Sermon: "Blinded by Stuffing" Jn 6:25-35 November 18, 2001
I can’t believe how fast this year has gone. Can you believe it, it is only three days until thanksgiving - and for those of you with children that’s means its only 37 days to Christmas. Did you know that America’s first thanksgiving was in 1621 it was a three day celebration of feasting and recreation. I don’t know about you by sometimes after thanksgiving lunch I feel like I have feasted for three days.
Well anyway the prior year for the Pilgrims has been a tough and they had lost almost have of the colonist. But by the second harvest there was reason to rejoice. A peace treaty had signed with the Indians. The Indians had taught the pilgrim how to plant and grow things resulting in a bumper crop. So they choose to commemorate their bounty with a harvest festival, hence the first thanksgiving.
It was served buffet style; dishes of food were placed on the table and guests helped themselves. There were no forks, only knives, spoons, and large napkins that were used to pick up hot foods and to tidy the face and fingers. Foods could be eaten directly from the serving dish or you could share a trencher(a wooden plate) with someone. Food was plentiful but you’re never going to believe this, most accounts of the actual event never mention that there turkey or pumpkin pie. And yet that is the hole basis of our holiday. I mean 91% of all Americans are going to be eating Turkey on Thursday as a way of reenacting the first thanksgiving but their wasn’t any turkey there on the first thanksgiving. But…there was stuffing, apparently all kinds of stuffing
Now I always thought there was only one kind of stuffing - stove top. I mean stuffing is stuffing, right?! Well I learned this week stuffing varies by region of the country. There’s Midwest Sausage and dried cherry stuffing, mid Atlantic crab boil stuffing, Oyster bacon stuffing. Chili and corn stuffing…but that’s not all, the list goes on and on. There’s broccoli stuffing, crawfish and creole stuffing, spinach stuffing - and believe it or not prune stuffing - I bet you don’t stay stuffed with that stuffing long.
Well of all the Thanksgiving traditions stuffing may be the only one we, Americans have gotten right. But the problem is that it is the wrong kind of stuffing. I’m not talking about stuffing the turkey but the stuffing of ourselves. Think for a moment of your Thanksgivings of the past. How much time on those days of "Thanksgiving" did you actually offer up thanks, thanks for the abundance of blessings you and I receive every day. I’ll be honest. We have attempted to focus on thanks but somewhere along the way we have become blinded by stuffing. Blind to giving thanks to God for all that he has done for us. We spend if we are gracious maybe 30 minutes of the day thanking God and the rest of the time eating our way to nap - I mean football time. And the thanks in thanksgiving is forgotten.
BUT… we are not the first generation to be blinded by stuffing. Let’s look at our text today. Turn with me if you will to John 6:25. Bob read this for us a little while ago.
I. Note the context in which this story takes place
A. Jesus’ Ministry had begun
1. Popularity had spread
2. everywhere he went he was followed by crowds
3. on one such occasion - on the hillside 5000 - five loaves and two fish
B. After the miracle
1. Jesus went up the mountain to be alone and pray
2. disciples boat to Capernum
3. storm and Jesus goes to the disciples - with another miraculous display of his might.
4. together they arrive presumably about dawn
II. The Hebrew People
A. The wake up and find Jesus gone
1. knows Jesus didn’t go with disciples
2. but no where to be found
3. later in day fishermen arrive tell Jesus is in Capernum
a) doesn’t make sense
b) but okay no big deal
4. people go to find Jesus
B. They find Jesus
1. a little perplexed a little curious - verse 25 and 26
2. The crowd having been satisfied once by what Jesus had done for them wanted him to do more - maybe he give them some more free meals, more healings, more blessings, more miracles
3. But Jesus refused to respond their selfish desires for more of the material satisfaction he could bring and so his response was in effect
a) "You were so busy eating your fill you never even saw me… Even now you come because of food because your bellies are hungry again not because you seek me
b) The people - in their stuffing and filling of their bellies had missed the real miracle. The miracle that was revealed in Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus knew their need was much deeper than hunger for physical food, much deeper than the pits of their stomachs
c) Jesus’ signs, his miracles were given to reveal so that he could meet their deepest needs and pleads with the people to understand.
4. vs 27 Do not work for the food that perishes
a) the bread that fills the stomach, whether produced by a miraculous sign or made at the bakery is not spiritual or eternal
b) BUT there is another kind of food that I want to give you
c) "Food that endures for eternal life, which the son of man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.
(1) Jesus was saying that the people should not be following him because he provided free bread, but because he provides spiritual "bread" – bread that can given them eternal life.
(2) Bread that comes not just from me, Jesus - but from God the giver of eternal life who has sent me to you with his seal - his with approval that I might give it toyou -
(3) Eternal life is a gift you don’t have to work for it - it can’t be earned. For it has already been given to you by God.
C. Vs. 28 Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?"
1. O.K., so what is it you want us to do. What do we need to do so you will work those blessings again!
2. Many sincere believers ask the same thing God what is it you want me to do?"
D. Vs. 29 "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."
1. Believe in me - that’s all - there’s no secret, no mystery no hidden clauses - just believe in me
2. that was all he was asking of the Hebrew people then and all that he asks of us today
3. but don’t be blinded by the stuff in this world that suggests that is just a cerebral thing - a head thing - something you just think
4. To believe in him whom was sent means to yield our wills, our desires, our plans, our strengths and weaknesses to Christ’s direction and safekeeping. It means moment by moment obedience.
E. And then amazingly the crowd asks Jesus vs. 30 "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?
1. Ok Jesus if we do that for you what are you going to do for us.
2. Can you believe it - Jesus has just fed them, he has just healed them…. And they have the audacity to ask Jesus what else is he going to do.
3. Of course we can believe it. How many times are we just like them. We know God has blessed our lives, we can see the multitude of things he has given us - gracious gifts of material things - sometime even money that miraculously appeared when we needed it, sometimes those special gifts that people didn’t even know they were giving and THEN a little while later we are shaking our fist at God - God why am I in this mess, why aren’t you taking better care of us, why are you providing for us better, why ….. what are you doing for us TODAY.
F. And then incredulously the Hebrew begin what I like to call the "Whine of Otherness" You know, "But Suzie has a new bike" "Jimmy mom and dad bought him a brand new SUV for his 16th birthday."
1. Vs. 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written. He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said to them Very truly I tell you it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread alwyas.
a) the hebrews were talking about during the Exodus when they had no food - and bread appeared in the wilderness. Not just one time but every day…They said it was from Moses - and they wanted Jesus to do the same for them!
b) But Jesus says stop, wait - don’t you understand - all the good things of life, all the things that sustain you when you are struggling, when you feel like your all alone, when there seems to be no hope left – all things good and wonderful COME FROM GOD!! Not man!
G. vs. 35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believe in me will never be thirsty."
1. In this day and time when more people then ever are searching for fillment, searching to satisfy that longing for peace in themselves - we are reminded that Jesus is the bread of life.
2. He is the sustenance of living - the true bread that will strengthen and nourish his people that they might live lives that are pleasing to him, lives that demonstrate that they are doing the work that God has called them to do.
3. Strength them that they might live BELIEVING in Him.
4. Jesus offers the ultimate satisfaction for the hunger and thirst of life!
H. vs. 36 You have seen me and still you do not believe
1. blinded by stuffing of their self desires the people couldn’t see what right in front of their face.
III. This Thanksgiving, I challenge us not to be blinded stuffing
A. But to find ways to remember that it is a day of Thanks, a day for us to remember all the good and gracious gifts, blessings we have received from God.
1. Use a paper tablecloth
2. Big paper on the frig all week
3. Make a conscious effort of dedicated prayer time. Use the Psalms as a way to be reminded of the many things God - Ps 18, 66, 75 - (Read some of these verses)
4. journal a letter of thanks to God
5. volunteer at the soup kitchen
6. turn the TV off for one hour and spend it together as a family reminiscing about all the wonderful things God has done in your life.
7. As you sit at the dinner table - stop don’t drool over the turkey and stuffing but focus on the bread
8. The true bread - the bread of life!!!
