When I was growing up, once a week my grandmama would round up nearby family for an impromptu supper.
“Nothing special,” she’d say to anyone she called with an invitation. “I’m just heating up scraps.” My grandma loved to cook, so there were plenty of “scraps” to feed anyone who might find their way to her table. Her “scrap” suppers always made for a very satisfying meal. If you left her table hungry you had only yourself to blame.
In chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, Jesus is also concerned with “feedin’ folks.”
Picture it. Jesus is experiencing the peak of his popularity. People have traveled miles to hear his words. He’s a rock star. He’s done a great miracle, feeding the crowd with only a few loaves of bread and some fish. Like my grandmama feeding her crowd with “scraps” from the refrigerator, he turned a little into a great feast. Expectations are high. Could Jesus do it again? Would he do it again? Could he top his last miracle?
Jesus didn’t give them just another meal. He gave them THE meal. He gave them these words: “I am the Bread of Life. If you come to me, you will never be hungry, and if you believe in me, you will never be thirsty.” He was telling them that God would always supply their needs. And he wasn’t just talking about dinner.
Jesus was talking about nourishing their spirits. He was telling the crowd, gathered expecting to be fed another meal, that the bread of life is more than food for their bodies. Jesus did not offer “scraps” but eternal life. He offers all we need. All we must do is accept his gift.
When we pray, when we open our Bibles, when we give of ourselves, and when we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we are being fed with the bread of life. We are at the table for a most satisfying meal.
Julie Arndt is a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran, Lumberton, N.C. She is a middle school English teacher who hopes to return to her classroom this fall, having spent the past year recovering from the amputation of part of one leg. With the help of her husband Robert, a team of patient physical therapists, and many prayers from many friends, she is making strides toward her goal.
To Consider
1. How are we like the crowds that followed Jesus? What do we expect?
2. Does Jesus, the Bread of life, truly satisfy your needs? In what ways?
Prayer
Loving God, thank you for feeding our bodies and our spirits through your word and your grace. Help us to feed our neighbors in the same way, sharing our own “scraps.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.