touched, nourished by God, so they can turn their lives toward God. The foreigners, who are not Jews, but will sense in just the sight of the temple, the presence and power of God will be drawn to God, to prayer, and to fellowship with God.

An inclusive Spirit, that went right into the time of Jesus, as Gentiles were largely hated and shunned. This house of God with Jesus as the temple has many gates open to all who want to be touched by the love of God. We find God when we look to God in Jesus who is our endless source and supply. For the bread that he gives for the life of the world is the bread from heaven. In him, we find what we most hunger and thirst for. “To whom will you go?” Sticking with Jesus is the hard way but Lord, to whom can we go? “You have the words of eternal life and are the Holy One of God.”