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Food That Endures

Rev. Jeremy J. Schultz
August 2, 2009

The story is told of a couple of spaced-out hippies in the 1960s. One day they knocked on the pastor's door, just as he was preparing breakfast and when he answered it, they held out their hands and one of them said, "Hey, man, you got any bread?" The pastor assured them that he did and quickly returned with a whole loaf. He told them that they could have it all because he had an extra. Pushing it back, the hippies replied, "No, man, I mean like real bread – you know the bread of life."

Somewhat embarrassed, the pastor quickly left and returned again, this time carrying a Bible. He asked if there was a particular portion that they would like him to read or if they would like to have the book as his gift so they could read it for themselves. The panhandlers pointed their fingers into their other open palms and one of them said, "No, man, I'm talking about M-O-N-E-Y!" And now, truly embarrassed, the pastor politely excused himself and shut the door, explaining that his toast was burning.

In today's Gospel reading, the big hungry crowd that's been following Jesus around catches up with Him again. The 5,000 had already received one free lunch and apparently were looking for seconds. So Jesus tells them clearly, "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." And that's what Jesus wants you to have – all of you. He wants you to have food that endures.

Now in Jesus' day, all food spoiled if it were not quickly consumed. But he's not just talking about food. Everything spoils! Everything goes bad! Think of it like this. How many of you have something that belonged to your mom or dad? Probably most of you. Now how many of you have an item that belonged to your grandma or grandpa? Still several. Can you go back another generation? How about two or three more? A chair or a teacup – something from 100 years ago...200 years ago? I don't and probably neither do you. But you see these were things that were precious to them – maybe that they worked their whole lives to acquire. And where are they today? It is as Jesus says in Matthew 6, "Life is more important that food and the body is more important than clothes" (vs. 25). What He is telling the big hungry crowd is that inside every person is a spiritual hunger far deeper than anything else that must be satisfied! We dare not work for food that spoils and forget about the food that endures.

The story is told of a church that ran ads in the newspaper for two weeks in a row. The first week, the advertisement promised that they were going to give away – for free – to every person in attendance - the saving Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. On Sunday, they counted the members and guests separately, and added up the total. The second week they advertised that they would give away $100 to every person in attendance. Attendance was recorded the exact same way – only this time, it was much higher. We dare not work for food that spoils and forget about the food that endures.

What's really great is that we don't have to work for this food that Jesus talks about at all! Jesus is talking about salvation. He is talking about the free gift of eternal life through the forgiveness of sins. The crowd wants to know what we must do to do the work that God requires. But Jesus says this: the work of God is this – to believe in the one He has sent. Isn't that something? We do the work of God as we believe in His only begotten Son. In other words, the work that God has for us to do is simply to receive Him by faith! Salvation is a wondrous free gift that is yours by grace!

But the crowd wants to know – if we don't have anything to do...what about you, Jesus? What are you going to do? Understandably, He had fed the 5,000 for a day; but Moses had done it for 40 years! Jesus had used five loaves and two fish. But Moses had given manna and quail! So they're drawing this comparison as if to say to the Lord, "You've got some catching up to do!" What moldy minds! So Jesus instructs, "It was not Moses that gave the bread from heaven. But it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven and gives life to the world."

A crust of bread...a pretty teacup...a hundred dollars...these are things that might satisfy for a moment, but only God can give you something that will last forever. Only Jesus, the Bread of Life, can give such life to the world.

So let's slide open the breadbox and see more of what's inside. Jesus, the Bread of Life, never stopped giving to the crowds. When they needed healing, He healed them. When they were hungry, He fed them. And when a sacrifice for sins was required, He gave Himself completely into death for the life of the world. Jesus died for all of your sins and rose on the 3rd day so that this life might be yours. This is the food that endures. Are you hungry? Come to Him. Are you thirsty? Drink your fill and be satisfied. Know that there is no other place where you can be so satisfied. Jesus is the One that has taken that deep, spiritual hunger of yours and has filled it by giving you the forgiveness of all your sins.

2 Peter 1:3-5 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you." Now I was talking with you earlier about all of the items that never got passed down. There were all sorts of treasures that were important to our ancestors that never survived to this day. But one thing quite possibly did. Maybe your mom and dad were Christian. Perhaps your grandparents were too. Maybe saving faith in Jesus Christ is something that has been passed down in uninterrupted fashion down through the ages. Or maybe you're just now starting on this day to enjoy Him who is the Bread of Life. It is food that endures! And the gift of this life is something that will never perish, spoil or fade.

Sure, Moses fed with bread for 40 years. But Jesus IS the true Bread from Heaven who feeds you for all eternity. Next week, the children were asked to bring back a loaf of bread and I encourage you – please do. Every one of those loaves is then going to be given out to someone from outside our church family with an invitation to know Jesus, who is the true Bread of Life. And then we'll see how many people come. There's a mighty big crowd out there. There's a hunger inside each one that only Jesus can satisfy. He is the Bread of Life. This is the food that does not spoil. This is the food that endures. Amen.