Leftover Grace
Preaching
Your Faith Has Made You Well
Preaching The Miracles
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.
The Gospel of John does not have a year in the lectionary cycle. Passages from John are scattered throughout the three-year cycle. Because of this piecemeal approach to John congregations may not get a full understanding of John as a complete narrative. The preacher may need to help the congregation place the readings from John in context. For example, this passage refers to Jesus' previous signs (6:2). The preacher may need to refresh the congregation's memory about the earlier signs in John (such as turning water into wine in ch. 2 and the healing of the son of the royal official in ch. 4).
The remarks below will concentrate on the first of the two miracles in this passage: the feeding of the multitude. It is the better developed of the two incidents. Some of the information provided above concerning the stilling of the storm in Mark 4 may be helpful in studying the narrative of Jesus walking on the water in John 6.
Background
In both of the Genesis creation accounts, God provides abundant food for sustaining human and animal life. Genesis 1:29 designates plants and fruit as food for people. In Genesis 2:9, the first act of the Lord God on behalf of the newly created human is to plant a garden for food. The plants in the garden provide good food that is pleasing to the eye. Part of God's good creation is a supply of easily attainable food.
The initial act of disobedience in Genesis involves eating. The man and woman both eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6). The consequences of people eating the wrong thing were far-reaching. The punishment to the man for disobeying God was estrangement from the abundant and attainable food. Obtaining food became a frustrating struggle (Genesis 3:17-19). The Genesis accounts convey the necessity of food for people, God's will to provide it and the deprivation of food people experience in the fallen creation.
Later biblical writers continue the theme of deprivation of food as part of the fallen nature of the creation. They often interpret famine or hunger as God's judgment or as an indication of the alienation between humanity and creation (Ezekiel 14:21; Deuteronomy 28:48). In one narrative, hunger drove a mother to eat her son, an act bordering on the total loss of decency and humanity (2 Kings 6:24-29).
During Israel's wilderness experience after the exodus from Egypt, the Lord provided food for the journey. This food was a response to the complaints of the people. Each morning the Lord provided "manna" on the ground. Each evening quail covered the camp. The regularity and abundance of the food were manifestations of God's providence. The Lord instructed the people to trust that the Lord would appear each day. Following the Lord's instructions about how much to gather, and gathering enough for two days before the sabbath, were tests of the people's obedience. The purpose of the experience of receiving the food was to enable the people to acknowledge the identity of the Lord (Exodus 16).
The Babylonian exile was marked by hunger and deprivation. Lamentations expresses the anguish of the ones left behind in Jerusalem. A desperate search for food is one of the agonies of that time (Lamentations 1:11, 19; 2:12, 19). Once again, hunger drives the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cannibalism (2:20). The Lord's action to restore the Judeans to their land is depicted as a time of abundant food (Isaiah 49:9; Amos 9:13-15).
2 Baruch 29:8 identifies a reappearance of the manna from heaven as a sign of the eschaton. This passage was likely written at approximately the same time as the Gospel of John or shortly afterward. It may, nevertheless, express ideas that predated the writing of John.
One of the works attributed to Elisha was the miraculous feeding of 100 men with twenty barley loaves and some grain. This narrative follows Elisha's act to make fresh a pot of stew that had spoiled. Both acts took place during a famine. God acted through the prophet to provide adequate food (2 Kings 4:38-44, see also 1 Kings 17:1-16 for a story about Elijah enabling a woman and her son to survive a famine).
All three of the synoptic gospels contain a parallel to this story (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17). John has either changed many of the details in the story or has used a different source from the synoptics. In John, the incident takes place on a mountain. In John, Jesus initiates the discussion of how to feed the crowd. Only John includes the detail of the boy having food. Only in John does Jesus test Philip.
Literary Analysis
Chapter 6 does not fit within the storyline of the Gospel of John. In chapter 5 Jesus is in Jerusalem. John does not say why he is on the Sea of Galilee at the beginning of chapter 6. Chapter 7 implies that Jesus has just left Judea for Galilee. Many scholars have proposed rearranging chapters 4-7 to make a better fit. Instead of such speculation perhaps we should read John as we have it. The final editor of John likely had a theological purpose in placing these chapters the way they are.
With several details about time, setting, and action the narrator associates Jesus with Moses. Jesus has just crossed a body of water as Moses crossed the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 14; John 6:1). The event is a time of testing as was the wilderness wandering (John 6:6; Deuteronomy 8:2). The feeding takes place at Passover, an important prelude to the Lord's delivery of the people from Egypt (Exodus 11-13). Even the large crowd may be intended to evoke the large number of people who left Egypt. Only in John does Jesus perform the miracle on a mountain, perhaps an allusion to Moses on Sinai.
The conversation between Jesus and Philip follows a typical pattern in John. Throughout the gospel Jesus converses with people who don't "get it." Nicodemus doesn't understand about being born again or born from above (John 3). The woman at the well does not understand about the living water (John 4). Philip doesn't understand Jesus' question about the food (6:6-8). Philip interprets the situation concretely, calculating the amount of money needed to purchase food. As in the previous conversations between Jesus and other characters, John uses the dialogue to enable the reader to interpret the story. Jesus provides what the world cannot provide (see 14:27).
In the synoptic gospels, the disciples initiate the conversation about how to feed the crowd. In John, Jesus initiates the conversation. This difference is consistent with the portrayal of Jesus in John. Jesus knows about people and knows what will happen. Jesus is in charge of the situation.
The crowd is a mystery. They follow Jesus because they saw the signs. Do some among them need healing? Do they simply want to see Jesus perform another sign? Do they want to become disciples? The reader does not know exactly why they follow Jesus, especially if they have brought no food with them. The crowd is quite passive up through verse 14. They follow Jesus, do as they are told, and receive the food offered by Jesus. In verse 14 they finally speak, identifying Jesus as "the prophet who is to come into the world." This could be a reference to Deuteronomy 18:15-22, a promise that a prophet like Moses shall arise. In the Deuteronomy passage, the people are to heed the words of this prophet.
In verse 15, the passivity of the crowd ceases. They assume an active role in taking Jesus "by force to make him king." The crowd now assumes a hostile stance, seeking to force Jesus into a role he does not want. Even if, as some scholars suspect, this verse has been inserted into the text in a late redaction of John, in the form of John we have now the crowd misinterprets the miracle. One role of a king was to provide for the needs of the subjects (see Daniel 4:12). Jesus is not the king the people expect.
The storm at sea in 16-21 is an outbreak of the demonic forces. Perhaps they sense Jesus' power in the feeding. Jesus is master of the sea and the demonic forces it represents. Human misunderstanding and demonic resistance follow Jesus' feeding of the multitude to his ministry. Perhaps the demons do understand the significance of the feeding!
Theological Reflection
All four gospels employ eucharistic language in the depiction of the miraculous feeding. In John's account, Jesus gives thanks and distributes the food. As a whole, the Gospel of John neglects the sacraments. At the last supper, for instance, Jesus washes the disciples' feet instead of distributing bread and wine.
If John intends this story to convey a theology of the eucharist two important emphases stand out. One emphasis is that this incident involves genuine hunger. By having this story do so much of the interpretive work for the eucharist, John ties the sacrament more closely to human need. Sharing the eucharist together propels the church out into the world of concrete suffering. Another emphasis is that -- in contrast to the last supper -- more than just the disciples share in this meal. Jesus feeds a huge crowd. God offers overabundant grace to the church (represented by the disciples at the last supper) but also to the world. God offers grace indiscriminately. Jesus fed all of those present, not just those who were "good" or "worthy."
The interpretation of the feeding in 6:25-59 reveals the eschatological dimension of the miracle. Jesus is the "Bread of Life." The Bread of Life nourishes the church as it awaits and bears witness to the resurrection. Eternal life begins now but reaches fulfillment in the resurrection.
The miracles in the Gospel of John are "signs" pointing to Jesus' identity. This passage interprets Jesus as a new Moses. As the new Moses, Jesus constitutes the church as the people of God.
The incident on the water in 6:16-21 reveals deeper dimensions of Jesus' identity. By walking on the water while the sea is rough and the wind is blowing, Jesus asserts his authority over the forces of nature and even the demonic realm. By exclaiming to the frightened disciples, "It is I," Jesus claims divine authority. The Greek sentence "I am" recalls the YHWH in the Old Testament. YHWH is rooted in the Hebrew verb "to be." Although scholars debate the exact translation of YHWH, some possibilities include "I am who I am," or "I will be who I will be." By placing the words "I am" in Jesus' mouth John identifies Jesus as part of the Godhead.
Pastoral Reading
Every pastor encounters people who do not have enough, whether the lack involves food, money, love, or something else. During the recession and economic hardship of the first few years of the twenty-first-century food pantries and soup kitchens were overwhelmed with the sheer number of people needing assistance. Some agencies reported that former supporters now appeared at their door as clients. Nearly two-thirds of the world experiences chronic malnutrition or starvation. Poverty produces hopelessness and exacerbates social problems such as alcoholism and domestic violence. People who receive too little love, often become bitter. People who do not receive enough love early in life seem to lose the capacity to accept love when someone tries to offer it. In the midst of this crying need, the preacher proclaims from this passage God's excess of grace. That grace motivates the church to meet people's needs. God's grace is a word of hope and encouragement to those who do not have enough.
Something about this passage evokes a curiosity in many people (preachers included) to know "what really happened" at the miraculous feeding. How did Jesus feed all of those people with so little food? A recurring "explanation" of this miracle is that the people in the crowd were inspired by the little boy's offer of the loaves and fish. They really had food all along but were reluctant to share it. When they saw the boy give up his food they broke down and shared as well. Such an "explanation" does not take seriously John's purpose in the passage. Jesus can do what is impossible by human means. Jesus restores the abundance of food before the fall (see Genesis 2). Jesus' actions recall the abundant manna during the wilderness wandering. Jesus is the bread of life. Attempts to discover a rational explanation for the miracle sell this passage short. As important as sharing is this passage goes much deeper than sharing. When we read this passage we should not try to figure out what happened historically. We should just hold out our hands to receive God's abundant grace.
Preaching Strategies
A preacher can treat this compelling text with at least four approaches. Each approach makes a legitimate connection with a concern of the text. I will call these four approaches concrete, existential, ecclesial, and eschatological.
In a concrete approach, the preacher can direct attention to the genuine physical hunger of the crowd in the narrative. John does not tell us why the crowd puts itself in the situation of being so far from a source of food. Whatever the reason they made themselves so vulnerable, they are hungry. Jesus takes the fish and barley loaves (food usually associated with the poor) and meets the material needs of a large group of people. A sermon taking the concrete approach to this pericope can call the church to take seriously the devastating hunger and deprivation of the world. According to an undated newsletter from "Bread for the World," one third of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is chronically malnourished (figures are for 2004). The AIDS pandemic exacerbates the situation because workers are too sick to tend the crops that might alleviate the hunger. Even if Americans do not face starvation, many people in this country are malnourished. A sermon taking a concrete approach to this passage can alert the church to the crisis and empower a response.
The existential approach to this passage might name other ways in which people feel deprived. The narrative describes an emptiness that Jesus fills to overflowing. Many people sitting in the pews feel emotionally empty. Although emotional deprivation is not as urgent as starvation, many people who have adequate material resources need a word of grace from the pulpit. God fills our emotional emptiness and meets our hunger for love.
The ecclesial approach to this passage encourages the church in its ministry to the world. The church often faces enormous obstacles to its ministry, often with meager resources. Not only does the church lack the money to do the ministry it needs to do but also sometimes congregations can struggle just to pay the bills. Beyond just the creative use of resources by members to stretch what they have churches often find that more gets done, with only a little, than anyone could imagine. God works through the gifts we offer.
The eschatological approach to this text draws on the eucharistic allusions in the story. Theologians often speak of the eschaton as a messianic banquet. In the eschaton, everyone will have enough. This approach draws on the interpretation of the feeding offered in 6:25-40. Jesus is the "Bread of Life" (v. 35). The bread from heaven gives life to the creation (6:33). One purpose of the feeding was to encourage belief. Belief leads to eternal life (6:40). In the eschatological approach to the text, the preacher can interpret communion as a foretaste of the messianic banquet and as sustaining spiritual nourishment for our lives now.
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.
The Gospel of John does not have a year in the lectionary cycle. Passages from John are scattered throughout the three-year cycle. Because of this piecemeal approach to John congregations may not get a full understanding of John as a complete narrative. The preacher may need to help the congregation place the readings from John in context. For example, this passage refers to Jesus' previous signs (6:2). The preacher may need to refresh the congregation's memory about the earlier signs in John (such as turning water into wine in ch. 2 and the healing of the son of the royal official in ch. 4).
The remarks below will concentrate on the first of the two miracles in this passage: the feeding of the multitude. It is the better developed of the two incidents. Some of the information provided above concerning the stilling of the storm in Mark 4 may be helpful in studying the narrative of Jesus walking on the water in John 6.
Background
In both of the Genesis creation accounts, God provides abundant food for sustaining human and animal life. Genesis 1:29 designates plants and fruit as food for people. In Genesis 2:9, the first act of the Lord God on behalf of the newly created human is to plant a garden for food. The plants in the garden provide good food that is pleasing to the eye. Part of God's good creation is a supply of easily attainable food.
The initial act of disobedience in Genesis involves eating. The man and woman both eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6). The consequences of people eating the wrong thing were far-reaching. The punishment to the man for disobeying God was estrangement from the abundant and attainable food. Obtaining food became a frustrating struggle (Genesis 3:17-19). The Genesis accounts convey the necessity of food for people, God's will to provide it and the deprivation of food people experience in the fallen creation.
Later biblical writers continue the theme of deprivation of food as part of the fallen nature of the creation. They often interpret famine or hunger as God's judgment or as an indication of the alienation between humanity and creation (Ezekiel 14:21; Deuteronomy 28:48). In one narrative, hunger drove a mother to eat her son, an act bordering on the total loss of decency and humanity (2 Kings 6:24-29).
During Israel's wilderness experience after the exodus from Egypt, the Lord provided food for the journey. This food was a response to the complaints of the people. Each morning the Lord provided "manna" on the ground. Each evening quail covered the camp. The regularity and abundance of the food were manifestations of God's providence. The Lord instructed the people to trust that the Lord would appear each day. Following the Lord's instructions about how much to gather, and gathering enough for two days before the sabbath, were tests of the people's obedience. The purpose of the experience of receiving the food was to enable the people to acknowledge the identity of the Lord (Exodus 16).
The Babylonian exile was marked by hunger and deprivation. Lamentations expresses the anguish of the ones left behind in Jerusalem. A desperate search for food is one of the agonies of that time (Lamentations 1:11, 19; 2:12, 19). Once again, hunger drives the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cannibalism (2:20). The Lord's action to restore the Judeans to their land is depicted as a time of abundant food (Isaiah 49:9; Amos 9:13-15).
2 Baruch 29:8 identifies a reappearance of the manna from heaven as a sign of the eschaton. This passage was likely written at approximately the same time as the Gospel of John or shortly afterward. It may, nevertheless, express ideas that predated the writing of John.
One of the works attributed to Elisha was the miraculous feeding of 100 men with twenty barley loaves and some grain. This narrative follows Elisha's act to make fresh a pot of stew that had spoiled. Both acts took place during a famine. God acted through the prophet to provide adequate food (2 Kings 4:38-44, see also 1 Kings 17:1-16 for a story about Elijah enabling a woman and her son to survive a famine).
All three of the synoptic gospels contain a parallel to this story (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17). John has either changed many of the details in the story or has used a different source from the synoptics. In John, the incident takes place on a mountain. In John, Jesus initiates the discussion of how to feed the crowd. Only John includes the detail of the boy having food. Only in John does Jesus test Philip.
Literary Analysis
Chapter 6 does not fit within the storyline of the Gospel of John. In chapter 5 Jesus is in Jerusalem. John does not say why he is on the Sea of Galilee at the beginning of chapter 6. Chapter 7 implies that Jesus has just left Judea for Galilee. Many scholars have proposed rearranging chapters 4-7 to make a better fit. Instead of such speculation perhaps we should read John as we have it. The final editor of John likely had a theological purpose in placing these chapters the way they are.
With several details about time, setting, and action the narrator associates Jesus with Moses. Jesus has just crossed a body of water as Moses crossed the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 14; John 6:1). The event is a time of testing as was the wilderness wandering (John 6:6; Deuteronomy 8:2). The feeding takes place at Passover, an important prelude to the Lord's delivery of the people from Egypt (Exodus 11-13). Even the large crowd may be intended to evoke the large number of people who left Egypt. Only in John does Jesus perform the miracle on a mountain, perhaps an allusion to Moses on Sinai.
The conversation between Jesus and Philip follows a typical pattern in John. Throughout the gospel Jesus converses with people who don't "get it." Nicodemus doesn't understand about being born again or born from above (John 3). The woman at the well does not understand about the living water (John 4). Philip doesn't understand Jesus' question about the food (6:6-8). Philip interprets the situation concretely, calculating the amount of money needed to purchase food. As in the previous conversations between Jesus and other characters, John uses the dialogue to enable the reader to interpret the story. Jesus provides what the world cannot provide (see 14:27).
In the synoptic gospels, the disciples initiate the conversation about how to feed the crowd. In John, Jesus initiates the conversation. This difference is consistent with the portrayal of Jesus in John. Jesus knows about people and knows what will happen. Jesus is in charge of the situation.
The crowd is a mystery. They follow Jesus because they saw the signs. Do some among them need healing? Do they simply want to see Jesus perform another sign? Do they want to become disciples? The reader does not know exactly why they follow Jesus, especially if they have brought no food with them. The crowd is quite passive up through verse 14. They follow Jesus, do as they are told, and receive the food offered by Jesus. In verse 14 they finally speak, identifying Jesus as "the prophet who is to come into the world." This could be a reference to Deuteronomy 18:15-22, a promise that a prophet like Moses shall arise. In the Deuteronomy passage, the people are to heed the words of this prophet.
In verse 15, the passivity of the crowd ceases. They assume an active role in taking Jesus "by force to make him king." The crowd now assumes a hostile stance, seeking to force Jesus into a role he does not want. Even if, as some scholars suspect, this verse has been inserted into the text in a late redaction of John, in the form of John we have now the crowd misinterprets the miracle. One role of a king was to provide for the needs of the subjects (see Daniel 4:12). Jesus is not the king the people expect.
The storm at sea in 16-21 is an outbreak of the demonic forces. Perhaps they sense Jesus' power in the feeding. Jesus is master of the sea and the demonic forces it represents. Human misunderstanding and demonic resistance follow Jesus' feeding of the multitude to his ministry. Perhaps the demons do understand the significance of the feeding!
Theological Reflection
All four gospels employ eucharistic language in the depiction of the miraculous feeding. In John's account, Jesus gives thanks and distributes the food. As a whole, the Gospel of John neglects the sacraments. At the last supper, for instance, Jesus washes the disciples' feet instead of distributing bread and wine.
If John intends this story to convey a theology of the eucharist two important emphases stand out. One emphasis is that this incident involves genuine hunger. By having this story do so much of the interpretive work for the eucharist, John ties the sacrament more closely to human need. Sharing the eucharist together propels the church out into the world of concrete suffering. Another emphasis is that -- in contrast to the last supper -- more than just the disciples share in this meal. Jesus feeds a huge crowd. God offers overabundant grace to the church (represented by the disciples at the last supper) but also to the world. God offers grace indiscriminately. Jesus fed all of those present, not just those who were "good" or "worthy."
The interpretation of the feeding in 6:25-59 reveals the eschatological dimension of the miracle. Jesus is the "Bread of Life." The Bread of Life nourishes the church as it awaits and bears witness to the resurrection. Eternal life begins now but reaches fulfillment in the resurrection.
The miracles in the Gospel of John are "signs" pointing to Jesus' identity. This passage interprets Jesus as a new Moses. As the new Moses, Jesus constitutes the church as the people of God.
The incident on the water in 6:16-21 reveals deeper dimensions of Jesus' identity. By walking on the water while the sea is rough and the wind is blowing, Jesus asserts his authority over the forces of nature and even the demonic realm. By exclaiming to the frightened disciples, "It is I," Jesus claims divine authority. The Greek sentence "I am" recalls the YHWH in the Old Testament. YHWH is rooted in the Hebrew verb "to be." Although scholars debate the exact translation of YHWH, some possibilities include "I am who I am," or "I will be who I will be." By placing the words "I am" in Jesus' mouth John identifies Jesus as part of the Godhead.
Pastoral Reading
Every pastor encounters people who do not have enough, whether the lack involves food, money, love, or something else. During the recession and economic hardship of the first few years of the twenty-first-century food pantries and soup kitchens were overwhelmed with the sheer number of people needing assistance. Some agencies reported that former supporters now appeared at their door as clients. Nearly two-thirds of the world experiences chronic malnutrition or starvation. Poverty produces hopelessness and exacerbates social problems such as alcoholism and domestic violence. People who receive too little love, often become bitter. People who do not receive enough love early in life seem to lose the capacity to accept love when someone tries to offer it. In the midst of this crying need, the preacher proclaims from this passage God's excess of grace. That grace motivates the church to meet people's needs. God's grace is a word of hope and encouragement to those who do not have enough.
Something about this passage evokes a curiosity in many people (preachers included) to know "what really happened" at the miraculous feeding. How did Jesus feed all of those people with so little food? A recurring "explanation" of this miracle is that the people in the crowd were inspired by the little boy's offer of the loaves and fish. They really had food all along but were reluctant to share it. When they saw the boy give up his food they broke down and shared as well. Such an "explanation" does not take seriously John's purpose in the passage. Jesus can do what is impossible by human means. Jesus restores the abundance of food before the fall (see Genesis 2). Jesus' actions recall the abundant manna during the wilderness wandering. Jesus is the bread of life. Attempts to discover a rational explanation for the miracle sell this passage short. As important as sharing is this passage goes much deeper than sharing. When we read this passage we should not try to figure out what happened historically. We should just hold out our hands to receive God's abundant grace.
Preaching Strategies
A preacher can treat this compelling text with at least four approaches. Each approach makes a legitimate connection with a concern of the text. I will call these four approaches concrete, existential, ecclesial, and eschatological.
In a concrete approach, the preacher can direct attention to the genuine physical hunger of the crowd in the narrative. John does not tell us why the crowd puts itself in the situation of being so far from a source of food. Whatever the reason they made themselves so vulnerable, they are hungry. Jesus takes the fish and barley loaves (food usually associated with the poor) and meets the material needs of a large group of people. A sermon taking the concrete approach to this pericope can call the church to take seriously the devastating hunger and deprivation of the world. According to an undated newsletter from "Bread for the World," one third of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is chronically malnourished (figures are for 2004). The AIDS pandemic exacerbates the situation because workers are too sick to tend the crops that might alleviate the hunger. Even if Americans do not face starvation, many people in this country are malnourished. A sermon taking a concrete approach to this passage can alert the church to the crisis and empower a response.
The existential approach to this passage might name other ways in which people feel deprived. The narrative describes an emptiness that Jesus fills to overflowing. Many people sitting in the pews feel emotionally empty. Although emotional deprivation is not as urgent as starvation, many people who have adequate material resources need a word of grace from the pulpit. God fills our emotional emptiness and meets our hunger for love.
The ecclesial approach to this passage encourages the church in its ministry to the world. The church often faces enormous obstacles to its ministry, often with meager resources. Not only does the church lack the money to do the ministry it needs to do but also sometimes congregations can struggle just to pay the bills. Beyond just the creative use of resources by members to stretch what they have churches often find that more gets done, with only a little, than anyone could imagine. God works through the gifts we offer.
The eschatological approach to this text draws on the eucharistic allusions in the story. Theologians often speak of the eschaton as a messianic banquet. In the eschaton, everyone will have enough. This approach draws on the interpretation of the feeding offered in 6:25-40. Jesus is the "Bread of Life" (v. 35). The bread from heaven gives life to the creation (6:33). One purpose of the feeding was to encourage belief. Belief leads to eternal life (6:40). In the eschatological approach to the text, the preacher can interpret communion as a foretaste of the messianic banquet and as sustaining spiritual nourishment for our lives now.
