Making do with what you have

Ordinary 17th

July 30, 2000

Making Do With What You Have
John 6:1-21
The Rev. John H. Pavelko

This sermon is still under construction.
The rough draft should be finished and published by Friday afternoon.

PROFOUND SIMPLICITY
In his commentary on the gospel of John, a New Testament scholar compared this gospel to a pool of water in which both a child could wade and an elephant could swim. The description is very appropriate for a book contains truth so simple that a child could understand and mysteries so complex that they have baffled the scholars throughout history. The beginning reader may pick up this book and immediately draw from it wonderful insights about God, while the scholar may spend a lifetime plumbing the depths of its message. It has been classified among the finest books in philosophical literature, yet it is more than just a collection of abstract concepts and ariodit words. A British writer put it well,

The critic may' range the gospel with Philo and the Alexanderian philosophers; but, and the question is important, did the poor and the ignorant, when they lay a-dying, ever ask their Rabbis to read to them out of the voluminous writings of Philo or of those like him.1

Such is the case with todays Scripture passage. The story has both a simply and yet profound meaning. In its complexities, the story has baffled scholars who have struggled to understand exactly what happened. How could Jesus seemingly defy the laws of physics by creating enough bread out of a few loaves and two fishes to feed over 5000 people? Some have suggested that "miracle took place in the hearts of the people. By taking the food of a little boy and freely offering it to everyone, Christ induced the crowd to put aside their selfishness and share from their own provisions with people who had nothing. Another view considers the story an account of a sacramental meal, rather like Holy Communion, wherein each person received a small portion. They were satisfied because they were able to see beyond the physical to the eternal truths that were present. While both these views are possible, I am not persuaded by their arguments. While the story "undoubtedly inculcates spiritual truth,"2 the recording of the events by the gospel writers and the reaction of the crowd have convinced me that nothing less than an unexplainable miracle took place. However, my message this morning will not attempt to explain the miraculous. That is far beyond my rhetorical skills. I would rather address the basic truths of the text for even in their simplicity, they contain a profound message that convicts me in life of discipleship.

CONCLUSION
1 Leon Morris, The Gospel of John, NICNT, Gordon D. Fee general editor, (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1995), 3.
2 Leon Morris, The Gospel of John, 300.

Send a note to the pastor jhp@televar.com

Eastmont Presbyterian Church
200 South Kentucky
East Wenatchee WA 98802

509-884-8115