2nd Passiontide
John
6: 16 - 26
 |
| Amadee Varin |
When
evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat
and set off over the sea for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not
yet come to them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When
they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the
boat, walking on the sea; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "I
AM, have no fear" Now when they wanted to take him into the boat,
immediately the boat was at the land, at the place where they wanted to go.
The
next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized
that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his
disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias
landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had
given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were
there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
When
they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when
did you come here?"
Jesus answered, “Amen, amen,
the truth I say to you: You are seeking me not because you saw signs of
spiritual power, but because you ate of the bread and were satisfied.
2nd Passiontide
John 6: 16-25
The created world is full of wonders. Among the greatest of
these wonders is the human form, the dwelling place of our spirits. Although we
think of our body as solid, it is mostly flowing liquid. We live within a
surging sea.
 |
| Roland Tiller |
The disciples are in a little boat when the wind and seas
rise. On this surging sea they perceive their teacher. His appearance in such a
place terrifies them; it seems to defy all logic. He calms them with the
mysterious words: I AM. The meaning behind these two simple words in Hebrew is
expanded into its full meaning in the hymn we sing: He who was, He who is, He
who is to come. Or, I AM who I will become.
His ‘I AM’ is meant to convey to us that no matter what
happens to the body, no matter how threatened or threatening the body may
become, He, the Being of Love, is always present. His eternal loving uprightness
is always present as a source of strength and courage for us. He encourages us
not to fixate too much on the transitory things, on ‘the food that spoils’[1].
Rather we are to seek and find Him as
a source of nourishment that feeds our own I AM, our spirits, the eternal part
of our being. ‘I AM the Bread of Life, He says. ‘He who finds his way to me
will hunger no more, and he who comes to me in faith and trust will nevermore
thirst’.[2]
As the poet David Whyte says:
….
This is not
the age of information.
Forget the news,
and the radio,
and the blurred screen.
This is the time
of loaves
and fishes.
People are hungry
and one good word is bread
for a thousand. [3]
[1] John 6: 27
[2] John 6: 35
[3] David Whyte,
“Loaves and Fishes”
