Heavenly Bread for Our Earthly Journey - Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 15th,
A+D 2026
Our Savior’s and Our Redeemer Lutheran Churches - Hill City and Custer,
SD
John 6:1-15
Audio of the sermon is available HERE.
In the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The folks on the mountainside were hungry and weak, and a long way from
any place they could find bread. Traveling further without eating would be to
risk collapsing on the way.
Do you suppose Jesus didn’t foresee this problem? Why did He allow them to follow Him so far
afield? Captivated by his Word and the
healings He was working on the sick, they stayed with Him till they were tired
and hungry, and far from the necessities of life. Why did Jesus let this happen?
Jesus led them into the wilderness on purpose. The hunger and the potential suffering, pain
and fear did not originate from Him. But
Jesus uses these struggles, for the ultimate benefit of the people, a harsh experience,
yes, but still in keeping with God’s divine mercy. Our Lord knows we are all
ultimately helpless. So, He led the
crowd into a bad situation, so that, right there, in their desperation, He could
provide for them. Jesus taught them that
there is only one place to find true and lasting sustenance. He showed them that He is the hope for the
hopeless.
We sinners learn faith through suffering. Still, as John tells us at the end of our
Gospel reading, many of those folks on the mountain could only think of satisfying
their physical hunger. Their bellies
miraculously filled, they wanted Jesus to be their King of Bread. And so, Jesus withdrew to the mountain
alone. Being a Bread King was not His
mission.
Today, here on our mountainside, our stomachs still rumble. The pull of our flesh is still strong. Our worries, our depression, our sorrows and distractions
are often intense. Do you hurt more in
your physical body, or in your spirit?
We ache, and like the Israelites in the wilderness, we still murmur
against God.
It is ironic. For all of us here,
I think, and for most people in our nation, there is more than enough bread,
all kinds of delicious food, really. Our
knowledge of the world and the technology we enjoy combine to make our lives
pretty amazingly comfortable.
And, unlike most generations throughout salvation history, we have the
Word of God readily accessible; all the Scripture’s wisdom and promise is at
our fingertips. And yet, we are often
unsatisfied, unsure, uneasy.
The fire that blew up on the southeast side of Custer last Thursday was
frightening. The shock of it was heightened
by the fact that we do not regularly face many dangers. Certainly, unlike most humans throughout
history, we do not face frequent danger.
And when dangers come, we have amazing machines and experienced
guardians who help keep us safe.
We truly have it good, in many ways.
But do we have peace?
I pray that you do. But I also
know from our conversations that peace often escapes many of you, just as it
escapes me. Peace, and even joy, these
are God’s goals for us. So, I am glad we
are together here today, that God’s peace might find us. For we need it.
We have doubts about the Word of God. If we spend any time glued to our screens, irreverent questions about the veracity and reliability of the Bible assault us, and seek to worm their way into our minds. Doubts about God’s goodness or even His reality can plague our hearts. Now and again, such questions arise from our hearts, and sometimes slip out of our mouths:
Even if this is all true, Jesus, what do I care? What good does it do me if You performed
miracles and taught great things 2,000 years ago? You also promised a wonderful future for us. Where are You now? Where have those magnificent spiritual
experiences gone, when You led your followers to the summit of the emotional
mountain, by filling 15,000 bellies from 5 loaves and two fish?”
When will You multiple the loaves I care about? I'm not literally hungry, but I have wants. I cry and pray to heaven, asking you to remove
my suffering, to heal my family, to fix my finances or take away my physical
pain. But the sun rises and sets, and
the clouds pass by, raining or not, never noticing me. The night comes, again, and I do not see the
miracles for which I pray.
Is the feeding of the five thousand men and their families relevant for our
lives, today? How can we continue to
pray for relief, when this has been our unceasing prayer, and for so long it
has gone unanswered? How often, when
facing great need, have we sympathized with Philip, saying, "Thirty-two
thousand dollars worth of bread would not be enough.” That is to say, "There is no hope."
Looking at the needs that surround us, and then looking at our
resources, how often have we echoed Andrew’s hopeless sentence: "Here is a boy with five barley loaves
and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" That is, "It just seems impossible,
Lord."
Under a gentle sun, I believe everything the Word says
about you, Jesus. But when the black curtains of disease, or want, depression,
or frustration descend around me, separating me from my loved ones, or robbing
me of my good things, then everything seems irrelevant to me.
Oh You, who conquered sin and death, can You not
conquer my pain? Can’t You take away my
suffering? You claim that nothing is
impossible for You, so why haven’t you done what I ask?
Is it possible that we also would prefer a King of Bread, instead of a
Savior?
Dear friends, you, like me, are sometimes happy, even joyful. And then sometimes we are sad and lonely,
sometimes stubborn and complaining. One
day life is all sunshine and rainbows, the next, full of impossibilities,
insurmountable obstacles, and long, dark nights. Your pains and sorrows are not unknown or
unimportant to God. And He is
greater than all of them. For God, all
things are possible. He can conquer, and
He does. But He conquers all things in
the way that we need, not necessarily in the way we think is
best.
From the ashes the Phoenix rises to life, but that's just Egyptian and
Greek mythology. Superman died, then but
rose again, stronger than ever. But that
is just DC Comics.
But please hear this: from a borrowed tomb our Lord Jesus Christ rose. Dead on a Roman Cross on Friday afternoon, He
revealed His total victory over pain, struggle and death when He walked out of
the Tomb in the early morning of the first day of the week. The Resurrection is not a myth. It's true. Do you have doubts? Certainly, the world says Christians who
believe in the Resurrection are blindly naïve.
Doubts may assail you, but God can handle them. Go ahead, investigate the Resurrection. God can handle it. Examine the accusations of the critics, and
then read the responses of centuries of wise Christian apologists.
Paul explicitly hinges all of Christian faith on the truth of the Resurrection, (1st Corinthians 15). From Genesis 3 through Revelation 22, the promise, fulfillment and proclamation of the Son of God crucified and resurrected to save sinners is the central theme of the Bible.
Reasonable, serious study of history and archeology supports the truth
that something entirely unique happened with a Jewish tradesman from Nazareth
name Jesus. His miracle has left us with
many clues, and it's a joy to study them. Because the Resurrection is true. If you want, I'll happily join you in such an
investigation, because each time I dig, my faith and confidence are
boosted.
From the Cross and the Resurrection we learn the Essential Truth: that,
from the most insignificant circumstances, using unimpressive things, from
weakness and humility, even from death, God gives the best gifts.
And so when you say, "What should I do? I'm sad. I'm lonely. I'm depressed. I'm frustrated. I'm scared. There's nowhere to turn," the Lord
responds to you: “O.k., come here, sit
down. If you want, lie down." That
is what He said on the mountainside, before the miraculous feeding. He commanded the people to sit down, even to recline,
to rest in the abundant grass. Be still,
and know that I am God, and I will feed you unto life. So also today, Jesus says to you, "Sit
down, rest."
Sit and listen. Sit and wait. You will be provided for in His way, in His
time. How could He not provide for you? After all, He became a human being to save
you, for eternity, and also in the here and now. Our experience of salvation in this fallen
world is incomplete, not yet perfect.
But it is true, and real.
Jesus looked up at the five thousand men, plus women and children, who
had come to hear Him, and He had compassion on them. At His word, they sat down, and He took care of
them. He saw that assembly of doubting
followers through merciful eyes.
Through the centuries, God has watched over all His beloved children of all times
with these same merciful eyes. He sees
your joys today, and He smiles with you. Jesus also sees your sadness, and sighs with
you. He hears you cry, "Lord, I am
in pain," and He answers, "I know.
And I know how that is. I was
hurt too, hurt so bad I died. But my
Father did not leave me in the grave. He
freed me from the depths of hell, and so I will free you as well. I know your struggle is real, but trust Me: My
death is sufficient for you. My blood
covers all your sins. The price for your
rescue has been agreed upon, paid in full, and accepted for eternity."
In your good moments and in your bad days, Jesus speaks to you: “Wait. I love you. I am here for you, where I have promised to
be.” The Christ of God reminds you: “In
the darkest days, I am your comfort, peace, and hope. In Me, you will find more than enough strength
for the journey.”
“But only in Me. Do not be
fooled. I AM the only Name under heaven
by which men are saved. No one comes to
the Father except through Me. There is
no true comfort, no healing, no peace anywhere else. When the sun shines upon you, when blessings
fill your day, do not forget, these also come from My Father. Still, do not trust in these blessings;
instead always trust in Me.”
And so this is why Jesus sometimes allows troubles into your life. This is why He says to you: “Stop grumbling. Stop trying to go your own way. Repent. Turn
around, and sit down. See that I am here
to serve you. Listen to my words of
life, of love, and of forgiveness. Come,
kneel before me, and I will feed you with bread that satisfies your soul. And know this: At just the right time, I will
come back for you.”
Jesus Christ hears you. He
answers your prayers. His answer won't
always satisfy your fleshly desires, but He knows what is best. Often enough, His actions don't make sense to
us. But we can trust that He gives
abundantly, wisely, according to what is truly good, always keeping in mind
what we can bear.
The victory you need over sin, death, and hell is complete. It has been won on the Cross and announced in
the Resurrection. Soon, we will pass
through this veil of tears and enter our heavenly home. For now, there is only one way to fight, one
way to move forward, one path that will take us through this desert. This path leads though the heavenly Manna He
so generously bestows. Those walking this
path are washed clean by His Baptism, and His Word echoes in their ears and
hearts. You are placed on this path and
kept on this path, by the Holy Spirit, working through His Word and His
Sacraments. By God’s Grace and
Providence, these gifts are available to you, today, and every day.
He has given you the Bible, the Apostles’ teaching, recorded and
preserved, for you. Pick it up, every
day. Read it. Listen to it. Pray it,
There is overflowing comfort and wisdom for you, in the Word of God,
which reveals your Savior to you, and also draws you into the fellowship and
the prayers, the enactment of love, intercession and praise that is the hub of
Christian life, our regular corporate worship, gathering together, to receive
Christ’s gifts, and to rejoice together.
He has also given you the Breaking of the Bread, that is, the Lord’s Supper,
in which Christ serves us His Body and Blood.
The Supper will strengthen and sustain your body and soul for the living
of this life, even they prepare you for the next. In and through His Holy Supper, Christ
forgives your sins, cleanses your soul, and brings you into perfect communion
with His Father.
But wait, there’s more. The end
goal of the Apostles’ teaching is to deliver forgiveness, and this is especially
proclaimed over you in the Absolution, the declaration of your innocence. Jesus Himself is your Advocate, your defense
attorney, proclaiming you to be innocent before His Father, innocent because of
His own wounds. In Absolution, Christ
Himself speaks, through the mouths of His servants, delivering the blessed
result that you become pure and holy, as the Christ is pure and holy.
Please remember, for now, these gifts won't take away all your pain or
suffering. They won't even cure all your
doubts, although they will help you overcome them. What Christ’s gifts will do for sure is give
you the strength to carry on, to believe in the midst of your troubles. They will protect you from giving up along the
way.
In the end, the Gifts of Christ, the Apostles’ teaching, the fellowship,
the breaking of bread and the prayers, will carry you to your destination,
where the cross will be exchanged for a crown, the place where there are no
tears, no remorse, no shame, no fear, no guilt, no loneliness, no depression,
no want.
The Christian life isn't easy, but it is good. It is the best life, because it is real, and
true, and it is the only life that lasts forever. The Christian life is
centered on His Word, which defeats Satan, drives out the impurities from your heart,
and cleanses your lips. And so, by the
gifts of Christ, you begin to enjoy the peace that only God can give, today
through faith, and soon, in glory.
So come and let your soul delight in the Lord's abundance and mercy. Let Him fill the empty spaces within you. Stop, sit, listen, and receive. And you will live, for Christ will share His
indestructible life with you! Our cup
overflows. God is good. Amen.
(This sermon draws on one by Pastor David Peterson,
Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Many blessings be upon him.)
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