04 August 2024 - Proper 13, Year B

Theme

This week’s readings remind us how God provides both spiritual and physical food for those who trust in God. In Exodus, we read of how God made manna rain down from heaven when the Israelites were worried about starving. The Psalmist celebrates the same event. In John, Jesus teaches that he is the bread of life and whoever feeds on him will never go hungry and enjoy eternal life. In Ephesians, Paul explains how Christ will build his Church up in maturity if they feed on the bread which he provides.

Scripture Readings

  • John 6:24-35 - After feeding the five thousand and walking on water, Jesus is sought by the crowds of people in Capernaum. Jesus tells them that they are looking for him because they enjoyed the food he provided, not because of what he said and did. Jesus teaches that they should not work for food that spoils but for food that endures to eternal life. Jesus explains that the work God requires is to believe in the one he has sent. The people ask for a sign like when Moses gave manna to their ancestors in the wilderness. Jesus explains that it was not Moses, but God, who gives the true bread from heaven. Jesus declares that he is the bread of life; whoever comes to him will never go hungry and whoever believes in him will never be thirsty.
  • Ephesians 4:1-16 - Paul urges the Ephesian church to live a life worthy of the calling they have received. Be humble, patient, united and bearing with one another in love. Christ has given everyone gifts and grace to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. The goal of these gifts are that Christians will become mature and won’t be swayed by deceitful teaching and scheming.
  • Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 - Moses and the Israelites wander in the wilderness. The people complain that there is no food. God tells Moses that he will rain food down from heaven for them and they should gather enough for each day. Moses tells the people that God has heard their grumbling and will provide. The next day, manna covered the ground like a layer of dew around the camp.
  • Psalm 78:23-29 - The Psalmist remembers the time God rained manna down to feed the Israelite people. He declares that despite God’s blessings, the people kept on sinning and did not believe. They remembered that God was their Rock and Redeemer and God forgave them again and again.

Personal Application

The Ephesians passage for this week contains one of the most abused sentences of the Christian bible: “speak the truth in love” (Eph 4:15). This verse has been used to justify Christians saying some rather harmful things, all because it was done “in love.” For these Christians, by sharing what they believe to be “the truth” is the loving thing to do, regardless of who is hurt in the process. But for me, the most important part of Paul’s instruction is not the truth, but the love. This is enforced by the context that surrounds this verse as well as the rest of Paul’s teachings.

In the surrounding verses, Paul says nothing else about this so-called “truth,” but he says a lot about love. He says that in order to live lives worthy of the call God has placed on our lives, we need to be patient, humble, united and bearing with one another in love. He said we will mature so that Christ’s Church will be built up. Therefore, I believe that Paul’s encouragement in this passage is not about the need to speak the truth, but how we speak what we believe to be the truth.

When we share what we believe to be the truth with others, we need to ask serious questions about whether the people we are speaking to (or about) are feeling loved or not.

Are those that we are speaking truth to experiencing love and grace or are they experiencing judgment and condemnation?

Communal Application

This week’s readings remind us of the value of regularly sharing together in the sacrament of Holy Communion.

God understands that humans are physical beings with physical needs. Throughout the bible, we read stories of God providing for people’s physical needs. This is seen clearly when God provides manna for the starving Israelites in the wilderness and when Jesus fed the five thousand hungry members of the crowd listening to him teach.

As important as physical sustenance is to God, Jesus teaches that our spiritual nurture is even more important to God. The Good News is that God has provided for our spiritual sustenance in the person of Jesus. Jesus is the bread of life and if we eat of his body and drink of his blood, we will experience the eternal life that God desires for us.

This is why Holy Communion is so important. Every time we gather to eat and drink together, we are reminded that God provides for both our physical and spiritual needs. Holy Communion keeps us connected to God and to our fellow siblings in Christ.

What does it mean for you that Jesus is the bread of life? How do you ensure that you continue to feast on the sustenance that God provides, both physically and spiritually?

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