Sermon

John 6:51-58

The Main Course

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John 6:51-58

The Main Course

The Rev. Alex Stevenson

There’s nothing like a good meal. When you are really hungry it is especially good. On our vacation we took a cruise. The food was exceptional. It was prepared well and presented well. But what made it even better was that we were hungry by the time we sat down. I don’t know if it was the salt air or the fact that we were doing so much, but the food just tasted wonderful.

The other thing about a good meal is that it settles you down. I don’t know about you but when I get hungry I get nervous. I just tend to get jittery and jumpy. But a good meal settles me down. I am more at peace and relaxed after a good meal.

And of course a good meal gives me strength. Hunger can make you weak. But a good meal, not one full of empty calories, but a meal that is good for you can give you strength. That is why they say that breakfast is so important. It gives you energy to get the day started right.

Speaking of good meals, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” Now some of the people who heard Jesus say this thought he was crazy! And can you blame them? If someone came in here talking like that we would think them crazy. “I am the bread from heaven,” “You must eat my body and drink my blood to be fed.” It sounds like the ranting of someone having a psychotic episode.

Of course when we hear Jesus talking like this we immediately think of the Last Supper. We think of Holy Communion and the bread and wine that represent Jesus giving his life for us. And that is right, but Jesus had not had the last supper yet when he said these things. We can’t simply write this off as an allusion to Communion. Jesus is saying something here that has meaning apart from that reference.

Jesus is saying, “I am the main course.” You know the main course of the meal is that part that fills us up and nourishes us the most. The main course is the steak and potatoes or the chicken and rice. The soup and salad of the appetizers are great and the desert after is wonderful. But the main course makes or breaks the meal.

Jesus is saying he is the meat and potatoes for our souls. Forgive me but Jesus is Soul Food. What came before was good. The law and the prophets provided some nourishment. That bread Moses served as appetizer was fine. It was prepared by God after all. But Jesus is what really feeds us and gives us life.

Jesus is the main course. We sometimes lose sight of that fact. There is so much to feed on in the church. There are Bible Studies and fellowship and activities and committee meetings. And all these things are good. But they are just the soup and salad. They are the appetizers and the deserts.

Jesus is the main course. It is he who gives us eternal life. By feeding on him and taking him into our hearts and lives we receive life. You can feed on the appetizers and not die, but you will always be malnourished. So we need to remember that Jesus is the main course.

I don’t know if it is true but according to legend there was once a king who loved his wife. But she died in child birth. Since he was a king he ordered a great memorial and mausoleum be built for his wife. Thousands of workers toiled for 17 years. The king dedicated himself to making sure the task was done well. One day near the end of construction a box was found among the construction rubble. They were about to discard it when it was discovered that it was the coffin of his wife. He had become so obsessed with the building of the memorial that he forgot it was meant to be a memorial for his wife and a final resting place for her body. According to legend that memorial is the Taj Mahal.

We too need to be careful that in the business of our church life we don’t forget that is the reason for it all, that he is the main course. Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven.” You know bread was the main staple of people’s diets back then. People received most of their nourishment from bread. But to be nourished by bread you have to eat it. You have to take it into yourself.

That is the way it is with Jesus. We have to take him in. We have to accept him and ask him into out hearts. You have to let him become part of you.

Too often people try to keep him at arms length. For them Jesus is someone or something outside of them. But you have to let him in then he can nourish you. Then he can give life to your heart and soul.

Jesus is the main course and this main course involves a sacrifice. Jesus said, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” Now if Jesus had just wanted to talk about accepting him as spiritual nourishment he could have just talked about bread. But he also talks about blood. He is obviously talking about his death on the cross. Through his death Jesus feed us. His death defeated sin. And because sin is defeated we have forgiveness and eternal life. For that to happen, a sacrifice has to be made.

You know we modern people are out of touch with what goes into preparing our food. We forget that the fried chicken on our tables was once a live animal and it had to be killed to make our dinner possible. I remember reading an old church cookbook. It had a recipe for fried chicken. I thought “Wow! Here is a secret family recipe for southern fried chicken!” I started reading the recipe. The first line said, “Day before – pick out chicken.” I can see in my mind a woman in an apron looking out the back door on a bunch of live chickens and picking one out to kill and cook. There was also a recipe for venison stew. The first step in the directions was “kill a deer.”

This main course required a sacrifice too. Jesus’ blood had to be shed. He had to die so that we could be fed. Eternal life is a free gift for us but it cost Jesus his life!

Jesus us the main course. Are you hungry? Do you find that you grow weak spiritually? Do feel jittery and nervous because your soul’s blood sugar is low? Maybe you need a good meal.

Jesus is the only soul food that can gives eternal life. Other things may fill the emptiness for a little while, but they are just empty spiritual calories. If you want to be truly filled and never hunger again, you have to feed on Jesus. You have to dine on him. Allow his presence to fill your emptiness. Keep him at the center of your life.

Jesus is the bread of life. He died to feed us and give us eternal life. If you have never asked Jesus into your heart, then do it today before you starve. And if you have already asked him into your heart, then feed on him in prayer and in Bible study and in service. “This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.”

Copyright 2008, Alex Stevenson. Used by permission.