Au Bon Pain...

   

John 6:35, 41-51

6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
6:41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."
6:42 They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
6:43 Jesus answered them, "Do not complain among yourselves.
6:44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day.
6:45 It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.
6:46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.
6:47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.
6:48 I am the bread of life.
6:49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
6:50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

 

This weekend’s text is one of the “I am” statements of Jesus. These got him in a peck of trouble, because the Jews of his day walked very gingerly around “I am” statements, given that in the Hebrew Bible, this is what God said God’s NAME was, when Moses asked for a more proper introduction. They really went nuts when Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” Not only was he upstaging the great patriarch, but he used what most of his audience would have understood as the holy name of God to describe his own identity. They went for the stones; he “disappeared into the crowd.” Nice trick, by the way.

 

Today, Jesus describes himself as the “Bread of Life.” Many commentators and casual readers are lulled into a kind of poetic stupor, upon hearing this, as bread can bring forth many pleasant emotions: 

 

·      Other than persons who suffer from some kind of grain allergy, or who are unfortunate enough to have an issue with the gluten in popular grains such as wheat, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like bread.

 

·      Some of us like to bake it from scratch, as there is nothing quite as satisfying as combining a few common-looking things (flower, water) things, and at least one that smells liked a used sweat-sock (yeast) that wind up looking like bad Playdoh, and yet seeing it rise and then bake into a beautiful, golden-brown loaf of something some call “the staff of life.”

 

·      There is nothing that smells like bread baking in the oven. Nothing. I’m salivating like one of Pavlov’s pups, just thinking about it. Back in the day when the homeowner was actually home when their house was being shown to potential buyers, it was recommended that one should have bread baking, as the suckers (buyers) entered the abode. The psychological warfare of the waft of baking bread was effective and devious. 

 

·      On a couple of occasions—Sundays when I was preaching on one of the “bread” passages in the Bible—I set up a few bread machines around the church and set them to be baking their contents just as folk were coming to worship. It was quite effective. In my first congregation, I had one bread machine steaming away right up in the chancel, and when the children came forward for the children’s message, I pulled out the loaf of still-warm bread, sliced it up, layered some real butter on it, and shared it with the children. It was unbelievably good. So good, in fact, that one young parent, after a minute or two of what I’m sure was sinful envy, finally broke for the front of the sanctuary and begged for a piece. He really made my point about the mystery and desirability of bread!

 

·      We like bread of all sizes and shapes, of various edible grains, and of scattered international heritage. I love rye with caraway seeds and a dark, dark, pumpernickel. I’ve learned to eat Indian Naan and Mid-Eastern Pita. Living with a dietitian, I’ve acquired a taste for “multi-grain” breads and some populated with “whole grains” that make me feel more like a chickadee than a human. But nothing beats a white, extremely crusty bread just minutes out of the oven, and saturated with real butter. That’s what made the guy bolt forward in Turtle Creek and almost drop to his knees to beg for a morsel.

 

Now that I’ve covered some of the “poetic” turf, and how “clever” Jesus was using such a popular product as a doppelganger for his divinity, let me suggest my theory: In the “Bread of Life” statement, Jesu was doing damage control. You see, he had just done that “Hollywood moment” of feeding the five-thousand-plus with five loaves and two fish. Rather than just be glad for a free lunch and sit back down to listen to more of Jesus’ teachings, the famously-fed flock conspired to make him king. Impressed by the hocus pocus, they missed the point that he was being hospitable, so they would stay and listen a while longer.

 

So, a few verses later, Jesus throws down the “I am the Bread of Life” thing. It was his way of saying “People, people, FOCUS! I’m trying to tell you why I’M here, and about the KINGDOM OF GOD! I’m not going to be your Wonder Bread King!” 

 

Jesus reminds them, in his continuing corrective, that their ancestors were also fed by God in the wilderness, and basically quickly tired of the heaven-delivered manna, choosing to begin griping “Where’s the beef?!? Let’s look at some of the interesting nuances to the “I am the Bread of Life” idea:

 

·      For much of the world—and pretty much the whole world in Jesus’ day—bread was the most prevalent, life-sustaining food. Jesus is seeking to point the people to the parallel between the importance of physical food and “food” that nourishes the spirit of humans. Eating is really important, but alongside of it is something to feed the mind and human spirit, both of which serve as the “center” of who we are as individuals, and are also the places where we truly meet the Divine Presence. 

 

·      Bread just tastes good, even on its own, if it is a “good bread.” As I mentioned earlier, bread has almost a mystical quality. From its miraculous emergence from such simple chemistry, to the chewy goodness of the gluten that beefs up the crust, bread is amazing. I grieve for my friends with the various allergies and intolerances that rob them of the joy of bread, and for those who get caught up in that goofy “keto” diet that also forbids bread, because it is basically a carbohydrate, which they believe to be of the devil, apparently. Jesus just “tastes good.” Don’t you just love hearing about him, hearing the powerful, yet simple lessons he shared with us, and experiencing the parables afresh and anew at each new era of life? Doesn’t your heart sink each Easter cycle when we hear of his grief in the Garden of Gethsemane and his loneliness on the cross? And while some experience elation when we respond on Easter Sunday, “He is Risen!”, I’m more the pondering type that wonders what all of this means to me, my family, and my world. “I am the Bread of life” reminds me, at these times, that the true message and mission of Jesus is life sustaining, simple, and just “tastes good.”

 

·      Bread goes really well with other things! It complements all kinds of foods, from peanut butter and jelly, to spices, oils, and dips. Who would eat a good porridge, soup, or stew without a nice piece of crusty bread? And who would contemplate a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns, without some variety of toast? While some hymns and worship songs extol “only Jesus,” Jesus never wants to be an only. He came to save humanity, teach us how to forgive and love one another, and build a peaceable community where all of God’s people may live in harmony. For these goals to be realized, Jesus must go will with lots of things—and all of us! Jesus, like bread, may be capable of sustaining us, but we will not thrive without each other, and the vision and goals that will build the Peaceable Kingdom.

 

·      Like the manna of ancient Israel, bread doesn’t last long, if just left to sit. You have to be strategic with how much you make and how you will eat it before it goes bad. (I know you can freeze it, but as a confirmed “super-taster,” I cannot abide bread that has been frozen and thawed. Sorry.) Jesus, as the Bread of Life, doesn’t want to just sit in the pantry of our souls until he goes moldy on us. He wants to be “tasted” fresh, until it’s time to renew the experience with a fresh “loaf.” Jesus is best served fresh, like bread. If your witness of Jesus is all about stuff that happened years ago, you’re dealing with stale bread. Bake some new experiences with God, my friend!

 

Now let’s bring this Bread of Life thing home. Take a look at my “triangle” illustration at the top of this narrative. The same Jesus who told the devil, “Humans do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” also dubbed himself the Bread of Life. And while this rather reinforces my last two points, we also note that the third point of the triangle is the witness of the Gospel of John that Jesus is also the Word of God. Jesus is the Bread of Life—Bread alone will not be enough, as we need the Word of God—and Jesus, who is the Bread of Life, is ALSO the Word of God, made flesh. He’s actually a quite nice “package deal.”

 

And just to put a festive bow on it, what does Jesus do for his disciples and us at what we traditionally call The Last Supper (which should be dubbed The FIRST Supper)? He consecrates a meal of BREADand wine as the divine feast that imparts God’s continuing presence with us Christ-followers, and serves to remind us of the loving sacrifice of the Christ for us all, as well! It’s brilliant! I also love the apocalyptic passages in the Bible that promise a great meal in heaven at the end of the age, a meal where again the Bread of Life—the Word of God—will host again. NOW you’re talking about poetry!

 

Years ago, there was a chain of bread-based sweet shops called “Au Bon Pain,” which is French for “The Good Bread.” May your experience today of our living Lord Jesus Christ become, truly, “Au Bon Pain.” Amen.