Introduction to the Bible Readings

What is "Kosher"? In conversation it generally refers to something that is "proper". That's its "developed" meaning: "Yeah mate, that's kosher… that's OK." Its correct meaning applies to food that has been prepared according to strict food laws dating back to ancient Israel. There are Jews today who still observe some of these strict laws of food preparation and will only eat "kosher" food... food that has been prepared a particular way, according to rules set out, basically, in the Bible book of Leviticus. I understand there are other rules that have been developed since, but "Kosher" food preparation rules have really arisen from ancient biblical instructions. (look in the book of Leviticus (OT) for examples…)

In Jesus' day, many of the people were careful about these food rules and even carried a small cane basket containing some "kosher" food. The basket was called, in Greek, a "kophinos". That way, if they found themselves hungry, in a strange place where they could not be sure of obtaining "kosher" food, they would still be able to eat the food they brought with them in their kophinos. ("lunch box" ?)

I think that could be called an example of an EXclusive way to think about God… showing piety by obeying every dot and comma of even archaic food laws. The danger of this approach, as Jesus often pointed out, was that people often forgot WHY the laws were given in the first place... (It's probably easy to make out a case that these laws were given primarily to keep folk safe from food poisoning! When that no longer applies, the law seems irrelevant… But we must also acknowledge that people of most faiths often feel that way about some aspect of the 'rules' that govern their religion.) For us as Christians, we need to remember that Jesus taught people to think of God as a Loving Father who INVITES us to share an INclusive relationship with all people… and God. The rules should never make us – or God – EXclusive. Sadly, Christians have not always remembered this!!

Our two Bible Readings today highlight this INclusivity.

The letter called "Ephesians" is one of the high points of Christian theology in the Bible. In this letter, the author describes God's plan for the whole creation as being joined together... united ... through Jesus Christ... and the CHURCH (that's us) is the vehicle through which this can happen. Wow! Our reading today is a short summary of the first part of the letter. If it sounds like part of a service of worship... part of the liturgy... that's because it probably IS!

From the gospel of John, we will hear that wonderful story that many of us have been hearing since Sunday School days, of the remarkable miracle of 5000 selfish souls being turned into a sharing community... This is John's version of the story we left out of Mark ch. 6 last week! There are some interesting parallels and some interesting differences between the two accounts!

Bible Readings Ephesians 3: 14-21
John 6: 1-21

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SermonIs our God exclusive or inclusive?

How do you feel about your relationship with God? Are you "in", or "out"? Do you feel included in God's community, or excluded?

There are many ways to think about God. People have an amazing variety of understandings of the meaning of that word "G-O-D". We're not exploring all of that today. Instead, I'd like to explore a little about whether we feel included in, or excluded from, the presence of God.

Both our Bible Readings today pick up aspects of this.

I'd like to explore with you the story from John's gospel of Jesus feeding the very large crowd by the shores of the lake … but we'll do it in the light of that reading from the Ephesians letter.

Ephesians is about unity! It takes the most difficult human division imaginable in the mind of the writer, and proclaims that in Jesus Christ it no longer exists! The world of the Ephesians was divided into two kinds of people… Jews and Gentiles. (We know there were many other divisions… but this one had, for centuries, seemed insurmountable.) Jews in the 1st century could be a very EXclusive lot. They seem to have found it extraordinarily difficult to think of themselves as being in unity with anyone else… ("anyone else" = Gentiles! Ephesians declares that in Jesus, the Christ, NO barrier… not even that between Jews/Gentiles… no barrier between people can stand! THAT was the good news of the Ephesian church!

And the writers of both Mark's gospel and John's gospel would have known that! We need to remember that as we explore this story from John's gospel about Jesus and the crowd. Actually, John has copied the story from Mark... maybe 30 years later. Some parts are almost exactly the same… though John has changed some parts, and added some.

According to Mark's version of this story, Jesus had had a very busy day. He needed some peace and quiet. (Don't we all!?) Just a week or so before, Jesus had sent his disciples out into the surrounding villages to try themselves out in his kind of ministry. [Sounds like what we would call, these days, practical Education for Ministry (often called "Field Education"). Students for ministry are placed in a congregational setting (or perhaps a chaplaincy or other ministry placement… ) and given opportunities to try themselves out in the practise of ministry. They have opportunities then to share their experiences with the supervisor – usually the minister of the congregation – and so on. Reflection on practical experience with a good supervisor is an excellent way of learning] (Around 450 years before Jesus, Socrates had used a similar methodology to teach students philosophy and ethics… so its not exactly a "new" teaching technique!)]

When Jesus' disciples returned from their Field Ed trip, they had difficulty finding time to sit down and reflect with Jesus on their experiences. Jesus was constantly interrupted by requests to speak with people, and especially to heal sick and injured people. The crowds were fascinated with him, and followed him everywhere. Each time Jesus suggested to his disciples that they move to a quiet place, the crowds followed. On this particular occasion, Jesus suggested that they sail a few kilometres across the north end of the lake to find some quiet space. But according to both Mark and John, the people saw them leaving, and while Jesus and his students sailed west, the crowds hurried around the shoreline, gathering more and more people, and arrived, according to Mark, (as we noted last week) BEFORE the boat carrying Jesus and his disciples reached the place! (some rapid hurrying there!!) John's gospel is maybe a little more realistic… Jesus and his friends beached their boat and walked up the hill and had sat down to talk when… (wouldn't you know it!) the crowd arrived.

I don't suppose it took long to realize that there were a lot of people! Philip – always a practical person – began to talk with Jesus about food. "Look boss, there's no McDonalds' take-away out here! No KFC, no Hungry Jack's... there's not even a telephone to call "Dial-a-Pizza"!"

"Right, Philip," says Jesus, "Where do YOU think we could buy bread to feed them?". "Mmmmm!" says Philip... doing some quick mental maths.... "It would take more than six months' wages to feed this lot!!" ...and thinking... "...even if there WAS somewhere to buy it!"

At that point Andrew comes up with a little boy who had brought his lunch along. "Look," says Andrew... "this is all the food we can find... this lad has a few little barley-bread rolls and a couple of sardines!".... then he looked at the crowd milling around... (rolling his eyes) "but really! what are they among so many!!?" "This is hardly enough" (sardonically)

Don't we all feel like that sometimes?

  • Maybe we think about the dishonesty and greed in the world... and wonder... How can I possibly change all that?! What possible difference could MY honesty/my peace-efforts/ my prayers etc. make?" …or perhaps… "What difference would it make if I cheat... just this once... or if I'm dishonest... just this once..." [or even… "If I speed up just this once… Lord you know I'm late for church!!"]
  • Or maybe we think of the violence in the world, and wonder… how can it end? What can I possibly do? We can pray… we can write letters to governments… we may join peace groups … But in the face of all that persistent violence and crime… "what are these efforts among so much hatred and violence?!"

Its easier I suppose to curl up in our own comfort zone… to focus on our own, personal, relationship with God than it is to give attention to all these other needs beyond ourselves.

What kind of relationship with God is implied in that? INclusive… or EXclusive.

Do we think the spirit of loving compassion in the universe is only interested in our individual relationships… or could it be wider and more inclusive than that?

It's easy to become disillusioned and disheartened at the sheer size of the problems facing us as the human race on planet earth… And perhaps we feel tempted to simply shut our eyes to appeals for help… and simply concentrate on our own circumstances…

What significance is there for us, then, in this story from John's gospel about Jesus and that large crowd out at the Lake?

We can readily imagine, can't we? – the kind of dilemma facing Jesus and his friends that day.

The disciples look at the crowd milling around them… look at the tiny sardines and barley bread rolls... and very understandably, comment, "But what chance have we got with only these meagre resources!?" But with Jesus, expect the unexpected!
Calmly Jesus says... "Make the people sit down." 5000 of them! (In Mark's gospel, the earlier version of this story, Mark says "5000, not counting women & children! John says "5000 men." I think each of these writers expect us to understand … this is a VERY large crowd! With or without the women and children… it’s a lot to feed!!

Just imagine: YOU are in that crowd. You have come to see Jesus work some kind of miracle. ... and listen to his intriguing ideas about God.

But... now that you've made it all the way round the lake and out here into the bush... you have to admit... you ARE rather hungry! And Jesus asks you all to sit down.

Hey Look! that little boy has just given Jesus ... his... lunch! Well, aren't you glad you've got your Kophinos day pack, with your own supply of kosher food. At least you'll be able to remain ritually clean... you won't be EXcluded by "unclean" "gentile" food!

Now what's Jesus doing? Look! He's praying a blessing on the little boy's food. "Thank you good God for your generosity. Through your generosity we have food to share. And thank you for the generosity of young Sammy here, who is willing to share his lunch with all of us. Amen."

Now, you can see Jesus breaking up that small lunch. ... and his disciples are getting ready to distribute it around to others. (person next to me...) What?! Oh thank you... you want to share your kosher food with me? That's great! Thank you. Hat a neat idea! Oh…here... (to person on other side of me...) would you like some of mine? (pause…) Isn't this terrific... Look... there are people all around us sharing little bits of the kosher food they have with them...... Look everyone's sharing... and laughing and talking...and getting to know one another. Who would have thought....!

"And here come those friends of Jesus again... caring bunch aren't they? Caring for us, and the environment... they're actually collecting the scraps!.. Did you see that? ... 12 Kophine full of left-overs! Who would have thought!!? All these people... not only FED... but …we've become
a kind of sharing community....

(pensively) Now I wonder how that happened... !!

We obviously don't know exactly how it happened… or exactly what happened.

There are some people who think that Jesus somehow "zapped" that little boys lunch... and multiplied the food until there was enough to feed even 5000 people! (plus women & children!) Its hard to know if Mark and John intended us to understand this part of the story literally. Certainly John goes on to make links with the Lord's supper… perhaps that's the point of his story. And later, when the people start making noises about forcing Jesus to be declared King… Jesus slips away. This is not his Way. (There's a lot going on inside this story isn't there?) But wouldn't it be an even greater miracle if this very large crowd of people… folk usually just like you and me – not particularly caring, ordinarily rather self-centred and probably EXclusive individuals were changed into a sharing community – a caring, sharing, INclusive community of people … who had met Jesus?!

Can you imagine the audacity of Jesus in holding up that small lunch... and, with that great crowd of people looking on, give GOD the thanks for such generosity! Jesus had great faith… in God... and in the people of God. And through Jesus, a sense of belonging together was created among those people.

THAT's what God's love in Jesus is about. Bringing people together. Creating unity where division exists. Creating community where isolation exists. Creating hope where there was only despair. Bringing out of those who seemed to be self-centred and EXclusive, the capacity to reach out, to share... to care and maybe even to learn a little to love one another… Creating a sense of being at one with God in those who yearn to belong.

This is God's invitation to all... Come and share this life offered in Jesus. Become part of a community of faithful people... faithful to Jesus… faithful to God. NOT because there are rules that must be obeyed... but because faithfully sharing with one another may be the only means we have on earth to enable humanity's survival. Learning to share with God the hope, the community, the unity that God's love makes possible, is not simply an option… it’s a necessity. And we are each invited.

That's our hope. Our vision. Our mission. And our gift! Let's share it…

Amen.Amen.

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