On Line Bible Study - For the Week April 9-15, 2012

Lesson 531

John 6: ²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

³⁰ So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

³² Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

This passage is a transition from the miracle of the feeding of the multitude to a larger teaching that we will consider in our next lesson. For today, let's look at how the evangelist sets the stage.

John Shelby Spong, an author whose work often generates as much heat as it does light, suggests that the Gospel of John should be read through the lens of "heightened consciousness" rather than an incarnate deity. (Bishop Spong's book where he makes this comment is called Eternal Life: A New Vision.) In other words, Jesus' own awareness develops over time to recognize the presence of the divine in distinctive - though not exclusive - ways.

The notion of a heightened or emerging consciousness has some traction - not only for the Christ, but for the nameless crowds as well as the identified disciples who follow him around. The text we have before us today poses the question: What exactly are you looking for? Put another way, one could ask: What is it that you hope to find?

I'm writing this piece on Tuesday, April 10 - and in today's NY Times there is an editorial about a man who was the food critic for the Times - a man who had it all. In a recent biography, however, another side of this man emerges - a side that is unhappy, discontent, addictive. Columnist Frank Bruni says of the story of the life of Craig Claiborne: His tale is a sad reminder: happiness has less to do with achievement than with perspective.

Father Raymond Brown's commentary on this passage highlights the question the crowds ask of Jesus: When did you get here? John may be asking the question on several levels, not the least of which is the level of Jesus' own awareness. When does Jesus become "messiah"? Both the Christ and the crowd are working on this question. In this passage the people address Jesus as "Rabbi" - that is, teacher. It's one thing to be a worker of signs; it's another thing to be a teacher of lessons. And, it's quite another thing to be a savior of souls.

Another interesting question is raised here: What are the works God requires? Jesus tells them to do the work of faith - believe in the one God has sent.

The text goes full circle now - the people want a sign! Wasn't the feeding of the multitude enough?

An "emerging consciousness" requires a new perspective. "Achievement" is the "works" - what must we do? "Perspective" is the "faith" - what must we be open to believing? For us to receive what Jesus has to offer, we have to do as Jesus does - believe. If we don't believe, what he has to say in our next lesson won't make much sense.