Pastor Pat Edwards 11/19/2006
Grace Baptist Church in Bountiful, Utah

"Psst. Hey! Come mere. Ya wanna live forever? I got somethin I wanna show you. A buddy of mine got it from a guy who works in one of them fancy labs up at the U. They been keepin it secret but he figured people oughta know about it. I can’t say how I got it but one swallow of this and you’ll live forever and if ya take a little bit now and then ya won’t grow old neither. What d’ya say, ya want it? I’m kinda strapped for cash so I’ll make ya a good deal. Think about it, you’ll live forever. You’ll see yer great grandkids and yer great, great grandkids. You’ll be around when they land on Mars. Maybe you’ll even be one of the guys who does it. Instead of dyin in twenty or thirty years you’ll be around to see all them predictions come true. Don’t ya wanna live forever?

As you think about this guy’s offer on a downtown street corner and what you are going to say to him let’s look at a similar offer made two-thousand years ago.

In today’s text John tells us Jesus has gone to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee and a large crowd has followed him "because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick." When Jesus "saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" After some hemming and hawing by Philip Jesus takes charge and feeds all five thousand people with five small barley loaves and two small fish. That does it. Suddenly all anyone in the crowd can think about is, "This man can take care of our physical needs with the wave of his hand. He cures illness and now he’s created food for all of us out of almost nothing. I’m staying close to this guy because I’ll never have to worry about anything again. He can provide all I need and my days of worry and work are over."

Jesus’ conversation with the crowd occurred the day after he fed 5,000 of them. Most of the crowd were probably working class people. They didn’t have big dreams because life was pretty much limited to getting through each day. Enough food, adequate shelter and freedom from injury and illness is enough for most of them and Jesus can deliver those basic needs. When we think about it, it’s not surprising that their focus is on the here and now. It’s also clear why they’re willing to quit their daily tasks to chase him all over the countryside.

But Jesus warns them they’re following him for the wrong reasons. "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

That sounds good so they ask him what’s required to get his "eternal" food. "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" You can almost hear their thoughts. "Maybe we can get him to give us food if we’ll follow him, food like God gave our ancestors when they followed him in the desert. We know he can do these miracles if he wants to. We just have to get him to want to take care of us all the time.

Jesus responds to their not-too-subtle hint by telling them to get their minds off their stomachs and start thinking about their souls. Either the crowds following Jesus are only interested in material blessings or they have become distracted by the blessings he has given. So they start out following him for the wrong reason or they started out okay but somewhere on the journey they began to focus on the physical benefits. They either can’t or don’t want to understand the spiritual purpose of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus offers himself as food so they can live forever and all they can think about is their growling stomachs and aching backs.

So how is your growling stomach and aching back? How often do we wrestle with the same problem or get distracted by the physical blessings the Lord so generously provides? Do we find ourselves standing on the same shore as that long-ago crowd seeking similar provision for our wants? Do we make food and other things the goal when they are just a means to the end? Is that a major misunderstanding in our life with the Lord?

Believers can make the same mistake of thinking that Jesus’ primary purpose is to make this life better. We can start thinking that Jesus has come to bring us happiness and we measure that happiness by how well life is going today. The poor people our team met in Rwanda this summer probably would be satisfied with the same things the crowd on the Sea of Galilee wanted but most of us are accustomed to much more. This often means that we get the job we want, we make the salary we desire, we live in our dream house furnished exactly as we’ve always hoped and it’s measured in countless other ways. For many satisfaction and contentment are determined by things we can measure and weigh and buy.

When people are asked what they’re seeking or what they want for their loved ones the most common answer is "happiness." When asked what brings happiness most of us even know the right answer. We’re not like those clueless people Jay Leno interviews in his "man-on-the-street" clips who would tell us happiness is a video ipod or the latest playstation or a cute boyfriend or a one-carat diamond ring. Most of us know happiness is found in healthy, loving relationships, it’s found in the ability to be content and even grateful with what we have, it’s found in having purpose and meaning in life and believers would say it’s found ultimately in a personal relationship with Jesus.

So why do we spend so much time on all the other stuff?

In the biblical story people seek the wrong food because they have the wrong definition of the "good life." They want manna or barley loaves and fish instead of Jesus. They find Jesus’ words hard to believe even though they’ve seen the miracles. But in his love for them Jesus continues to offer them spiritual food that lets them live forever and he even sweetens the offer. "...the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

His offer seems unbelievable. If they will believe in him - and by that he means trust his words, draw close, accept his love and his lordship - then their souls will never hunger or thirst again and he will never ever let them out of his sight or out of his grip. Living forever comes with a guarantee backed by God the Father. The Lord Jesus wants to nourish them forever and all they have to do is believe he is telling the truth and say yes. If they do they will know a peace and contentment and purpose that God alone gives. That is how much the Lord loves them.

And of course the same is true for us. Many forget or refuse to believe this world is Salt Lake City International Airport. You didn’t know that did you? Or at least you hadn’t thought about it that way. Like an airport this world is not our destination, it’s just the place we start our eternal journey from. We’re not going to spend much time here and we’re certainly not planning on making it our home. Some of you saw "The Terminal," a movie about a man stranded in the international travel section of an airport terminal because of bureaucratic red tape. He lived there for weeks so it’s possible to do but I don’t know anyone who would deliberately choose to live such a restricted lifestyle for very long. Fortunately none of us have to.

Jesus knows some of us come to him and some of us stay with him for the wrong reasons but on one level he just doesn’t care. As long as we’re hanging around watching and listening there’s hope that the good news he’s telling us will eventually sink in. So here it is again.

"...the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

"I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away."

"...my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

In other words Jesus came to give us new life, a life that will last forever. He personally makes it possible and he personally guarantees we will receive it now and have it forever. This new life means that in spite of life’s trials we will have all we need, we will not hunger and thirst for the essentials of that new life. And there is nothing we can do to lose that life because he will not let it happen.

This is pretty basic stuff for most believers. But basic stuff is foundational stuff and it’s what our lives are built upon. I joke that I eat from the four foundational food groups: sugar, caffeine, fat and salt but most of us know the consequences of such a diet. It’s not really foundational just as barley loaves and fish don’t nourish eternal life. This week I’d like you to watch your diet. When you look at the menu do you order barley loaves or bread of heaven. What are you hungry and thirsty for? If you discover your appetites are skewed ask the one who loves you to help you change. And he will because after all, he wants you to live forever.