St. John 6:22-35
Divine Service
Pentecost 11 (Proper 15) 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I have been told that the people who designed our Sunday lessons try to ensure that at least the Old Testament lesson and the Gospel have something in common.  I sometimes doubt it, but in today’s lessons it is absolutely true.  In fact, our Gospel lesson points directly to the Old Testament and the manna that God sent to His people as they traveled through the desert of Sinai after leaving Egypt.  And the lesson centers on Moses as the man who gets God to provide for these people.

When it comes to religion, people want to see signs and people want to do works.  That's why the people liked Moses.  He came with signs: the ten plagues, the Passover, the parting of the Red Sea.  More to the point for today's Gospel lesson, it was during the time of Moses that manna fell from heaven for forty years, and the people of Israel were fed.  Those were amazing signs, and people like signs.  Moses came with works, too.  After forty days on Mt.  Sinai, he came into the camp with the Ten Commandments and a lot more Law besides.  He told the people what works to do, how to live. 

This was a hero that people could get a handle on: A man who brought bread from heaven and told them how to live.  Moses was the model of the devout Israelite, the man of signs and works; and as the people continued to remember and honor his memory, they also remembered that he had promised that a prophet like himself would come.  Some day, the Prophet would arrive.  Of course, the people didn't quite get the story right on Moses.  It wasn't Moses who brought manna from heaven, but God; and as the Lord's spokesman, all Moses did was tell the people it was coming.  It wasn't Moses who authored the Ten Commandments; again, the Lord gave them to Moses, and Moses simply repeated them to the people.  Moses never claimed any pride in these acts, but merely acknowledged that he was a prophet of God.  But it's always easier to put trust in what you see than what you don't see, and Moses was the hero in the eyes of the people throughout the generations.  He'd been a wise and fearless leader; and he'd come with the signs and the works.

In today's Gospel lesson, Jesus has left the multitudes and partly walked, partly sailed across the Sea of Galilee.  The crowds follow Him, and with good reason: He has just fed 5,000 men with five barley loaves and two fish.  Just like Moses, this Man works miracles with bread.  Maybe, just maybe, this is the Prophet whom Moses said would come; so the people track down Jesus on the other side.  If He is the Prophet, then it makes sense that He'll do what Moses did: He'll make sure they're miraculously fed every day for the rest of their lives. 

But when the people find Jesus, He doesn't respond as they had hoped, but says, "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. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."  This Jesus is different from what they remember of Moses: Moses gave them food and told them what to do.  Jesus tells them to forget about the bread and fish – He's not here to be the daily meal ticket – and to look for everlasting food instead.  At the same time, He tells them that He is the Son of Man, come with God the Father's approval to give them everlasting life.

He's about everlasting food, not daily bread, so they still have to worry about what to eat.  Still, He might be the second Moses; in which case, He's going to give them commandments and tell them what to do.  So they ask, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" In other words, "What commandments should we obey in order to get this bread; this eternal life?"

The Lord's response is short and surprising: "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."  That's it: the work of God is to believe in Jesus.  Believe in Jesus, and you will have eternal life.  It's a strange message.  The rules normally go like this: to get something good, you have to work for it; to get something eternally good, you must have to work a whole lot harder.  To be that easy goes against all that the natural man wants to hear.  Yet this Jesus declares that all they have to do is believe; it can't be that easy, can it?  There has to be hard work involved.  Better not trust this Man yet. 

In any event, they're looking for a new and improved Moses, one who will give them bread and tell them what to do.  Is Jesus a second Moses?  Better find out.  They question 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.'"  It's a gauntlet thrown: why should we believe in You, Jesus?  The Israelites followed Moses because of the signs he showed – like manna from heaven.  Why should we switch from Moses to You?

The Lord sets them straight with His answer: "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  The news is astonishing.  First, Jesus makes clear that Moses didn't bring the manna down; it was God who gave the bread from heaven.  But more than that is not that God gave, but that God gives.  At that moment, God is sending bread down from heaven to give eternal life to the world!  What good news!  The people exclaim, ‘”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."’  This is Good News indeed – and far better than what they thought Moses had to offer.  Remember what they thought was the message of Moses: "Do these things and you'll get bread."  What Jesus says is far better: "Believe in Me and you'll live forever."  And human logic says that I have to have food to live – let alone live forever!

You see, here's the thing with Moses.  He was God's instrument to lead Israel out of Egypt, and to give the Ten Commandments to the people.  It was under his leadership that the people survived the wilderness, and during his time that manna fell, quail arrived, and water flowed from a rock.  But despite all these miracles, Moses couldn't keep a single one from dying.  No matter how hard the people tried to keep the commandments and do those Law-works of God, they couldn't do them and they perished.  Moses was a great prophet, but he couldn't save any of them.  A greater Prophet was coming who would.

Jesus announces the glorious news that He is the great Prophet whom Moses declared was coming.  He is sent from God to save, and He will do all the work required for the salvation of the world.  He will live the perfect, obedient life.  He will suffer God's judgment on the cross and die for the sins of the world.  When He breathes His last, there is no more work to be done to atone for the sins of the world.  There are no works of God left to do; that is why He simply tells the people to believe in Him, because He has eternal life to give with the forgiveness of sins.  And what will be the sign that the work is done? The Bread of Life hanging on a cross, given there for the life of the world.

People are people, and people still want God to act the way the Jews requested of Jesus.  They want signs and they want works.  People still want signs: They want proof that God is at work here and now, and this proof must be something they can see or feel or experience.  If a man can heal the sick on TV, he must be worth following.  If people lapse into an altered state of mind during worship, then God must be blessing that congregation.  If the numbers of members or dollars are growing tremendously in a church, it must be God at work.  If the message leaves someone feeling peaceful or feeling energized, that must be a good and godly message.  These are the sorts of signs that people desire.

The question we pose is this: These may be the signs that people desire, but are these the signs that God promises to provide?  Where does God declare that a sign of a good preacher is that he appears to heal the sick?  Where does the God of order say that trances and altered states of mind are a sign of His presence?  Where does the Lord of the remnant of Israel equate numbers with success?  Where does the Lord of Law and Gospel say that His message is meant for emotional peace or energy?  Although these are signs that people desire and believe to be godly, they are not the signs that God provides.

Furthermore, people want works.  Religion makes sense when it involves working your way to heaven.  That's how it works in this world: If you want something good, you've got to work hard to earn it.  Therefore, it only makes sense that if you want the treasures of heaven you have to work even harder.  This may come as a surprise, as something you have never thought about, but it is true: every religion, except true Christianity, is a religion of works.  Every other religion besides Christianity teaches that you get to heaven by what you do.  The works will differ as do the names of the different gods.  Some will tell you that you must perform works of service to others in order to earn salvation.  Others teach that you must destroy the infidel in order to avoid destruction yourself.  Some will say that it's a matter of keeping the rules, of achieving perfection in this life or at least living a life "good enough" to meet God's satisfaction.  Others will teach that you are saved by your work of meditation, by elevating your thinking and mental state to become one with God.  Others point you to your emotions, proclaiming that you have eternal life when you feel euphorically "at one" with God.  The works might be works of physical labor, mental exercise or emotional ecstasy.  But they are all things that you must do in order to be saved.

But we ask this question: Which of these works raises you from the dead for eternal life?  When have you done enough good things to pay the debt of your sin and then earn your way into heaven?  The Bible frankly responds that it is impossible.  How can you be sure that your finite mind can reach up to grasp the presence of God?  Again, the Scriptures say you cannot.  For every emotional mountaintop, there is an emotional chasm: while emotions are a gift of God, do you really want to base salvation on a roller coaster?  Or, more pointedly: if your works of body, mind and emotion cannot keep you alive, how can they raise you from the dead?  They cannot: Isaiah speaks the truth, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away" (Isaiah 64:6).  This is why any religion that tells you to rely on your own works cannot save you.  This is why all religions besides Christianity lead to despair.  And this is why we preach to you Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.

God sent manna to the Israelites every day for forty years; and yet remarkable as that miracle was, it was only to point to a greater miracle: God sent His Son to earth, conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary.  Here, then, are the signs and works of God for you.  First, the works: Jesus has done them all.  He's led the perfect life and died the sinner's death.  He gives you the credit for His perfection and He takes away your sins.  These are the works of God for your salvation, but they are not works for you to do.  Jesus has done them in your stead, and He gives you the credit for them as He forgives your sins.

Those are the works, and these are the signs.  First is Holy Baptism, where the Lord works water and His Word for your salvation.  Are you baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost?  Then you have God's guarantee and seal that He has forgiven your sins and made you His own.  Baptism is not a spectacular sign like the world seeks, but it is a sign that God gives.  It is more than a sign, because it doesn't just point to forgiveness; it gives the forgiveness of Jesus to you.  Are you baptized?  Then the Lord has made you His.

Another sign is Holy Absolution, where a pastor stands before you and says, "In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."  This declaration does more than point you to forgiveness; once again, it gives it to you.  Should you wonder, "How can I be sure that God forgives even me? What sort of a sign does He give?"  It couldn't be any clearer than this: Through one of His servants, the Lord says, "I forgive you."

The Lord gives yet another sign: Holy Communion.  Jesus Christ, the living bread from heaven, gave His body and shed His blood on the cross for your salvation.  Now He gives His body and blood to you for the forgiveness of sins.  The bread and wine are not just symbols of Christ's forgiveness: In, with and under them are His body and blood, for the forgiveness of sins.

How wondrous are these signs! They appear mundane, but they are certainly sent from God.  Do you seek a sign? Look no further.  Within these means of grace, the Lord says, "Here I am, to forgive you and to give you the works of God for your salvation."  We point you only to the works of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the living Bread sent from heaven by God the Father.  He is the One who lived for you and died for you.  He is the One who has conquered the grave and risen from the dead, so that He might raise you from the dead.  He is the One who gives you salvation today by His Word and Sacraments.  He is the One who declares to you today, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirst." You will never hunger or thirst for righteousness, because you have eternal life from God; because you are forgiven for all of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

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