Sermon -- 13th Sunday after Pentecost (August 18, 2024)

JOHN 6:35-51

HERE IS THE ONLY BREAD THAT LETS YOU LIVE FOREVER.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The Christian faith does not have secrets.  Some religions have secret rituals or secret teachings that only the elites know.  But not Christianity.  God reveals all that we need to know in the Bible.  Now, there are things that God has chosen not to tell us.  He does not tell you when Judgment Day will be nor the date of your death.  Jesus said that as the Last Day approaches, “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7).  But he does not tell us which nations will rise or when they will fall, or where the next earthquake will strike.  God reserves such knowledge for himself.  But what he has revealed—especially in regard to good and evil and forgiveness and salvation—the Church teaches and proclaims.  In fact, we are commanded to proclaim these things.  There are no secrets.

     There are, however, mysteries in the Christian faith.  A secret ceases to be a secret once you know it.  But a mystery is different.  You can know what the mystery is but still not wrap your head around it.  One example is the Holy Trinity.  We worship one God, and our one God has three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  They are not one third God each.  The Father is God.  The Son is God.  The Holy Spirit is God.  And yet, they are not three gods, but one God.  The math does not add up.  It hurts our brains to try to find a rational explanation for the Trinity, because there is none.  Yet, this is who God tells us he is, and we are in no position to correct him.

     Another great mystery is what we encounter in our Gospel for today.  The people Jesus was preaching to found it unreasonable and offensive even though Jesus was pretty clear about it.  That mystery is that Jesus is both God and man.  He is not half God and half man.  Jesus Christ is God, possessing all the power, glory, and majesty as God the Son.  And Jesus Christ is a man, as human as any of us is except without sin.  When we encounter this mystery, we will either stand in awe or we will decide that it is nonsense because we cannot make it reasonable.

     The Jews who spoke with Jesus saw only his humanity.  Jesus was just another guy from Nazareth.  Yes, Jesus did amazing miracles, but they were offended at his claim that he is God.  “The Jews grumbled about him, because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’” (John 6:41).  They responded, “What are you talking about?  We know your parents.  We know your hometown.  Some of us saw you growing up.  How can you say you came down from heaven?  Who do you think you are?”  Jesus’ claim that he came down from heaven was unreasonable to them, and they rejected him for it.  Nevertheless, Jesus’ claims about himself are bold and clear.  It forces us on one side or the other.  Either he is God as he claims, or he is a nutjob.  There can be no middle ground here. 

     Jesus claimed, “Everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40).  You will notice that Jesus did not say, “Whoever believes in God.”  He said, “Whoever believes in [me]” (John 6:40).  Jesus did not say, “God will raise him up.”  He said, “I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40).  Here is the only one who lets you live forever.  This is a claim that could only be made if Jesus is true God.  And yet, the one who makes the claim is a man.  Now, this is not doctrine for the sake of doctrine.  This is essential for your eternal life because if you do not have the Savior you need, you cannot be saved. 

     Jesus is God, and when he entered the world he became a human being.  He subjected himself to the commandments of God.  And Jesus did the one thing no other human being has ever done—he kept all of God’s Law perfectly.  So, there is finally a man who has fulfilled the Law of God.  This Jesus did as your substitute—one human being in exchange for you.  In addition, Jesus took into himself all your guilt.  He bore your sin and went to the cross where his flesh was pierced with nails and his body bled and died.  He subjected himself to divine justice which means a cursed death for the sinner.  Again, he did it for you—one human being in exchange for you.

     But if Jesus were just a man, he does you no good at all.  The Bible declares, “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit” (Psalm 49:7-9).  If you do not have the Savior you need, you cannot be saved.  But since Jesus is God, his life counts for everyone.  He supplies the righteousness that needed to stand before God at the judgment.  And he supplies it for all.  And since Jesus is God, his sacrificial death pays for the sins of everyone.  He takes away the sin of the world.  Here is the only one who lets you live forever.

     The God who died on the cross is also the man who rose from the dead.  Since a man has conquered death, mankind has been delivered from death.  And since this man is God, he will raise all people from the dead.  It is just as he promised: “This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40). 

     Jesus calls himself the living bread.  He says, “I am the bread of life.  …This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” (John 6:48,50-51).  To eat the bread of life is to believe in Jesus.  It is to partake of his word and to consume it.  Consider one of the prayers from the Lutheran liturgy: “Blessed Lord, who hast caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of Thy holy Word we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life” (The Lutheran Hymnal © 1941, page 14).  We inwardly digest the Bread of Life when we take partake of God’s word, chew on it, and let it ruminate in our minds and hearts.  This is the bread that lets us live forever because it delivers to us all the blessings that Jesus Christ won for us.  There is no salvation apart from Jesus, and Jesus comes to us in no other way than through his word—sometimes preached, sometimes attached to the sacraments.  This is the only way God delivers to us forgiveness of sins, new life in Christ, and eternal salvation.  Here is the bread that lets us live forever.

     Be careful what you are consuming because it always has an effect on your soul.  The Bread of Life is given to sustain and to strengthen faith.  Through his word, Jesus brings blessing, encouragement, comfort, and guidance.  He directs you to what is right and exposes what is deceptive, wicked, and damning.  But what is deceptive, wicked, and damning is preached to you all week long.  You hear it at work, on the radio, on TV, in movies, and in everyday conversations with people who do not chew on the Bread of Life.  Warped sentiments and opinions are presented as established facts.  For example, marriage is mocked and avoided.  Modern opinion is that it is a social contract, not a sacred union.  Marriage is regarded as unnecessary, but it is expected that couples will fornicate and cohabitate.  Chastity is mocked, and promiscuity is celebrated.  Name a TV show or a song where this isn’t the case!  You are being fed these ideas continually.  How does a Christian combat these teachings?  How does a Christian stand against them?  Feast on the Bread of Life.  Partake of Jesus’ teachings every day, and inwardly digest God’s Holy Word in every Divine Service and in Bible Class.  The Bread of Life is how the Lord sustains you in the faith and keeps you in good spiritual health.  Here is the bread that lets you live a godly life in a wicked world and lets you live forever in glory.

     We often think of our eternal life as a future event.  Jesus speaks of it differently.  Listen to his promise: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life” (John 6:47).  Notice the verb tense.  Not that you will have eternal life, but whoever believes has eternal life.  You live in the kingdom of God right now.  You have been set apart as God’s own right now.  Neither God’s favor nor God’s judgment is a future event.  Your judgment is that you are righteous for Jesus’ sake.  God’s favor is yours.  You have eternal life now.  Granted, you are not in glory yet; that is the future.  But you possess your eternal place in God’s kingdom now.  And he feeds you the Bread of Life to sustain you in it.  Here is the bread that lets you live forever.

     When Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.  This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die” (John 6:48,50), your gut reaction might be to object, knowing that a death awaits us all.  At death, the soul and body separate.  But your soul does not die.  It lives and goes to be with Jesus in heavenly peace.  Your body will rest for a while; it awaits the resurrection.  Three times, Jesus assures you, “I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:39,40,44).  He who has authority over the grave will summon you back.  He will restore your body to perfection, never again to ache or age, to get sick or frail, or to be subject to disease or death.  The resurrection to life everlasting is delivered to you only by Jesus—the man who lived and died for mankind; the God who possesses all power and compassion.  He is the Savior you need; therefore, you are saved.  Here is the one who lets you live forever.

     And now, the flesh he gave for the life of the world he gives to you here.  The manna in the wilderness sustained the Israelites only for a few hours.  But here is the living bread that comes down from heaven.  We feast on the living body of Christ.  We drink the blood which has atoned for all sins.  This is what strengthens and keeps us in the true faith.  This is what sustains us in a wicked world until we reach the Promised Land.  Here is the bread that lets you live forever.

     The love of God and the salvation he brings are no secret.  The Lord Jesus proves to be the only one who can save, the only one who grants eternal life.  He is the God who has joined himself to mankind, and he is the man who brings us into the family of God.  He is the Bread of Life upon which you feast and whose word you inwardly digest.  If you hunger for righteousness, Jesus fills you with his.  If you thirst for divine mercy, Jesus satisfies you with all you need.  Just as you cannot live without bread, so you cannot live without him.  He is the living bread which lets you live forever. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.