Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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Original Manuscript:
In the Gospel according to John, there seems to be a theme of people just not getting it. At the very least, that's the theme we get tonight.
The people around Jesus want Him to fit within their box. They want a sign, some kind of fool-proof assurance of His power. They want Him to be just like Moses, giving them physical substance.
But the point of the mana in the desert wasn't to feed the Israelites. Instead, it was to show them that they needed God for everything in their lives. They need God for their very lives.
That's what Jesus is trying to point them towards. Without God, there is nothing to sustain our very being. It's not just about providing sustenance to people, it's about providing life.
It's about faith, which means to trust in the Lord. Faith isn't about trusting just because you have a sign. It's about trusting the person and knowing that what they say will get done.
In fact, they don't even realize that Jesus is giving them an out. There's no one thing or action they have to do to receive life. All they have to do is trust in Jesus to receive life and salvation.
Jesus' sign of being trustworthy is this: He doesn't ask for anything, He simply gives us an offering. Yet, the people still have trouble hearing what Jesus is saying. They have trouble getting outside the box of what they already think they know to hear what Jesus is actually saying to them.
There are a couple questions this passage posses to us. Can we let go of our own pride and ego to actually rely on Jesus and the life He gives us? Can we let go of our past misconceptions to actually hear what it is Jesus has to say to us?