Lighting Experience – Day 6

Today we begin from our reflection from the Gospel passage John chapter 6. This is a popular text especially when we remember the song; I am the Bread of Life. However, our reflection would not capture that theme. We are today drawn into a beautiful statement that Jesus said; “… not because you understood my miracles.” John 6:26 Jesus’ encounter with the Israelites is the same as the encounter we see around us, even today.

Jesus out of compassion miraculously fed the 5,000. He walked on the lake, then went to the synagogue to preach, and now the people were back for more bread. Jesus needed to address this situation by telling the people the truth.

Click below to read John chapter 6

21 Day Lighting Experience – John Chapter 6

6 After this, Jesus went across Lake Galilee (or, Lake Tiberias, as it is also called). 2 A large crowd followed him, because they had seen his miracles of healing the sick. 3 Jesus went up a hill and sat down with his disciples. 4 The time for the Passover Festival was near. 5 Jesus looked around and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, so he asked Philip, “Where can we buy enough food to feed all these people?” (6 He said this to test Philip; actually he already knew what he would do.) 7 Philip answered, “For everyone to have even a little, it would take more than two hundred silver coins[a] to buy enough bread.” 8 Another one of his disciples, Andrew, who was Simon Peter's brother, said, 9 “There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish. But they will certainly not be enough for all these people.” 10 “Make the people sit down,” Jesus told them. (There was a lot of grass there.) So all the people sat down; there were about five thousand men. 11 Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God, and distributed it to the people who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, and they all had as much as they wanted. 12 When they were all full, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces left over; let us not waste a bit.” 13 So they gathered them all and filled twelve baskets with the pieces left over from the five barley loaves which the people had eaten. 14 Seeing this miracle that Jesus had performed, the people there said, “Surely this is the Prophet[b] who was to come into the world!” 15 Jesus knew that they were about to come and seize him in order to make him king by force; so he went off again to the hills by himself. 16 When evening came, Jesus' disciples went down to the lake, 17 got into a boat, and went back across the lake toward Capernaum. Night came on, and Jesus still had not come to them. 18 By then a strong wind was blowing and stirring up the water. 19 The disciples had rowed about three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the water, coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 “Don't be afraid,” Jesus told them, “it is I!” 21 Then they willingly took him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached land at the place they were heading for. 22 Next day the crowd which had stayed on the other side of the lake realized that there had been only one boat there. They knew that Jesus had not gone in it with his disciples, but that they had left without him. 23 Other boats, which were from Tiberias, came to shore near the place where the crowd had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 When the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they got into those boats and went to Capernaum, looking for him. 25 When the people found Jesus on the other side of the lake, they said to him, “Teacher, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: you are looking for me because you ate the bread and had all you wanted, not because you understood my miracles. 27 Do not work for food that spoils; instead, work for the food that lasts for eternal life. This is the food which the Son of Man will give you, because God, the Father, has put his mark of approval on him.” 28 So they asked him, “What can we do in order to do what God wants us to do?” 29 Jesus answered, “What God wants you to do is to believe in the one he sent.” 30 They replied, “What miracle will you perform so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, just as the scripture says, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 “I am telling you the truth,” Jesus said. “What Moses gave you was not[c] the bread from heaven; it is my Father who gives you the real bread from heaven. 33 For the bread that God gives is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they asked him, “give us this bread always.” 35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “Those who come to me will never be hungry; those who believe in me will never be thirsty. 36 Now, I told you that you have seen me but will not believe. 37 Everyone whom my Father gives me will come to me. I will never turn away anyone who comes to me, 38 because I have come down from heaven to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And it is the will of him who sent me that I should not lose any of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them all to life on the last day. 40 For what my Father wants is that all who see the Son and believe in him should have eternal life. And I will raise them to life on the last day.” 41 The people started grumbling about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 So they said, “This man is Jesus son of Joseph, isn't he? We know his father and mother. How, then, does he now say he came down from heaven?” 43 Jesus answered, “Stop grumbling among yourselves. 44 People cannot come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me; and I will raise them to life on the last day. 45 The prophets wrote, ‘Everyone will be taught by God.’ Anyone who hears the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 This does not mean that anyone has seen the Father; he who is from God is the only one who has seen the Father. 47 I am telling you the truth: he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died. 50 But the bread that comes down from heaven is of such a kind that whoever eats it will not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If you eat this bread, you will live forever. The bread that I will give you is my flesh, which I give so that the world may live.” 52 This started an angry argument among them. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked. 53 Jesus said to them, “I am telling you the truth: if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in yourselves. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them to life on the last day. 55 For my flesh is the real food; my blood is the real drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood live in me, and I live in them. 57 The living Father sent me, and because of him I live also. In the same way whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This, then, is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread that your ancestors ate, but then later died. Those who eat this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said this as he taught in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60 Many of his followers heard this and said, “This teaching is too hard. Who can listen to it?” 61 Without being told, Jesus knew that they were grumbling about this, so he said to them, “Does this make you want to give up? 62 Suppose, then, that you should see the Son of Man go back up to the place where he was before? 63 What gives life is God's Spirit; human power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you bring God's life-giving Spirit. 64 Yet some of you do not believe.” (Jesus knew from the very beginning who were the ones that would not believe and which one would betray him.) 65 And he added, “This is the very reason I told you that no people can come to me unless the Father makes it possible for them to do so.” 66 Because of this, many of Jesus' followers turned back and would not go with him any more. 67 So he asked the twelve disciples, “And you—would you also like to leave?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 And now we believe and know that you are the Holy One who has come from God.” 70 Jesus replied, “I chose the twelve of you, didn't I? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 He was talking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. For Judas, even though he was one of the twelve disciples, was going to betray him.

Leaders of the world at various level are expected to provide the people they lead with some of sustenance. Sustenance could in the form of food, benefits, information, health care, education or infrastructure, to mention a few. Whether the leader is imposed, elected or selected, leading comes with its responsibilities. One of these responsibility is to lead the people with compassion, fairness, justice and truth.

The last component, the Truth, is often missing in the activities of those governing. It is so bad that many campaigns, before persons come into power, are froth with lies and fake promises. And why is this so? The truth is bitter, the truth is difficult, the truth is uncomfortable, the truth never appears simple, because the truth is the divine element for peace and justice but the world seems to thrives on chaos. This is because the truth brings light and people are steeped in darkness.

Jesus, in today’s reflection is confronted with the responsibility of a leader and he shows us the perfect example of saying the truth, no matter how difficult it may appear. Say the truth and let your light shine. Unlike worldly leaders who would not miss any chance to curry support and the people’s mandate. Jesus left the scene when he saw that they wanted to make him King by force. He knew it wasn’t right. Jesus also confronted the people when he saw that their interest in food was ill conceived.

When politicians make promises for the purpose of gaining support and vote, do we often see the underlying reason for the generosity of these leaders. When we choose to be generous to others, do we turn out to lord it on them and take advantage of them. Or shouldn’t we become light bearers and liberators?  

Jesus stated his mission in the gospel of Luke 4:18-19

The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

He never wanted to derail in his mission, which was his father’s will. The miracles Jesus performed helped him to accomplish his mission.

Back to the feeding of crowd: God is the great provider and there are countless passages in the bible that reveals this fact. We can talk of 40 years of manna to a whole nation; Elijah at the brook; Elijah and the widow; Elisha and the prophets. As Psalm 36 explains in Verses 8.

Click below to read Psalm 36

21 Day Lighting Experience – Psalm 36 (GNT)

36
Human Wickedness
Sin speaks to the wicked deep in their hearts; they reject God and do not have reverence for him. 2 Because they think so highly of themselves, they think that God will not discover their sin and condemn it. 3 Their speech is wicked and full of lies; they no longer do what is wise and good. 4 They make evil plans as they lie in bed; nothing they do is good, and they never reject anything evil.

The Goodness of God
5 Lord, your constant love reaches the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the skies. 6 Your righteousness is towering like the mountains; your justice is like the depths of the sea. People and animals are in your care. 7 How precious, O God, is your constant love! We find[b] protection under the shadow of your wings. 8 We feast on the abundant food you provide; you let us drink from the river of your goodness. 9 You are the source of all life, and because of your light we see the light. 10 Continue to love those who know you and to do good to those who are righteous. 11 Do not let proud people attack me or the wicked make me run away. 12 See where evil people have fallen. There they lie, unable to rise.

It is in the nature of God to provide for his creatures, especially the righteous. This is why Jesus gives us confidence to say in the Lord’s Prayer: Give us this day, our daily bread.

However, Jesus invites us to ask for that bread that is eternal when he explains in verse 27: “Do not work for the food that goes bad; instead work for the food that lasts for eternal life.”

This is Jesus’ invitation to us all to take up a higher responsibility as leaders in our individual space. We are to lead the right life. We are to lead others to the truth. We are to lead others into the light: lead others into eternal light.

26 Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: you are looking for me because you ate the bread and had all you wanted, not because you understood my miracles.

Jesus’ reason for coming into the world is so that he can save us and give us eternal life. Jesus invites us to be part of this mission and we in turn are to invite others into this mission. Is there anything bad with the mission of bringing people to eternal life? So why do people refuse or look the other way? Is it a hard teaching? Is the message of eternal life we preach to other an uncomfortable teaching? World you stay with Jesus on this mission?

Join us tomorrow, 7th February for Lighting Experience – Day 7

Speechlesswaters

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *