Defile, Disciples, Declare

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Three D’s and my focus is our Gospel (Mark 7:14-23). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”  Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Three Ds remind you of what? Your Defined Daily Dose or Degenerative Disc Disease? Maybe Data Display Debugger or Digital Divide Data. Perhaps a Three-Dimensional printing company or Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives? Well, today, my Three Ds are Defile, Disciples and Declare.

First, defile. The most common definition for defile is to make unclean or impure, to pollute or desecrate. It comes to us from the Greek word koinos meaning to make profane. It’s a word found frequently throughout the Bible. There are 314 passages in the Old Testament and 49 in the New.

For something to be defiled, it first must be pure. You can't defile a garbage dump or a messy room. Defile is often used in a religious context. If you burn a Bible or spray-paint the walls of a church, you defile a holy book or place.

Jesus spoke about defilement to the scribes, Pharisees and the people around him. Notice that in verse 14, Jesus called the people to himself before teaching. Here, (vv 14-23), Jesus’ criticism is directed against a fundamental principle of the Old Testament law itself.[1] In verse 15, when Jesus spokes of defilement, he taught that nothing external to a person can marginalize him within the reign of God. For example, Jesus touched a leper without hesitation and was not defiled.[2] With this in mind, Jesus pushed the limit and relativized the very teachings of divine, written law in Leviticus 11.

Jesus’ teaching on defilement would have been truly offensive to any pious Jew. His hearers knew that a war was fought over such an issue. It was called The Maccabean Revolt. Now to understand why the Pharisees were be seething with anger, we examine a study by Pastor Jim Voelz.[3]

The Pharisees were the spiritual heirs of the Hasidim, traditionalists who sought to keep God’s Law during the Seleucid occupation of Western Asia, including Jerusalem in the second century BC. The Hasidim were the backbone of the Maccabean Revolt (166-160 BC). Seleucid was a dynasty that lasted for about 250 years (312-64 BC). Its founder was Seleucus Nicator, a general of Alexander the Great. He and his successors forced people to accept Greek as the common language and culture.

The Hasidim resisted with their lives the imposition of Greek ways and the concerted efforts to cancel Jewish beliefs and practices. One Seleucid leader, Antiochus IV, saw himself to be divine in the manner of Alexander the Great. He was so arrogant that he even attempted to control the sea, but his inevitable failure was mocked by Jews.[4] Antiochus slaughtered thousands of Jews, repressed their religion, compelled swine sacrifices, profaned the temple with an altar and statue of Zeus, and destroyed the writings of the Law. The Hasidim could no longer tolerate this.

You can read the Books of Maccabees to get an understanding of the Pharisees aversion to any slight against the Law of God or against the traditions their ancestors – the Hasidim – developed to explain and enhance it. The Pharisees’ devotion to what they understood to be the will of God makes understandable their strong dislike for Jesus. His obvious disregard for their interpretation of the Scriptures and received traditions seemed not only sacrilegious but also reminiscent of what the Greeks did during the Seleucid Dynasty less than 200 years earlier. It is difficult for us to understand how radical Jesus’ disregard for things that made Jews distinctively Jewish actually was. And given the historical background of the Seleucid occupation, it is important to appreciate how understandable the Pharisees’ reaction to Jesus was.[5]

With that in mind, Jesus’ teaching recasts the whole meaning of clean and unclean. External things – food, lepers, corpses, people – cannot defile a person. Uncleanness comes from within. He built this upon the teachings of the prophets. We read in the opening chapter of Isaiah, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”[6] The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds.”[7]

Evil thoughts, words and deeds that come out of a person defile us. Yet, we see that the crowd as well as the scribes and Pharisees did not understand or accept Jesus’ teaching. They were so tightly bound to their interpretation of law and their traditions, to their ideas, behaviors and lifestyles, that they had no wiggle room to hear, understand, accept and appropriate a new and radical teaching such as Jesus’. And that, folks, takes us from defile to disciples.

Unlike the crowd, the disciples received private instruction from Jesus inside the house. Remember that they too were somewhat influenced by the Pharisees which may be why Jesus asked them how they did not understand him after spending so much time with him. It is like he was saying, “You should know better.” Yet, even after his resurrection we see how difficult it was to understand Jesus’ teaching when we see Peter’s reaction to eat in Acts 10 when he went up on the roof to pray and fell into a trance. He saw the heavens open and something like a great sheet descend. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And a voice said to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” The voice said a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.[8]

It was not until after he had a conversation with Cornelius that it dawned upon Peter what his vision meant. The Good News of Jesus Christ must be preached to all nations because God shows no partiality. I’ll return to this in my third point, but let me finish today’s passage.

Jesus’ private teaching was basically this: the only uncleanness that should preoccupy people is that of sin. Evil dispositions and actions originate from deep within the heart. Heart is used in biblical literature for one’s essential personality. It refers to what makes people what they really are. It gives each of us our individuality. With the heart a person relates to God. A relationship with God which bypasses the heart is a mockery. Jesus taught that the heart is not defiled by outside things but by evil dispositions deep within the heart. Food is of nutritional significance, but has no bearing on a person’s relationship with God.[9]

Jesus then elaborated on twelve sinful thoughts and deeds.[10] The first of these – evil thoughts – serves as an umbrella term for the specific vices that follow be they thoughts, words or deeds. But all of them originate in the heart. All of these sins represent the real character of the person from whom they come. Such moral qualities destroy a person’s relationship with God. And then, the disciples knew what Jesus meant.

The list of sins in these verses appear to assume that everything that comes out of every person is evil, and prompts one to accept the radical view of the total depravity of humanity. If we embrace that view, we are reading this passage out of context. The discussion with the disciples is what defiles and what does not. It is not about total human depravity. On the other hand, one may be tempted to add to the passage that good things also come out of one’s heart, but here that is neither affirmed or denied. That is a different subject for another sermon.[11] So, since we’re changing the subject, we will move on to my third point, declare.

To declare is to make known formally, officially, or explicitly. A judge declares one must stand trial. A defendant declares innocence. Hopefully, you declared your taxable income on your IRS forms. The word comes to us from the Latin word declarare which means to make clear, reveal, disclose or announce.

So, when Jesus made his declaration about anything outside the body that was believed to defile a person, we are reminded that Jewish ceremonial laws were a temporary and provisional arrangement. Ritual purity had value as a symbol pointing beyond itself. Now, with the Good News of Jesus Christ people of all cultures, races and languages have something that can truly purify the heart. The former arrangement had its place, but now the obsolete laws have been replaced. Because of Christ’s covenant on the Cross, Christianity was no longer and branch of Judaism but a new way for all people to enter into communion with the living God.[12] Peter understood this after his conversation with Cornelius. Therefore, he and his entire Gentile household of believers could be baptized and saved.

That brings me to a question: How do I declare Christ? How do I reveal, disclose, announce or make known that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ? Granted, like the disciples, I may not understand, accept and appropriate all the teachings of Jesus into my life. I may need an epiphany like Peter to understand that God shows no partiality. And like the disciples, I too must ask Jesus to help me understand His teachings and God’s ways. But is it clear from how I live my life that my expressed thoughts, words and deeds declare that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ?

If you need help declaring yourself to be a disciple, you can turn to the Bible. In Romans, we read, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be saved.”[13] There are dozens of verses that we can memorize to help us declare our faith.

Beyond the Bible, we can turn to Luther’s Small Catechism or Portals of Prayer. If you enjoy podcasts or preaching, Lutheran Hour Ministries provides plenty of online resources and apps.

If you’re looking for advice, trust the amateurs, not the experts. Look at the life of someone like Troy Polamalu. It’s been said that Polamalu is a 4^th century man living in 21^st century and is in constant dialogue with God. While playing for the Steelers, he declared, “I try to serve God, through football, with passion. … As Mother Teresa said, ‘God calls us not to be successful but to be faithful.’” He denounced the idea that the more pious people were, the more successful they will be, as very dangerous. He added, “If you look at faith in that way, you’re bound to fail spiritually and in your career.” And for Polamalu, winning two Super Bowls paled compared to the fulfillment God provided.[14]

Friends, God has provided for us all we need to declare and live a life of discipleship. He provides food for our physical well-being and faith for our spiritual lives. We have His Word and the means of grace – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. When we worship, we confess our sins and ask God to reconcile with Him and others. We confess the same faith as the Apostles and ancient Church and we pray for one another’s needs through Christ to our Father.

This week, I ask you to do one thing. Examine your life in view of our Gospel. Confess to God what defiles you. Allow God’s grace to be poured into your heart. Declare your renewed faith in Christ. And whatever else you do, may all glory be God’s, and when you do, may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] France, 277.

[2] Voelz, 467. See Mk 1:41.

[3] Voelz, 205.

[4] Voelz, 337.

[5] Voelz, 205f.

[6] Isaiah 1:16-17.

[7] Ezekiel 36:17.

[8] Acts 10:11-16.

[9] France, 291.

[10] Healy, 142.

[11] France, 292.

[12] Healy, 142.

[13] Romans 10:9.

[14] Gary Smith: The faith of Troy Polamalu, TribLive.com, February 5, 2020. https://triblive.com/opinion/gary-smith-the-faith-of-troy-polamalu/

Tradition!

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Tradition and my focus is our Gospel (Mark 7:1-13). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”  Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

“Tradition. Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as... as a fiddler on the roof!” Tradition is the opening number for Fiddler on the Roof. In the song, Tevye explains the roles of fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters in their village, and how people like the matchmaker, beggar and rabbi contribute to the village. The song establishes the theme of the villagers trying to continue their traditions and keep their society running as the world around them changes.

We have our own traditions, but before I get into them, let me set the stage. I am speaking about religious traditions with an upper and lower-case T, Biblical traditions and personal traditions.

First, tradition with an upper-case T. The word itself means a statement, belief or practice handed down from generation to generation, especially a belief or practice based on Mosaic law. The Latin word tradere means to deliver or hand over. It is from trans meaning over and dare meaning to give.

In the ancient Church, the Latin word traditio meant the act of handing the oral and written instruction given by one person to another. In course of time, it came to refer to teaching not in Scripture. This is, of course, a point of divergence between Catholics and Protestants, and yet, Martin Luther pushed back against some of the more radical reformers who sought to dispose of the Creeds. Unlike Catholicism, the Lutheran Church does not believe that Tradition is a carrier of the Word of God, or that only the communion of the Bishop of Rome has been entrusted to interpret the Word of God.[1] The Augsburg Confession (XXI) reminds us that in our teaching nothing departs from the Scriptures. The Creeds and Sacraments – Baptism and Eucharist – fall into that teaching.[2]

We retain the oral and written teaching of Jesus when we gather for baptism and Divine Worship. We cannot change the words when baptizing or praying over the bread and wine for they are not ours but His. However, we do have to consider that the oral teachings of Jesus were handed down from Apostles to Paul, Jude and the writers of the Synoptics Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke. And at the end of John’s Gospel, we read these words, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”[3]

That said, we move from the word tradition to tradition in our passage today.[4] As Jesus went about his ministry of healing, Pharisees team up with scribes from Jerusalem to pose an accusatory question. Pharisees were members of a renewal movement that sought to restore God’s favor to Israel by advocating strict observance of the law and total separation from all Gentile defilement. Scribes were professional copyists and scholars of the law, some of whom were also Pharisees. Those from Jerusalem carried the extra weight of authority.

The gist of their accusation was that Jesus’ followers ate with unclean hands. This is not a hygiene problem but one of ritual purity, which Marks explains in verses 3-4. Biblical rules of ritual purity applied only to the priests serving at the altar, but the tradition developed by the Pharisees extended them to govern the behavior of all Jews at all meals. This made every meal a religious act and a symbolic expression of Jewish identity. Contact with any potentially unclean persons or products in the marketplace meant ritual washing before eating. Jesus’ accusers considered this tradition of the elders to be binding on all Jews.

We see that Jesus calls them hypocrites, the original promoters of false news because their rituals were not rooted in an interior conversion of the heart. After quoting and fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy in their presence, Jesus indicted them for neglecting what is truly of God in favor of their own agenda.

Jesus did not reject tradition per se for it was important in the early Church to hand on the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. Rather, he rejected mere human traditions that are not based in God’s word, traditions that negate the intent of God’s word. Paul encouraged believers to “stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.”[5]

As we apply this passage to our lives today, we sometimes see or may even adopt religious practices that are often superficial and routine especially among those who have not been adequately evangelized and whose faith fails to impact their choices and behavior in any significant way. Jesus spoke of an attitude toward God that he saw in the scribes and Pharisees and that can be found among Christians in every church: the tendency to substitute religiosity for genuine obedience to God and His Word. What is needed – and perhaps what we need – is a personal encounter with Jesus leading to a deep transformation of the heart. When that occurs, religious practices come to life and serve their true purpose.

Finally, your own traditions. Family traditions are often celebrated and sometimes taken for granted. Some grow in popularity and others shrivel away unnoticed. What practices did your parents and grandparents exercise regularly that still or no longer exist?

By now, most of you know my background growing up in Beaver County, and how we were active in church and the Polish club. What was handed over to me through these experiences remain influential in my life, and I share those traditions with family members. Praying with others at meals and bringing our grandchildren to church, listening to polkas and teaching them how to dance, cooking pork and sauerkraut, stuffed cabbage, pierogies, haluski and serving them on New Years are all ways we share some traditions.

I could go on, but enough about me. How about you? I am going to ask you what traditions you share with others – children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, friends, family and neighbors. (At this point members of the congregation are asked to share their traditions.)

 

Those are all fine traditions. Whatever your traditions are, how do they relate to our faith? I ask that after searching the web for family traditions. I found things like Taco Tuesdays, Friday Night Breakfast, Thanksgiving football and endless lists of family activities, but none of them were tied to why we should do these things. Then it dawned on me that the Passover Meal celebrated by Jews today holds a great example for Christians. Why? Because there is a point during the meal when the youngest person asks four questions beginning with, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” The questions are designed to pique a child's curiosity about what is happening in order to hold their attention.

So, if a young child would ask why are we displaying a manger scene under the tree or on the mantle, or why are we coloring eggs at Easter, or serving particular foods on certain holidays, our answer should have its root in Christ and what He did for us.

Let me close with a person who was handed a tradition, re-envisioned it and re-presented it to others. His name was Paul, and he was very influential in the early Church. Perhaps you heard of this man.

Recall that I earlier cited John 21:25, and that the oral teachings of Jesus were handed down from Apostles to Paul and the writers of the Synoptics Gospels. Jesus died and rose in 33 AD. Mark and Matthew were written around 70 AD. Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians is the earliest New Testament piece of literature, written about 50 AD. That means before the gospels were written, people heard the Gospel for nearly 40 years from people like Barnabas and Paul.

After his conversion, Paul spent 15 days with Peter (Gal 1:15), and derived information from the traditions of early churches – Jerusalem, Damascus, Antioch – but anything that was handed to him was always transformed by Paul’s personal vision and insight.[6] And while his proclamation of the Gospel is nothing like the Evangelists, Paul explicitly called attention to the fact that he handed on what he received.[7]

We read in 1^st Corinthians, “Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. … For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you … I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received.”[8]

Paul appealed to the customs of the churches and recommended fidelity to tradition. To the Thessalonians, he wrote, “We thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”[9] To the Philippians, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”[10] And to the Corinthians, “I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.”[11] 

Even though Paul gives no evidence of having known Jesus personally in his earthly ministry, what is of great importance is that he emphasized the salvific effects of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, which for him transcend the data of the historical ministry of Jesus. His interest was in these climactic events of Jesus’ career rather than on the details of Jesus’ manner of life, ministry, personality or even his message. …  Paul was interested in the exalted, risen Lord, who became the real agent of the tradition developing in the heart of the apostolic church.[12]

My friends, I tell you this because God’s Church, God’s world needs to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ today more than ever, and that is dependent not only on the written Word of God, but more importantly upon you. As a friend of mine always said, “You may be the only Gospel people hear.” Whatever traditions you incorporate into your family life and share with others, ensure that it includes the Gospel – that Jesus Christ lived, taught and healed, that He embraced violent suffering and death for you, that He handed onto you His Body and Blood, and that after He died on the Cross, descended into hell, rose from the dead and with the Father sent the loving Holy Spirit to you. Ensure that every family tradition is linked to what was handed on to you as it was to Paul. And when you do, may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] See Lutheranism, Wikipedia.

[2] Tradition, LCMS online cyclopedia.

[3] John 21:25.

[4] Mary Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 134ff.

[5] 2 Thessalonians 2:15.

[6] JBC, 1387.

[7] JBC, 1386.

[8] 1 Corinthians 11:2, 23; 15:1,3

[9] 1 Thessalonians 2:13.

[10] Philippians 4:9.

[11] 1 Corinthians 11:2.

[12] JBC, 1386f.

Brother, Bread, Belief

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Brother, Bread and Belief and my focus is our Gospel (John 6:51-69). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”  Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

My late brother, Ed, and I attended the Pittsburgh Home Show in the spring of 2007. After gathering some ideas for updating the house, we stopped at The Church Brew Works to nourish and refresh our bodies and minds. As I gazed at the charts posted to the walls, I asked Ed, “Do you know what those mean?” He explained, as only a chemist could, exactly what they meant: the chemical composition of each beverage on the menu.

Ed then asked a question. “Do you know what the second most complex liquid on the planet is?” “No,” I replied, “What is it?” “Wine,” Ed simply stated. Of course, that begged my question, “What’s the most complex?” His answer came quickly, “Blood.” It was then that an epiphany overcame me.

“Isn’t it fascinating that Jesus took the second most complex liquid to symbolize his blood, and one of the simplest foods to symbolize his body?” I mused. Then, we toasted and ate.

My brother had a way of simplifying the complex. He also had a knack for complicating the simple. And, that, folks, leads me from my first point, Brother, to my second, Bread.

With apologies to those who cannot eat bread or stomach wine, I love both. There are so many varieties of each. My stories about wine, I will save for another occasion. Unlike my brother who made and bottled his own wine, I have not. I have, however, successfully baked my own bread.

Bread has been an important staple food product to many cultures over the centuries. Referred to as the “staff of life” in the Bible, people have eaten some form of bread since the Neolithic era, when cereals were crushed and mixed with water to form a thick paste that could be cooked over the fire.

Bread making techniques date back as far as 3000BC. Egyptians experimented with different types of grains to produce a variety of bread products with different textures and flavors. Successful bread making was considered an important life skill for Egyptians, and paintings in pyramids show that the dead were buried with loaves of bread to provide sustenance in the afterlife.[1] There are also many benefits in this life to eating bread: choices, tastes, convenience as well as iron, vitamins and fiber.[2]

That said, why did Jesus choose bread and not the calf, lamb or fish as a symbol for his body? We read how the Prodigal Father lavished his lost son with a banquet that included the fatted calf. On Passover Jews ate lamb as the main course of their meal, and Jesus is referred to as Lamb of God. He fed the crowd fish. Why not fish? It’s healthier than bread.

Well, for some help, we turn to the Bible. In the third chapter of Genesis, Adam and Eve were chased out of paradise. God condemned Adam to work and earn his bread by the sweat of his brow.[3] Bread was used in the worship of God, through tabernacle and temple services to symbolize the His presence. We read in Exodus, “You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.”[4]

In Leviticus, God commanded Moses to bake twelve flat loaves of bread using four quarts of flour for each loaf. Moses placed the bread before the Lord on the pure gold table, arranged in two stacks of six loaves. He then put frankincense near each stack to serve as a representative offering, a special gift presented to the Lord. Every Sabbath this bread was laid out before the Lord as a gift from the Israelites. It was an ongoing expression of the eternal covenant. The loaves of bread belonged to Aaron and his descendants, who were to eat them in a sacred place, for they are most holy. This was the permanent right of the priests to claim this portion of the special gifts presented to the Lord.[5]

Several weeks ago, we heard how the people of Israel were miraculously fed with bread from heaven as they wandered for forty years before entering the Promised Land.[6] This bread initially symbolized God's love and care for his people, in spite of their sins, and two quarts of it were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant as a reminder that God was with them.

We know that Jesus broke bread, distributed bread and ate bread. The Evangelists wrote of the many times Jesus spoke of bread in this chapter (John 6) and elsewhere. When tempted in the wilderness, He silenced Satan when He answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”[7] When teaching, He illustrated that, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”[8] Finally, we should not overlook that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a town whose name means “House of Bread.” His mother laid him in a manger, a feeding trough, a hint that someday he would be bread for the world.

During the Passover meal, Jesus “took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’”[9] The earliest believers incorporated the breaking and eating of Christ’s Body into their worship. We read in Acts, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”[10] Paul wrote extensively of this practice in 1^st Corinthians. We read: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”[11] Yet, a believing Christian may not eat this Bread so casually. Paul reminded them, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”[12]

So, why did Jesus use bread to symbolize His true Body? Not only is it religiously symbolic in the Old Testament, but it is also easy for believers to bake, share, eat and reserve. As a friend of mine often said, “Anywhere you go in this world, people bake bread.”

Let’s move on to my third point, belief. Going back to the Church Fathers, many believed that this entire Bread of Life section is eucharistic, identifying the “bread from heaven” not only with Jesus, but also with Jesus present in the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper. On the other hand, there are some scholars who believe that this is non-sacramental. I’ll side with the Fathers and our Lutheran practice.

When Jesus says that “my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink,” it is a contrast to what we read in Isaiah 55:2, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” In other words, the theme of eating is equivalent to coming to Jesus and believing in Jesus. We would not eat His flesh and drink His blood if we did not believe in Him.

Flesh is a reminder of the real humanity of Jesus, which is vulnerable to violence and death. And when Jesus speaks of eating flesh, it is clear that His violent death is on the horizon, for blood must be shed before it may be drunk.[13] We find reference to this throughout the Old and New Testaments. Flesh and blood remind us that Jesus was incarnate and crucified.

Eating this flesh is an act of believing that Jesus is the one who died a violent death for the life of the world. He stated this in verse 51: “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” John stressed that faith that leads to eternal life is faith in Jesus who gave himself over to violence for the world. Now, because Jesus is speaking of the need for faith in Him as the one who sacrificed himself in death for the life of the world, we must understand that the language of verses 47-51 is a deliberate riddle. Many listening to Jesus, including his own disciples, could not penetrate this riddle. In verse 60, we read, “When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’” They lacked the Spirit-given insight that was available only after the Resurrection.

We have the advantage over Jesus’ original hearers of His words and believing … and participating. As believers we participate in Jesus’ own life. When we hear His words, we participate in His life. When we eat His flesh and drink His blood in the Lord’s Supper, we participate in His life. And as believers, we know deep in our hearts that John’s Gospel is about understanding that the Eucharist, the act of eating and drinking is an expression of faith in the crucified Jesus and a strong, living symbol of participation in His life.[14]

Lastly, what does this participation in the life of Jesus look like? Well, because Matthew, Mark and Luke provided us with the narrative of the Last Supper and its relationship to Christ’s Crucifixion, John chose to offer a different symbolic act of love. Participation in the life of Jesus looks like a human washing the feet of other humans, like the Master serving the students, the sinless One cleansing the dirty feet on sinners.

What does it look like for you? For you, it’s not writing sermons and preaching. It’s not conducting baptismal ceremonies or funerals. For some, it is teaching children or typing church bulletins. For others, it’s your work among the elderly or the ill. It’s dealing with the public or public servants. It’s babysitting grandchildren or baking dinner for an elderly neighbor. It may be the call to mission work or music ministry. Whatever it is that involves you participating in the life of others and lifting them up in prayer to our Triune God is your participation in the Crucified and Risen Lord. And if there is a mystery in your life, it’s seeing how our incarnate and crucified Lord is present in your participation. Ponder that this week, and when you do, may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] The Importance of Bread, http://patthebaker.com

[2] The Top Ten Benefits of Bread, https://fabflour.co.uk

[3] Genesis 3:18-19. See also Bread and Christianity, https://www.alimentarium.org

[4] Exodus 25:30. See also Bread in the Bible, https://www.biblestudy.org

[5] Leviticus 24:5-9.

[6] Exodus 16.

[7] Matthew 4:4.

[8] Matthew 13:33.

[9] Luke 22:19 and parallels.

[10] Acts 2:42.

[11] 1 Corinthians 10:16-17.

[12] 1 Corinthians 11:28.

[13] Bauckham, Richard. Gospel of Glory: Major Themes in Johannine Theology. Baker Academic Grand Rapids MI 2015, p. 97.

[14] Bauckham, 103.