Pastoral Musings: The Meditations of My Heart - Part I

Pastoral Musings 

The Meditations of My Heart

Self-evaluation is a vital spiritual discipline which necessitates practice as often as prayer and meditation.  Examining my thoughts, motives and expectations is very important particularly when I am in a conflict with someone.  Miscommunication often emerges when someone is unclear about another person’s intentions and expectations.  A very spiritual Christian sister whose walk with the Lord I highly respect often suggests immediate withdrawal in a personal conflict.  One day at work, she listened attentively as a colleague unleashed a verbal barrage of personal instead of principled criticism against their superior, the executive principal.  The disgruntled coordinator of curriculum’s words equate with character assassination.  In response, my Christian sister’s strongly suggested to her colleague that she take time to reflect and determine what is really disturbing her.  Conceivably, the actions of the principal veil an inner turmoil.  Is there any justification for the extreme emotion and personal nature of her “criticism?”  Have misguided questions and unprincipled gossip contributed to her dissatisfaction?  What is the real issue that requires her mental and emotional energy and practical actions?  Do the policies and procedures of this anal retentive and extremely exacting principal coerce the curriculum coordinator to face latent fears and incapacities? 

The latter administrator had become accustomed to a lack of accountability as the previous principal operated professionally as a combination between Lieutenant Colombo and Mr. Magoo, the quintessence of an efficient affable oaf.  Yet, practicing the vital spiritual discipline of self-evaluation enables a person to shift through the morass of emotions and issues to define what is meaningful.  In many instances, you discover someone who irritates you has simply rekindled an unresolved conflict or character defect.  Instead of forging ahead with unrelenting and unprincipled criticisms of other people, it is best to accept the unmanageability in our lives and cultivate the willingness to change and grow.  Eventually, the curriculum coordinator was terminated as her peers discovered many incomplete tasks she had hidden for more than a year.  Her failure to complete those assignments jeopardized the school’s continuance and created potential legal liabilities.  Rather than disparaging her superior who simply wanted her to do her job, the curriculum coordinator could have learned a lot from the executive principal has she been willing to examine herself.

My foregoing Christian sister also had an opportunity to speak with another colleague who exhibits a stench of superiority towards practically anyone he encounters but specifically those persons with whom he works.  As the only male in the senior administration with a law degree and certified public accountant credentials, he deems the intellect, talents and abilities of the women with whom he works to be decidedly inferior to his.  He rarely foregoes a chance to condescend or critique their contributions and ideas.  Usually, his criticism equals “Had you simply asked me before you formed that thought, spoken that idea or pursued that path, I would have given you the correct answer, concept or action.”  This gentleman is particularly demeaning towards the woman who works most closely with him.  He treats her as if she were an indentured servant rather than a subordinate.  One day, he shared with my Christian sister that he does not understand his inability to achieve greater professional and financial success and attain requisite promotions to achieve those goals.  Given his education, lengthy work experience and the skills he possesses, he really cannot comprehend the zigzagging he has done in the work force.  Persons with less to offer have obtained more than he has.  As he seems incapable of considering his arrogant attitude and behavior toward people, he remains stilted in his career.  His resume resembles a quilt with patches of middle management jobs instead of a mosaic depicting the progressively refined contributions of a committed professional. 

In reply to his question, my Christian sister not surprisingly encouraged him to examine himself.  She stated a self-evident fact; he is the least common denominator in all of his work experiences.  Perhaps, there is something in his character and behavior that impedes his professional progress. Can he realistically expect people to advance him professionally and financially when he demonstrates total disregard towards their personhood and in turn the humanity of the people whom they love.  Does he think his indifference would not have any consequences?  Carl Gustav Jung, the founder of analytical and depth psychology, posits that a person’s refusal to evaluate his “shadow” explains a pattern of self-sabotaging behavior.  “A man who is possessed by his own shadow is always standing in his own light and falling into his own traps.  Wherever possible, he prefers to make an unfavorable impression on others.  In the long run, luck is always against him, because he is living below his own level and at best only attains what does not suit him.  And if there is no doorstep for him to stumble over, he manufactures one for himself and then fondly believes he has done something useful.”  Self-evaluation coupled with genuine willingness to change and grow is the surest remedy for such intractable character defect. 

As a Pastor who feels stifled in ministry, I must apply the foregoing counsel.  In addition to weekly spiritual direction and counseling, I cultivate the “secret disciplines of spirituality” to prevent my character defects and personal incapacities from inhibiting the progress of my ministry.   An anonymous author posits interpersonal conflicts are actually intrapersonal; “whenever we are at odds with someone else it usually means we fail to accept an internal deficiency which requires immediate action.”  As I deal with congregants with whom I experience any conflicts, I remember to consider primarily that I may be contributing negatively to any disagreement.  Sometimes, people simply “push your buttons” thereby causing anger and other unproductive emotions.  As the church is a family, relationships within the congregation often mirror the origins of our childhood family systems.  Oftentimes, many unresolved skirmishes rise from the low-burning ashes of memory.  I suggest the faithful practice of spiritual disciplines is a formidable method of healing past pain that inadvertently affects present situations.  Specifically, journaling using John Bradshaw’s method of writing healing and protective letters to my inner child remains an effective means of healing.  Collegially, I suggest you consider this strategy as a way of overcoming the adverse possibilities of your shadow.

Prior to marriage, I had a chance yet significant conversation with a Deacon in the church where I served as Assistant Pastor.  At a coffee hour in the parlor following an average Sunday morning worship service, he and I began to discuss marriage.  He gave me some of the most sagacious marital advice I have ever received.  The Deacon shared with me that his wife only makes breakfast for him on the weekend.  During the week, she leaves him to fend for himself as she works a full-time job just as he does.  He developed the habit of eating cold cereal and other items that are easy to prepare and quick to consume.  On Saturdays and Sundays, his wife enhances his breakfast with grits, eggs, bacon, homemade biscuits, freshly brewed coffee and other hot items.  He told me that the moral of the story is their willingness to respect each other by establishing a way of relating and meeting each other’s need specifically for the two of them.  Whereas other people may observe their practices and criticize them, this Deacon and his wife would summarily ignore their feedback.  As husband and wife, they resolve to accept and respect each other without the consent and approval of other people.  Knowing that my marriage was imminent, this Deacon strongly recommended that my future wife and I similarly find “what works for the two of you.  If it works for the two of you, you have what you need.  No one else needs to say anything.”

Pastoral Musings: The Meditations of My Heart - Part II

Pastoral Musings 

The Meditations of My Heart - Part II

We waste immeasurable mental and emotional energy considering the thoughts of countless nameless and insignificant people.  The Deacon further said, “It takes two people to make a marriage work.  When the two of you are satisfied, then you are successful in your marriage.  In the twenty years of our relationship and eighteen years of our marriage, my wife and I continually concur with “Deac’s sage outlook.”  His counsel exceeds the worth of innumerable books offering the keys to successful and fruitful marriage.  Respect, trust and communication are three foundational pillars of any meaningful and vibrant relationship.  Should any of these three factors begin to diminish, it is only a matter of time before the relationship suffers severe harm or even severs.  Moreover, the Deacon’s thoughts suggest acceptance which is the fourth pillar.  Persons who enjoy the existential riches and experiential rewards of long-term relationships whether personal or professional learn to accept people as they are.   Waiting for people to change in the ways in which you think best results in dissolution of relationships.  People rarely change; usually a major life crisis coerces changes in character and behavior.  Even when absolutely necessary, many people resist the challenges that accompany change.  The familiarity of a known pathology seems preferable to the potential benefits of a healthy but uncertain future.  Nevertheless, acceptance eradicates fallacious demands for change to satisfy self-centered fears and self-seeking motives.  Acceptance of another person is not synonymous with ignoring their character defects and incapacities.  It is a willingness to love and respect their personhood as they grow spiritually and develop personally however glacially.  Acceptance allows people to become the very best children of God of which they are capable notwithstanding their defects of character and internal weaknesses.  As a husband and wife extend such graciousness and generosity to each other, they undoubtedly will grow together over a long period of time.  At a coffee hour nearly two decades ago, a Deacon in a Baptist church shared with me one of the essential attributes in a long-term relationship and marriage within his musings about breakfast.

Being at odds with various congregants is very disheartening for a pastor.  As servant leaders in the Church, clergy have a profound inner need to be needed and appreciated.  When the people whom you are called to serve appear indifferent to your labors of love, it genuinely hurts.  One response to this pain is to appease your naysayers with the hope they will learn to like you if not even begin to love you.  However, resentment builds slowly but forcibly when you curry favor with people.  Interestingly, this resentment is mutual as you disdain them for having to compromise yourself and they disparage you for a lack of self-respect.  Honesty and integrity are the most effective remedies to this dilemma.  Increasing during the quarter of a century that I have served in ordained ministry, I am of the opinion that people like you or they do not.  There is very little if any control you may have over people’s opinions of you.  In fact, a friend of mine recently reminded me over breakfast at our favorite diner, “Other people’s opinion of you is not your business.  Besides, you will not be able to establish worthwhile relationships with everyone in your congregation.”  Accordingly, “To thine own self be true.” 

Detaching emotionally and refusing to personalize every incident is necessary to maintain a healthy and balances perspective in relationships.  As a pastor, it is easy to take offense regarding each breach of protocol or lapse of procedure.  Do young adult choir members understand their behavior when they arrive five minutes before singing and then leave the sanctuary as you rise to ascend the rostrum and preach?  Do the most vocal members of the church see the inconsistency between their protestations and their protracted lack of service and giving?  Do congregants see the ethical and spiritual problems with making decisions about the use of the Church’s financial resources when you do not contribute?  What about leaders who rarely attend weekly worship services, do not come to Sunday School, and are always absent from Bible study and prayer meeting?  Moreover, how do you respond to persons who blatantly insult your intelligence but act as if they have not?  More frustrating are the people who observe these insults but fail to say anything.  Once, a congregant call to inform me that I was not doing my job.  She based her assessment of my performance on the “what she had been hearing from multiple persons who she trusts and believes.”  This woman has not been present in worship for nearly a year.  Nonetheless, when I offered her evidence to contradict the rumors and innuendoes she heard, she flatly refuse to consider it.  Rather, she insisted she would believe what she has heard as she trusts the persons with whom she had been speaking.  Should I personalize these circumstances, I would easily and quickly become a bitter, cynical and ineffective pastor.

Anger usually fuels over-personalizing situations that do not warrant the fierce emotions.  As a consequence, you are prone to say and do things that ultimately undermine you.  Years ago, I cultivated a “twenty-four hours rule” relating to anger.  If I became incensed by something someone had said or did, I would withhold my anger internally.  I strove for restraint of pen and tongue.  The passage of a full day enabled me to distill my authentic emotions thereby protecting me from melodrama and megalomania.  If I were still angry, I had a better perspective on actual details and practical reality instead of a view clouded by my gall to extract revenge for the insult to which I was convinced I had been subjected.  This practice enduringly serves me well as I am not caught in the crossfires of miscommunication and misinterpretation when I withdraw and distance myself from blazing feelings.  Simply put, I am cultivating a cruise control within my mind, heart and character to depersonalize each situation.  As I develop this spiritual discipline, I am better able serve the needs of congregants.

Bible Study Notes: John 6:37-59

Bible Study Notes - John 6:37-59

In this scene, the evangelist, the sage of the Johannine community and the last remaining disciple among the twelve whom the Lord Jesus Christ tutored during the three and a half years of His public ministry, offer two contrasting depictions of the Church.  The first impression portrays a group of disciples and followers who vociferously deny the teachings of Jesus.  They forcibly contend He is wrong about the “Bread of Life” teachings.  Angrily, they reject these sayings; instead, they rely steadfastly upon the religious traditions they knew from childhood.  They insist Jesus’ teachings must adhere to the traditions of Moses, statutes of the Law and preaching of the prophets.  They summarily denounce any theology that contravenes the history, religion and literature of Israel.  Simply put, they refuse to accept Jesus’ claims about His divinity and equality with the Father.  Jesus’ statement that His teachings are superior to the manna that Yahweh provided daily for their forbears startles them and causes their cacophonous revolt. 

Second, there are those persons in the crowd who genuinely listen to Jesus and humbly consider the gifts of His teachings.  After millennia of theological, political and economic oppression by the Gentile rulers whose actions were sanctioned by their religious teachers and leaders, these listeners are open to the Father’s visitation through Jesus.  They willingly grant their devotion to Jesus who directly, perfectly and simply reveals the Father’s will.  They appreciate the opportunity He affords them to relate rightly and directly to the Heavenly Father without the burdens and trappings of rites, rituals, religion and self-righteousness.  Not surprisingly, the Beloved Disciple suggests the unfailing and unconditional love that Almighty God offers in Jesus clarifies this fundamental difference for disciples.

Interestingly, the clashing choices of Jesus or religion linger contemporarily in the Church.     The extensive biblical illiteracy in most churches in the United States seriously and substantially threatens the gospel of Christ and “The Great Commission.”  Regrettably, many American Christians are more conversant with their secular political ideology than they are with the cardinal tenets of the scriptures and the Christian faith.  They do not know enough about the Bible and Christ in order intelligently to share their faith with someone who does not know Christ.  As a result, they rely upon church sayings, clichés, traditions and cultural mores instead of the direct teachings of the Bible.  The least attended activities in most churches are Sunday School and weekly Bible study and prayer meeting. 

Ironically, when challenged with the actual sayings of Christ ( e. g. Matthew 10 and 23, Mark 13, Luke 21 and John 6), many contemporary disciples recoil in bewilderment as the Bible contradicts their Hollywood impression of an effeminate, spineless, self-effacing, weak-minded and cowardly Christ who acquiesces everyone’s whims in order to be liked universally.  The sophomoric phrase, “What Would Jesus Do – WWJD,” substantially undercuts the authentic, literal biblical portrait of Jesus.  However well-meaning, the phrase furthers a uniformed popular perception grounded mostly in cultural, social and geographical mores of congregants.  In stark contrast to these prevalent presuppositions about the Lord, the Bible reveals a loving Christ who shares straightforwardly divine truth which insists upon honesty and integrity in behavior.  Christ’s commands and teachings often conflict with cultural norms.  Whereas He love unfailingly and unconditionally, His teachings about the “new Law of Love” does not sanction immorality and unethical behavior. 

As an extreme example, a clergy couple began their marriage in an adulterous affair but justified their behavior and insisted that the Lord approves because of how deeply in love they are.  In time, the former mistress who became the second wife reaped what she sowed as the leopard whom she married did not shed his spots and began yet another adulterous affair with a woman who became his third wife.  Would Jesus forgive them?  Assuredly, He would.  Would He overlook the glaring inconsistencies between their verbal profession of faith and lifestyle?  Equally assuredly, He would not.  As He lovingly, compassionately and pastorally counsels the woman caught in the act of adultery in John 7:53 to 8:11, Jesus posits a change in character to enable integrity.  Religion furthers self-righteousness as a person utilizes rituals, rites and other aspects of church culture to establish and verify his or her worthiness in relationship to Almighty God.  Jesus offers a startling alternative.  He teaches the necessity of an interdependent relationship in which disciple shares in God’s perfect holiness and righteousness.  Jesus dismisses the worth and need of fallacious creeds, dogmas and practices.  As the crowd fears relinquishing their “Linus blanket” of tradition and self-reliance, they argue fiercely and defiantly with Jesus.  Eventually, some of them sever their relationship with Him.

Contemporary disciples face a further clash with the biblical depiction of Jesus and the one perpetrated by worldwide “Christian” television.  The latter portrayal rarely grapples with the foregoing hard sayings and moral, ethical requirements of Christ.  Instead, it posits the idea that Jesus came to bestow financial bounty, material acquisition, perfect physical health, success in every endeavor, total exemption from daily adversity, and general prosperity in all components of a disciple’s life.  Despite Jesus’ insistence that rain falls on the just and unjust alike, prosperity gospel preachers argue fiercely that God’s good favor protects believers with “real faith” against the challenges and burdens of daily human existence.  Large bank accounts and houses with thousands of square feet are the surest evidence of the righteousness and blessings of God. 

Followers of this strange teaching learn the scriptures in order to command God to fulfill His Word in their lives.  These teachers gloss over the simple fact that a sovereign and omnipotent deity does not have to answer to the whims and fleeting impulses of His creatures.  The presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives and ministries of certain disciples elevates them to “super apostle” status; they employ their higher spiritual distinction to manipulate the uncritical obedience of fellow disciples.  The fruit of the Holy Spirit are marketable commodities in these sectors of the Church.  Essentially, this crass commercialization of the Christian gospel and the Bible contradicts the Lord Jesus Christ’s character, teachings and personality. 

Consider the following ideas and questions as you study the passage

• ·         The thirty-seventh verse lends itself to an interpretation in favor of predestination.  If the Father gives disciples to Jesus, has He chosen them in advance?  Rather, does His grace and love providentially create the circumstances which lead them to Christ?
• ·         In the next verse, Jesus reminds the crowd that He came to fulfill the will of the Father.  Instead of furthering a religious system that was then thousands of years old, Jesus came to reveal directly and clearly the love of the Father for humankind.  The Beloved Disciple paints a mosaic of God’s unfailing love in Christ.  Primarily, Jesus came to share the Father’s love which is hard for some listeners to accept as they are so accustomed to the dictates of Law and religion.  Many persons accept Christ as an eternal life insurance policy because they fear an eternity in hell.  Their limited perspective prevents them from appreciating the height, depth, breadth and width of the Father’s love.
• ·         Jesus assures His listeners that they will not fall away from the faith nor will they be spiritual orphans without a foundation in faith.  He will not lose anyone who comes to Him.  Practically speaking, anyone who learns and internalizes Jesus’ teachings will mature and persevere.  In fact, Jesus later promises the Holy Spirit as a Helper, Comforter and Friend who empowers and encourages disciples.  Moreover, the Holy Spirit will ensure the resurrection of each genuine believer in accordance with the Lord’s resurrection and promise.
• ·         Anyone who looks to the Son finds complete and irreversible healing from any human ailment whether physical, spiritual, mental, emotional or psychological.  The evangelist literarily alludes to the wilderness scene in which scorpions attacked the grumbling masses.  To relieve this disease, Moses lifts up a serpent on a stick; everyone who looks upon the snake is healed.  In the crucifixion, the Father lifts up the Son and anyone who believes on His Name and in His saving atonement finds salvation, healing and wholeness.  Furthermore, believers receive eternal life immediately when they put their faith and trust in Jesus.  The promise culminates in the believer’s resurrection on “the last day.”
• ·         In the forty-first verse, the crowd continues to grumble because of His “Bread of Life” sayings.  They forcefully resent that idea that Jesus suggests He is greater than Moses.  How can an illiterate, poor, uneducated carpenter from a backwater region of Galilee dare to suggest He exceeds the unparalleled greatness of Moses?
• ·         In the next verse, they question His pedigree.  As the son of a poor man however upright, Jesus could not possibly and reasonably affirm a heavenly origin.  Again, today, many people cannot accept His teachings because they trespass their social and cultural mores.  They expect leaders in any segment of society to possess a certain level of education and preparation.  They prefer people who grow up in “fine families.”  They desire leaders who are handsome and pretty and offer a striking public image and persona.  They want someone who represents someone whom they wish to become.   In the past as well as contemporarily, it is very difficult for people to receive a poor man’s son as they chosen leader.
• ·         The forty-fourth, forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses also lend themselves to the enduring theological debate about predestination versus antinomianism.  Consider the role of God’s perfect foreknowledge which means He predestines those believers whom He knew would choose Christ and thus seals their choice by enabling them to persevere with the power of the Holy Spirit.
• ·         In the forty-seventh verse, Jesus declares the gift of eternal life for anyone who genuinely believes.  The “Bread of Life” comes from heaven to give eternal life in contrast to manna which merely sustains life for a day.
• ·         Jesus then reiterates “I am the Bread of Life.”  His teachings are spiritual manna for disciples.
• ·         His words and sayings are “living bread” which will not become stale and moldy.  Amazingly, each time you read a passage of scripture, you discover something new and relevant to your daily circumstances.  Regardless of changes in human conditions or fundamental societal and paradigm shifts, the gospel of Jesus Christ empowers disciples for purposeful and intentional living. 
• ·         Allude to the Eucharist, the evangelist reminds his readers that Jesus’ body is they physical bread.  He willingly shares it so that believers can feed upon it and inherit eternal life.  In the celebration of Holy Communion, communicants receive the mysterious and sacred elements as reminders of Christ’s gift of eternal life.
• ·         In the fifty-second verse, the crowd accuses Jesus of advancing cannibalism.  “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”  Certainly, this teaching sounds bizarre to them.  Interestingly, they take Jesus’ words literally and thereby miss the more important lesson relating to the Father’s invitation of love through the Son.  The teachings of Christ which are stated in accessible words for everyone are the “Bread of Life” which endures forevermore.
• ·         The next six verses, fifty-three through fifty-nine, are John’s equivalent of “The Last Supper” as the fourth gospel does not contain an explicit account of the “words of institution.”  As you read these verses, envision a clergyperson celebrating the Eucharist and repeating the Lord’s words as John records them.
• ·         The ritual of the Eucharist reminds partakers of God’s gracious gift of eternal life in Jesus.  Belief in Him enables the disciples to share in His righteousness and accordingly rightly relate themselves to the Heavenly Father.  The repetition of the ritual reinforces the relationship and yields more authentic righteousness rather than bolstering a false self-righteousness and religiosity.  The gracious gifts of the elements empower disciples to persevere and mature.

Bible Study Notes - John 6:25-36

Bible Study Notes - John 6:25-36

Differing from the synoptic writers, the Gospel of John does not contain a formal Eucharistic passage with the “Words of Institution” for this sacramental appropriation of the Jewish Passover.  John uses this “Bread of Life” passage to communicate a similar message to the crowd about the enduring ad eternal nature of Jesus’ teachings.  Previously, this crowd receives physical food and eats until all of them are full.  They additionally receive healing of their bodies.  Not surprisingly, the previous day’s bounty does not satisfy them.  They want even more!  They pursue Jesus hoping He will give them even more healings and food.  He uses their pursuit to educate them about the kingdom of God and spiritual food, the bread of life which He personifies in His life, crucifixion, death and resurrection.

For the listeners and contemporary disciples, Jesus’ teachings are the bread of life, abundant and eternal life given freely to anyone who genuinely believes.  Whereas hunger, thirst and physical afflictions are normal occurrences of daily living which emerge and are resolved with the dawn and setting of the sun, their spiritual equivalents are not as easily satisfied.  A person can remain spiritually hungry and thirsty for years perhaps even an entire lifetime.  A physical resolution cannot be found for this predicament.  Contemporarily, the crass commercialization of American and Western society with its emphasis upon material and financial gain does not yield lasting happiness, joy, love or any other enduring riches.  As prosperous as twenty-first century United States citizens are, they still hunger and thirst for righteousness, justice, equality and purpose not unlike global citizens of developing nations.  With forty thousand stand-alone storage facilities excluding the material goods stored in attics, closets, basements and garages containing more personal items per capita per person compared to any other period of recorded human history, American citizens are amongst the most stressed, depressed, unhealthy, suicidal and spiritually unfulfilled people on the globe.  Annually, half a billion pharmaceutical prescriptions are filled in this country.  Pejoratively, chemists and counselors characterize America as a “Prozac nation” as pills are needed daily by countless millions of citizens to cope minimally within ordinary circumstances. In stark contrast, genuine spirituality encompassing an interdependent relationship with Almighty God, obedience to His teachings, and learning and applying them to daily living offer a viable alternative. 

Practically speaking, authentic spirituality effectively bestows holistic wellness incorporating soundness of mind, heart, body, soul, spirit, psyche and will.  Faithful adherents seeking a daily reprieve from life’s adversities through the practice of spiritual disciplines surmount mental and psychological illnesses, overcome myriad addictions and existential fear, humbly adhere to routines to preserve and maintain physical health, cultivate empowering relationships, find a unique purpose with which to serve God in meeting human needs and discover unconditional self-acceptance, creativity, and joy.  Inner healing and wholeness comprise the major poles of a spiritual life.  Embracing and maturing within the life you imagine in the innocence of your formative years is possible without chemical dependency or other types of secular and humanistic crutches.  I hasten to add such a life is also possible without a religious opiate, too.  Essentially, it is the gracious gift of God to anyone who humbly and genuinely relates to Him.

Jesus in this “Bread of Life” discourse exhorts the crowd to look beyond their immediate physical needs.  Once they have eaten again and had their fill, assuredly, they will experience hunger later in the day.  A miraculous healing will not remove future threats to their health.  Physical food and healing in and of themselves do not result in love, joy, purpose and other eternal riches.  Material and financial gain do not necessarily produce happiness in life.  However, a primary and growing relationship with the Heavenly Father offers abundant and eternal life which commence at the moment of heartfelt belief.  It therefore stands to reason and practice that a disciple commits his life to developing this primary relationship as his “Ultimate Concern.”  Dedication to learning God’s Word as he experiences God’s unfailing love, unquestionable faithfulness and unending grace is a fundamental requirement.  Insightfully, Jesus utilizes this setting with a captive audience to instruct them about the necessity of finding food that lasts and endures until eternal life.

Again, this passage is John’s version of the Eucharist.  He exhorts disciples to value this sacrament as more than an important ritual of which most of Christendom partakes once a month.  Rather, each time a disciple eats the bread and drinks the wine, those two holy and mysterious divine gifts, he reaffirms, renews and revitalizes his relationship with the Lord.  The sacred elements strengthen the disciple to progress in his spiritual journey.  Mystically, they infuse him with divine and supernatural power to persevere.  They encourage him to remain “steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; knowing that your labor is not in vain.”  Beyond the repetition of a religious ritual in pursuit of personal piety and public righteousness, the Eucharist is an enduring venue to build and strengthen a disciple’s relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, “The Bread of Life.”

Consider the following questions and ideas as you study and reflect upon the passage.

·         Jesus dismisses the crowd’s polite and honorific greeting by exposing their true motive in following Him.  They wanted more natural food and physical healings.

·         Interestingly, the crowd addresses Jesus as “Rabbi” when is Israel’s title for an esteemed teacher.  Underneath their socially respectable words, they partially understand that He is more than a miracle worker sent to satisfy their physical desires.  He offers more than miracles.  Further, His teachings can supply miracles beyond physical ailments.  A paradigm shift in thinking which results in a comprehensive lifestyle change is nothing less than a miracle.  When an alcoholic or addict finds freedom from the enslavement of addiction and exchanges it for a spiritual relationship with a Higher Power, a miracle occurs.

·         Accordingly, Jesus teaches the crowd to pursue “food that does not spoil but food that endures to eternal life.”  An Ethiopian proverb posits, “If a man is hungry and you give him a fish, he will eat for a day.  If you teach him to fish, he will eat for a lifetime.”  This maxim has obvious spiritual applications.  A tremendous miracle affects thinking and behavior until its drama details and extraordinary circumstances begin to fade in the consciousness and memory of witnesses.  Eventually, it has very little affect as its origins, sequence and consequences are lost.  However, if a person internalizes spiritual principles and persistently and pragmatically applies them to his life, he achieves integrity in time.  As a dimension of his spiritual progression, his principles become a type of spiritual food upon which he feeds as life’s situation cause him to hunger for righteousness and joy.

·         Jesus warns the crowd against devoting themselves to vain pursuits that will leave them in the same spiritual predicament.  I recall visiting a congregant in the hospital who was battling cancer.  She belonged to many social clubs and community organizations inclusive of a teaching sorority, ethnic sorority, Bridge club and approximately seven other groups.  Despite numerous hospitalizations and complex treatments, none of the members of any of these clubs visited her.  Her natural and church families comprised her cadre of visitors.  On this snowy, cold, bleak and dismal Sunday afternoon, she confessed to me, “You know Reverend; you spend your life belonging to a lot of things only to realize that you have been building on sand.”  Her sobering and humbling words resounded loudly in the room.  I imagine they were even louder in our mental and emotional consciousness.  This woman earnestly thought her memberships in those myriad organizations would enable her to contribute to a better world.  Personally, she possibly assumed her allegiances would enrich her life.  Not surprisingly, she presumed her commitment would engender the gratitude and reciprocity of her fellow members.  My visit on that dreary day which lent itself to such thorough self-reflection confirmed the undeniable errs of her assumptions.  Isolation, a fierce companion who refuses to tolerate illusions and dishonesty, compelled her to say the eternal meaningless of years of busyness. 

·         This “Bread of Life” passage offers similar sobering and hard warnings to contemporary disciples who may mistake earth’s fleeting riches as equal to eternal wealth.  Does anything we do possess any eternal worth?  Are we doing anything that will last beyond our physical existence?

·         The evangelist reminds his readers of the importance of Jesus who is the One who gives the “Bread of Life” through his preaching, teaching, healing and sacrificial life.  As the embodiment of the Father and Holy Spirit, Jesus imparts the gift of eternal food to anyone who believes.  Jesus is the One who receives the Father seal of approval to graciously give divine gifts.  You will recall from the Prologue of the Gospel, the evangelist characterizes Jesus as the grand architect of universe as Jesus fully and equally assists the Father in creation.

·         The crowd asks in return what the Father requires of them to do the work that pleases Him.  Interestingly, Jesus does not supply with a list of tasks and qualities similar to an enumerated job description.  Ironically, Jesus says one primary deed is necessary.  They must believe in the One who the Father sends. 

·         Hearing this requirement parallels a batter’s bewilderment in receiving a one hundred-mile-per-hour curve ball when he expects a fast or breaking ball.  The crowd does not expect Jesus to challenge to their long-held expectations and presumptions as to who will be the Messiah and how he will appear.  They are unprepared to surrender these heartfelt and enduring beliefs notwithstanding any evidence to the contrary.  Whereas they appreciate the miracles of food and physical healing, their gratitude will not extend to rethinking their expectations.

·         Belief for a disciple demands more than mental assent to reasonable theories.  The evangelist argues to his followers in the Johannine community and the church which forms in Ephesus that an authentic belief in Jesus necessitates a transformation in lifestyle beyond a comprehensive exchange of religious tenets. 

·         As this exchange between Jesus and the crowd continues, they ask for a sign to validate this ironic and strenuous teaching.  More specifically, they allude to the gift of manna that the Father provided during the wilderness wandering years.  Essentially, they counter Jesus’ teaching with an equal demand for yet another miraculous sign.

·         As is the case with miracles, were Jesus to answer their demand with another astounding event, assuredly, it would wear off in time.  Then, they would ask for another one.  This hapless sequence would repeat itself innumerably.

·         Provocatively, Jesus informs the crowd that Moses is not bestows the gracious gift of the manna contrary to popular belief.  Actually, the Heavenly Father with the full participation and cooperation of the Son.  The evangelist uses this startlingly remark to contrast the work of Moses as revealed in the gift of the Law with that of Jesus who reveals perfectly the Father’s gift of love.

·         Because of Israel’s intractable and hard hearts, the Law proved ultimately powerless to engender the praise, worship, obedience and love of the people toward Yahweh.

·         The life and teachings of Moses represent this struggle between the people’s mental knowledge of the Law and God’s holiness which the Law reveals.  The specification of nearly seven thousand regulations could not garner their allegiance and respect for God’s holy character.  Further, they simply did not appreciate God’s loyal, covenantal, faithful and unfailing love as demonstrated in His enduring provision in the wilderness. 

·         John uses this reference to Moses and manna to reflect the temporality of physical food and healings.  Instead, Jesus exhorts the crowd to pursue eternal food.

·         He characterized the “bread of life” as food that descends from heaven which the Heavenly Father graciously gives.  In fact, Jesus tells them to reassess their understanding of the origins of the manna to which they allude for justification.  Whether from the Heavenly Father or Moses, the manna which was given in the wilderness was temporal and daily.  It required constant replenishment.  Its supply was finite.  In comparison, the “Bread of Life” is eternal and infinite.

·         In response, the crowd asks for this kind of bread henceforth.  Possibly, they still confuse Jesus’ intent with a literal interpretation of His words.

·         Jesus then declares “I am the Bread of Life.”  Anyone who embraces His teachings and endures within a progressive relationship with Him will never hunger or thirst.  The evangelist posits through these verses that a genuine belief in Christ resolves any human ailment, challenge or adversity.  Notice the evangelist mentions two primary human needs, hunger and thirst.  Beyond these rudimentary physical needs, Christ encourages and empowers disciples to surmount life’s problems and possibilities with His love, teachings and power.

·         Contemporary disciples find wisdom, knowledge, guidance and answers as they faithfully study the teachings of Jesus.  To feed upon the breads that comes down from heaven and endures to eternal life means practically to devote one’s life to learning and applying this divine wisdom into one’s daily living.  A disciple is a student which means lifelong dedication to this task facilitates acquisition and emulation of the mind, heart and character of Jesus Christ.

·         In the thirty-sixth verse, Jesus brazenly condemns the crowd for their refusal to believe in Him though they see Him and witness the Father’s approval of Jesus through signs and wonder.  Belief in Jesus is the primary step toward eternal life.  Throughout the various discourses between Jesus and others in the “Book of Signs” (Gospel of John Chapters One Through Twelve), the necessity of belief arises.  Just as repeated performances of miracles could not sustain the belief of the wilderness generation, Jesus’ repetition of similar signs and wonder will not affirm belief in his listeners. 

·         Do you require litmus tests in order to believe?  Like Gideon, would you need a fleece to believe? 

·         Genuine belief emerges from a combination of head and heart.  Intellectual respectability is a necessary component of faith.  Reason, logic, evidence, evidentiary standards and historical, critical analysis are central components of faith.  Belief is more than emotional and satisfying worship.  Authentic faith in Almighty God requires more than a warm fuzzy feeling in a person’s heart.  A stalwart and sincere conviction about God, the Bible and religion welcomes life’s complexities and contradictions.  Tunnel vision is not admirable when it ignores hard questions and tough realities. 

·         Jesus informs the crowd of the farce of relying upon external phenomena to validate their faith.  Eventually, this method of justifying faith will not suffice as a person will need a greater sign or miracle each time to legitimate his or her faith.