“I am the bread of life”. In today’s gospel reading we heard the first
“I am” sentence that occurs in the gospel of John. Throughout the Gospel of John, we witness these sentences:
“I am the light of the world”, “I am the door”, “I am the good shepherd”, “I am the resurrection and the life”, I am the road, the truth, and the life”, “I am the true wine tree”.
In today’s sermon I wish to explore the meaning of the sentence: “I am the bread of life”. And as I often choose to do, I would like to do so by comparing the subject. In this case ‘the bread of life’.
The bread of life. A bread that sustains us forever. Well, that bread or other kinds of food and beverages can be more than it seems is a phenomenon that appears throughout mythologies, fairytales, and the like.
It seems therefore obvious to compare with such subjects as they might reveal what is special about the bread of life mentioned in today’s biblical reading.
Or rather: Readings. Because not only does the gospel for today talk about the bread of life. The other readings also refer to a similar subject: The manna given to the Israelites during their 40 years of walking in the desert.
Anyway, if we start looking at mythologies, in Greek mythology we find the horn of plenty. A horn which also is said to give food – sustain life – forever.
The horn was achieved by Zeus. His father, Chronos, was known to devour everything and because of this, Zeus was removed from his parents as a child. He was looked after by a group of foster mothers.
Not much is known of these foster mothers, except they had horns and kept Zeus fed. One day, Zeus tore off one of the horns of one of his foster mothers, and the horn turned out to provide the same as its owner: Food.
Today, horns of plenty are probably more known as a ‘kransekage’ shaped as a horn and filled with treats. But it all relates back to the story of how Zeus was kept fed as a child.
Another example from mythology is found in Nordic mythology. Once again shaped as a horn, the drinking horn of Utgaards Loki is not any ordinary horn. It is a horn containing all the oceans of the world.
The God, Thor, is asked to empty it in a competition, but of course he cannot. This horn will never be emptied.
If we turn toward various stories, in Harry Potter we have the cup of Hermione. The three heroes of the story are hiding themselves from enemies in a forest. They have no access to water and are getting thirsty. Luckily, Hermione has a magical cup that will never run out of water.
In The Lord of the Rings, we have – not water, but bread – that is magical. The elven bread – Lembas bread – might not taste of much, but you only need a small piece of it to stay fed an entire day Something that is convenient when you must carry food for a months-long adventure towards mount doom.
Now what all these sources of food that sustain life have in common is that they do sustain – just as the bread of life – but somehow (and what I find notable is that) they only seem to sustain a limited number of people.
The horn of plenty sustained Zeus as a child. But has been lost since then. The horn of Utgaard Loki might have sustained Utgaard Loki – maybe even all the Jotuns – with water, but they probably preferred mead instead.
Hermione might have had a source of water, but what about the muggles – those who knew nothing of magic. And Lembas bread was not provided to everyone – only those in dire need and with elvish friends. Something that surely narrows it down a bit.
That the number of people who are sustained is limited might not be a problem though. If we for instance compare with the manna given by God in the desert to the Israelites of the Old Testament, this manna also only goes out to a limited number of people. The Israelites.
As that story goes, every day God would provide the Israelites with food as they walked the desert for 40 years carrying the ark of the covenant and putting up a tent as a temple for God to dwell in.
But God would not let them keep any leftovers. Nor would God allow them to take more than they needed.
God’s point in not allowing this was that he wanted the Israelites to rely only in God. Not their own wits or practical thinking. They solely had to devote themselves to him.
This aspect of dedication might be found in the gospel as well. After all, the gospels several places state that we solely are saved through faith. Nothing else.
Still, though, the manna only goes out to a limited number of people. Is it the same with the bread of life of the Gospel? Is it the same with Jesus?
In short, I will argue: No. Rather, what makes the bread of life of the Gospel – Jesus – stand out in comparison with the other similar subjects is, that he wants to be the bread of life of all.
“Whoever”, Jesus says. “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Whoever. There is no limitation.
Some might argue that he only talks to those present, but he most certainly is not. Rather, all the “I am” sentences of the gospel that I mentioned in the beginning of the sermon that today’s gospel reading is the first of, have in common that they broaden out the perspective of God’s salvation making it not only available to Jews, but to gentiles as well.
This they do by being stylistically pointing both backwards and forwards:
They refer backwards towards the Old Testament and God who said about himself “I am who I am”. But at the same time, they also refer forward towards a trend in the Hellenistic world. Most renowned probably the sentence “I am Caesar.”
And by referring both backwards and forwards, the sentences show that each sentence – and the entire gospel as well – no longer solely is meant to go out to an ethnic group. The gospel belongs to everyone.
Jesus is the bread of life – not just for some, but for all. He is not just going to give food to those whom he met. But everyone. Throughout space and time. He even fed us today – and every Sunday we gather – as we share holy communion together with each other and with him.
That there is no limitation to God’s plans for salvation, seems like a real blessing to me. Some might complain that not all deserve such a gift. But then again, I would just argue that no one really deserves it.
Because it is a blessing. It is divine. It is greater than any magic horns or elven bread. It is God’s gift to mankind: Faith.
And in a world where people risk getting shot as they gather in refugee camps around trucks to collect food while they starve. In a world filled with such terrible events and so much hatred. I can truly see how faith – the bread of life – might uplift us even more than earthly bread that we do not seem to be able to share between us.
Because faith is shared with us – shared with all – and can never be taken away.
Amen.