In our gospel reading for today, the huge crowds whom Jesus fed with 5 loaves and 2 fish yesterday, have caught up to him again across the sea of Galilee. And they are hoping that they can convince Jesus to repeat the miraculous banquet, today, either through their awesome piety, or their intense need for the confirmation of their faith. But Jesus resists their attempts to control their relationship with God, and so instead of more bread and fish, Jesus gives the crowds....himself....
“What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you?” Today, aspiring politicians have a number of different answers available to them in their attempts to buy the loyalty of the people. I will provide for you...the sign of student loan forgiveness. I will provide for you...free supervised injection sites for your substance problems. I will provide for you...the holy manna of free universal basic income. And in exchange, all I demand is your vote and your unswerving allegiance and your permission to steal from the wealthy people – a small price to pay for your salvation.
The crowds in our gospel reading had a similar view of salvation when they tracked Jesus down in Capernaum. Feed us again, as well as you did yesterday! And when Jesus tries to redirect them to focus on the spiritual, the crowds go looking for a contract – what work must we do spiritually, so that God will guarantee us an abundance physically? Again, Jesus gives an unsatisfying answer - “there is no 'work', just trust in me”. And so, the crowds try a different angle – feed us again to our satisfaction, and we WILL trust you. But Jesus doesn't go for it, because he sees through the peoples' attempts to manipulate God. Jesus is looking for a relationship with the people, that has a deeper foundation than just manipulation of his Father in heaven.
How is OUR relationship with Jesus? Are we here today out of a sense of DUTY – that this is our spiritual work under contract in order to pay for the blessings we have received? Or are we here out of a sense of gratitude, and a desire to get to know our saviour better, along with all of his adopted brothers and sisters? Are we here today to deliver an ultimatum – God, if you don't do this thing I want, I will never trust you again? Or are we here to REALLY trust in God, putting all of our joys AND SORROWS in his hands as we together praise AND LAMENT? Are we striving to CONTROL our relationship with God? Or are we STRIVING to RELEASE control of our relationship TO God? Are we more passionate about the BUSY work of the kingdom, the feeding and clothing and visiting, or are we more passionate about the HARD work that ISN'T work, abolishing the idols from our lives and from our churches – the idols that prevent us from truly trusting Jesus – that prevent us from being CHANGED by Jesus?