Spiritual Hunger Pangs: John 6:56-69 - Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

 [Jesus said,] ⁵⁶“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. ⁵⁸This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

  ⁶⁰When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” ⁶¹But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶²Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? ⁶³It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. ⁶⁵And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”
  ⁶⁶Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. ⁶⁷So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” ⁶⁸Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (NRSV)

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Like deja-vu, COVID-19 has returned with a vengeance—and health experts warn that COVID-19 will be with us for the haul. 

It wasn’t that long ago that we spoke about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that has been this pandemic. Turns out, that light is a speeding freight train which we know as the highly contagious delta variant. And once again, everything we’d planned for the coming year is now hanging in the balance.

Taken together with all the wildfires, droughts, and hurricanes; the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan; how is your soul today? Are you angry? Are you scared? Are you buried in a mountain of despair? 

In today’s Gospel, we see how disillusionment impacts people’s relationships with Jesus. At the beginning of John chapter 6, Jesus miraculously fed a crowd of five thousand people, who followed him because they saw the signs he was doing for the sick. By now, nearly all of them have walked away. They followed Jesus seeking bread for their bodies—but all Jesus has spoken about is eating him, because he’s the living bread from heaven. As some of the disciples said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” Apparently, not very many—because only his twelve disciples were still there with him.

And I do not want to demonize those who wandered away. Jesus’s teachings are difficult to understand and accept. Even though you and I are not nearly as scandalized by the idea of feasting on the flesh and blood of Jesus as they were, we share in the people’s disillusionment—because present realities make a compelling case that we are the followers of a lost cause.

We organize ministries to make a difference in people’s lives, and we either end up canceling them because of Covid-19 or no one shows up.

We go out of our way to care for people in need, yet it appears that our labors aren’t making the slightest bit of difference.

We come to church hungry for life, how can you feel alive in a church that looks and feels like it’s dying? How can you believe in resurrection when all you see is chaos, death, and decay?

Make no mistake: there has never been an easier time to walk away from your faith and your church than right now.

Indeed, you could do that. Let’s be frank—if you were part of a movement that dwindled from 5,000 followers to twelve in one day because the leader confused and disillusioned the followers, would you stick around? You can hear the heartbreak in Jesus’s voice when he asks his disciples if they are going to go away too.

But Jesus’s disciples don’t go away. And the reason why, I believe, is because they knew Jesus. They loved Jesus. They’d been with him since the beginning. Even though they struggled with Jesus’s teachings, Jesus’s love what kept them together.

And I don’t believe Jesus failed in his ministry to the 5,000. He planted the seeds of God‘s kingdom in their hearts and minds. Perhaps, in time, those seeds will bear fruit.

But for us here today, what do you do with all your bitterness, doubt, and disillusionment? Do you allow it to dictate how you live and what you believe? Do you walk away from hopes and dreams because you can’t bear the thought of disappointment? Do you give up, and dwell on the safe side of your doubts, rather than facing them head on? Do you allow despair, instead of love, to be the driving force in your life?

Or do you see your doubt and disillusionment for what they truly are: spiritual hunger pangs?

Above the grumblings of your soul there is the voice of Jesus, calling you to come to him and be satisfied by him. If that is difficult for you, think back to a time when Jesus was there for you; think back to a time when felt unconditionally, and undeniably loved. Also, realize that you’re not the only hungry soul around. Chances are, if you’re feeling it, someone else is feeling it too—and isn’t it better when you don’t have to face it alone?

Jesus didn’t build his church here because life is so wonderful, and everyone’s faith is so strong and bulletproof. Jesus put us here because people are hurting. Jesus put us here to give light to a weary world. Jesus put us here so that as the world rapidly changes around us, we can embrace the future with hope. Even though Jesus’ teachings may be hard, and God’s ways difficult to understand, one truth that shines with clarity is God’s unconditional love. That love is why you are here today.

Peter says to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Eternal life—in other words, life that endures beyond this one; life that cannot be thwarted or disrupted by the crises of this life; life made possible only through the love of Jesus Christ as revealed through the cross. 

No matter where you are, Jesus is still calling and caring—so let us keep loving and serving. Love is the truth, and darkness is a lie. Jesus is the only bread and wine that will surely satisfy.