8-18-24 “We are the Deliverers of The Bread of Life”

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“We are the Deliverers of The Bread of Life”

I want to start with a funny story. I heard about an old nun who lived in a convent next to a construction site. She noticed the coarse language the workers used and decided to spend some time with them to correct their ways. Determined, she packed her lunch in a brown bag, walked over to the spot where the men were eating and sat down with them. Sporting a big smile, she asked, “Do you men know Jesus Christ?” The workers shook their heads, looking at each other in confusion. Then one of the workers looked up into the steelworks and yelled out, “Is there anybody up there who knows Jesus Christ?” a voice from above responded, “Why?” The worker yelled back, “Cause his wife’s here with his lunch.”

Have you ever tried to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others? I often wonder what would have happened if the pastor who visited my hospital room about thirty years ago hadn’t talked to me about Jesus Christ. What if that pastor hadn’t visited my hospital room at that time? It was like a lifeline for me, pulling me out of the deep despair of a hopeless situation.

I often recall my younger days when I didn’t know God. I worked and studied hard to succeed without the support of my parents or grandparents. As I mentioned before, I grew up in a patriarchal family where my grandfather didn’t support my education because I was a girl. My mother used to say to me, “If a woman doesn’t receive an education, she will become a slave to the world. You must get an education if you don’t want to live as a slave.”

Even though my grandparents didn’t allow me to attend high school, I refused to give up on my education. I managed to graduate from a private boarding school and later from the university, all without my family’s support. After I got a job, I felt successful and wanted to show my family what I had achieved without their help. However, I was involved in a traffic accident, and my doctor told me that I would never walk again due to a broken spine.

Can you imagine how I felt at that moment? A whirlwind of emotions overwhelmed me: regret, resentment, bitterness, anger, despair, depression, and loneliness. On top of that, the people around me discouraged me with words of hopelessness, filling my mind with negative thoughts.

However, God cared for me even though I didn’t know Him yet, sending a pastor to my hospital room. Through the pastor, I heard the Good News that Jesus is my Savior, Healer, and Comforter. After that, my mindset shifted towards a hopeful future filled with gratitude and confidence. Eventually, I underwent another surgery on my spine and received therapy, and I was able to walk again

Faith in Jesus is a great gift from God. It leads us to true life in Christ. I believe in Jesus Christ by God’s amazing grace. If I hadn’t believed in the Good News at that time, I’m not sure how my life would have turned out. It was truly a gift from God. Therefore, our faith is not something to boast about, but something to share with others. 1 Corinthians 4:7 says, “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” The Lord has chosen and called us because He wants to save many people through us. We are the deliverers of the Good News. It is essential to spread the Good News to everyone you meet. Who knows? Your courage to share the Good News may change someone’s life, just as it changed mine.

Today’s scripture continues Jesus’ sermon about the bread of life. He spoke in detail, saying, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” Jesus delivered this sermon in the synagogue in Capernaum before the institution of the Lord’s Supper (John 6:59).

Many people who heard this sermon were very confused. The Jews were alarmed by His words, asking, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” In fact, in the first century, many Christians were persecuted due to rumors that they ate human flesh.

We may understand His sermon in the context of Communion since we regularly partake in it, eating and drinking the body and blood of Christ. However, imagine how the people felt when they first heard Jesus’ words. It’s true that His sermons were often difficult to understand, even for His disciples. The reason His teachings are challenging is that they are about spiritual matters, not physical ones.

Jesus often said, “He who has ears, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15). Who doesn’t have ears? He was referring to the ears of the heart. The reason non-Christians struggle to believe in Jesus is that their hearts are not yet open to the Good News. Therefore, we should persist in knocking on the door of their hearts until it opens.

Since moving to Wisconsin, I’ve often used online shopping services like Amazon. It’s very convenient to find what I want, and it saves me time and energy. The delivery person often leaves packages at my front door. If I’m out of town and return the next day, I sometimes find them wet from the rain. However, this isn’t the delivery person’s fault. Their job is to bring the mail or package to your house and place it in the mailbox or at your door. The responsibility to bring it inside is yours. Whether it’s an important or urgent piece of mail, the delivery person just delivers it to the correct place. If it gets damaged because you didn’t take it in promptly, that’s not their responsibility.

Similarly, when it comes to sharing the Good News, our job is to go and speak, whether people accept Jesus or not. Invite your loved ones to church, whether they choose to come or not.

I want to clarify whether Jesus really meant that the bread of life is a symbol of Communion. No, He was not referring to Communion because this sermon occurred before He taught His disciples about the Lord’s Supper. In today’s scripture, Jesus was speaking about His own death—His real body and blood—because He knew the future plan, which is God’s will, concerning His death on the cross. Those who believe in His death, in the tearing of His body and the shedding of His blood on the cross out of love, and those who believe in His sacrificial love and that Jesus will return to judge, shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). He continues, “This is the will of Him (God the Father) who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given me, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:38-39). If we believe in Him, we shall not perish but have eternal life on the last day.

This raises a question: Why do we celebrate Communion? Communion is one of Jesus’ last commandments: “Do this as often as you do it, in remembrance of me.” Through the act of Communion, we remember how He loved us, how He died, and what He promised us, so that we grow in faith and draw closer to God.

Let’s share the Bread of Life with our neighbors. It is the way to love our neighbors. For our neighbors, let’s share not only perishable bread but also imperishable bread! God bless you! Thanks be to God! Amen!