Nineteenth Sunday -Ordinary time August 13, 2006

1 Kings 19:4‑-8 Psalm: 34: Ephesians 4:30‑-5:2 John 6:41‑-51

The Journey

1. Prophets like Elijah and Jesus are always in constant danger when they speak the truth. Often this is unpalatable. More often it forces people to think outside the box, to think outside their comfort zone, to think outside the boundaries they are accustomed to think, live and act.

Elijah is on the run from the King Ahaz. It is interesting to note, that the run of Elijah is being enacted in reality today because of the bombing that is going on in Lebanon and Israel. The bombs fell close to Mount Carmel where Elijah slew the false prophets, and where Elijah was living when King Ahaz and Queen Jezebel made life uncomfortable to him. Elijah is going to go as far as possible from the King Ahaz. He feels all the way to Mount Horeb, any further and he would have landed in the Sea between Egypt and Israel.

The picture is a micro picture of the flight of the People of Israel from Egypt under Moses. Like the people:

a) Elijah is in despair and wants to die

b) Elijah is fed with Bread from heaven

c) Elijah walks for 40 days and nights. It points to the 40 years in the desert.

2. God is there to provide. In the Gospel, the three images of the Exodus are brought into focus:

the desert journey and

the Bread from heaven, and

the revelation of God to Moses as “I am who I am” is once again taken up.

However, the People of Israel once again fail to understand Jesus. John highlights this reluctance to accept Jesus, and he deliberately calls them “Jews” it is not anti-Semitic in the Mel Gibson style. But rather, the title Jews is used by John to show people who refuse to understand even when all the signs have the earmarks of everything the Jewish people were waiting for.

The Exodus was one of the key experiences which gave the Jewish people their identity. God had declared to them, “I will be your God and you will be my people.” Moses had put to them, “Choose Life or death.” Now Jesus was referring to that same Journey from Egypt, the same Journey that the People in Israel were invited to make in the time of Jesus. Jesus is inviting them like Moses did, “Choose life or choose Death” I am the Bread of Life. It will also be the Journey you and I are to make in our life here on earth.

2a

Jesus will provide with the Bread of Life

Jesus knows we are on a Journey.

Jesus declares “I AM the bread of life.” thus using the same term God used to describe himself when the revelation of God was made to Moses: Tell them “I AM WHO I AM”.

3. But the “Jews” according to John fail to understand on TWO levels.

First: They were called to make an act of Faith, to arise above the literal words, to realise that Jesus was claiming to be the Son of God....when he used “I AM” They preferred to remain at the natural level. They preferred to remain at the earthly origins of Jesus. We know him as the “son of Joseph”. The earthly origins are not denied. But they are invited to faith which would take them to his heavenly origin.

We do that in the Creed. “We believe that he was born of Mary.” But we go beyond to - “conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.” This is not written historical fact, but a confession of our Faith. The “Jews” were either unable or unwilling to take the second step.

Second: They do not accept the “bread of life”. The Israelites did the same in the wilderness. They “murmur” like the Israelites did in the wilderness. John is very selective in his Words.. That murmuring calls to mind the Fact that the Bread Jesus is offering, is like the Bread offered in the desert. Jesus does not cloud things over, he actually says, “your fathers ate the manna and they died. But you eat the Bread that I give and you will not die.” Now they were not willing to make that “confession of faith”

The point is: are we willing to make that confession today?