Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Gospel of John XIII: Earthly King or Eternal King?*

*John 6:1-71 *

*/August 10, 2008/*

 

 

*Prep: *

·         Newbigin (p.

78)

·         Blinded by Might

·         NT Wright

·         Sermon: John 10

·         Leftovers

 

 

*Intro*

 

·         My shoplifting.

·         “You pick the sermon”

 

 

*Prayer*

·         Be with those out camping and on vacation

 

 

*Moses rides again*

 

We are in chapter six, which is far *too* *long* to *read*, but we will be referencing it, so turn there.

Four stories:

 

·         Feeding of the 5,000 men.

·         Jesus walking of the water.

·         Conversation in the synagogue: They want more *miracles* and more *bread*, he says he is the bread of life, eat him.

·         Challenges his disciples.

Not simple related, but all part of the *same* *story*.

John is a master story teller, *weaving* these *events* together around the upcoming Passover (v.

4).

·         *Passover* celebrated their *deliverance*, like our 4th of July.

·         But imagine if America was *occupied* – the 4th would be a time of unrest and *rebellious* *sentiment*.

Furthermore, the miraculous feeding sharply brought to mind Moses’ manna.

They are watching an *OT* *drama* and *prophecy* *play* out before them and they *knew* *it*.

·         But they completely misunderstood it.

Ä  To understand this passage, you have to understand the religious and political climate of his day.

*Jesus’ way*

 

We have to go all the way back to the OT:

 

·         *Obey* the rules or be *exiled*.

·         Disobeyed and were exiled, but *promise* of *return*.

·         Did return, but were still living under *theological* *exile*.

When Jews spoke of the *kingdom* of *God*, this is what they meant, *not* the *afterlife*.

And Jews of that day had very different ideas of how to get the kingdom of God:

 

1.

*Essenes*: Hide out and wait for God to violently bring it.

2. *Herod* and *Sadducees*: Gain it through compromise and political appeasement.

3. *Zealots* and *Pharisees*: Help God out a little.

Jesus option was completely different and radical: The kingdom of God will come *within* the *current* *system* within your *hearts* through his *death* and *resurrection*.

·         This also meant that many *Jews* would *not* *be* *part* of the Kingdom, an *important* *point* later.

A lot of Jesus ministry was attempting to *dissuade* his people away from *political* *solutions* that would *destroy* them both *politically* and *spiritually*:

 

*Matthew 7:13-14 *  13 ¶ “Enter through the narrow gate.

For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

And in fact Israel was *destroyed* *40* years later.

*Israel’s king*

 

So in this climate, the people saw Jesus as a *political* *figure*, Israel’s conquering king.

The very thing they wanted was the very thing Jesus *refused* to be.

*Key* *verse* of entire passage:

 

*John 6:14-15 *  14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

*Begging for bread, passing on gold*

 

Undeterred, they went looking for him, with a delegate taking boats across the lake.

*John 6:25-27 * When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Jesus is trying to take their *eyes* *off* of their *temporal* *perspective*, and place it on *eternal* *things*.

Before the prophet, all they wanted was *stuff* from him and *political* solutions.

From *our* *perspective*, their mistake seems rather obvious: But they were simply more interested in *filling* their *belly* than *eternal* *life*.

·         It showed how *earthly* *minded* and *short* *sighted* they were.

·         It’s like offer a kid *candy* or to pay for *college*, but in fairness, we tell them to “trust us.”

Jesus is trying to show the how *temporary* their wants were.

They were asking *too* *little*, not too much.

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life...”

 

Filled people soon become *hungry* *again*, sick people still *die*.

Every one of the people that Jesus fed and healed died.

His goal was far higher than *postponing* *death*, it was *eliminating* it.

His goal was more than satisfying a temporary need, it was bringing the *fullness* of *life* – not simply going to heaven, but *experiencing* *life* as God intended now and forever.

·         *Every* *person* there died.

·         Some of them probably witnessed the *destruction* of *Jerusalem*.

*Walking in their footprints*

 

But I hate it when we read the stories but don’t see *us* in *their* *shoes*: The way I see it, I, we are frequently guilty of looking at Jesus more as a *earthly* *king*, here to take care of my earthly needs, than my *eternal* *Lord* who I *trust* to do what is best.

*Like* these *Israelites*, I see at least *two* *ways* that we mistake Jesus for an earthly king, one *national* and one *personal*:

 

1.

We turn Jesus into a political figure.

In the *blog* I asked “Would Jesus vote?”

Perhaps that was too *controversial* of a topic, or perhaps people are overloaded, but I would have loved to hear your opinion.

·         I don’t see that as prominent in this church, but there is a real danger when Jesus become a *political* *cause*.

In my opinion, he would have voted (like paying the temple tax), but he would *not* have *expected* politics to make a lasting change in our culture, any more than his. 

 

2.

We seek him as a miracle worker.

There is a really danger of looking at Jesus as a *miracle* *worker*, as one coming to take care of our needs.

Ä  At Summit ‘08, they said the leap between *immature* *Christians* and mature Christians is asking God to bless *our* *agendas* and us *seeking* *his* *will*.

*The gift of his flesh*

 

This point in John is a real *watershed* in Jesus ministry – everything is *different* from here on out.

He *sifts* through his follower to find the truly *committed* verse the *groupies*.

He becomes *less* *popular* from this point out.

He does that by making an *obnoxious* *statement*:

 

*John 6:53-56 *  53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

This is *confusing*, *yucky* stuff, no doubt.

(The Romans later misunderstood it and accused us of *cannibalism*.)

Obviously he is speaking of his own sacrificial *death*.

But what is the point of saying in a way so likely to be *misunderstood*.

There are *two* *points* that I see:

 

1.

Jesus is *offering* *himself*, as opposed to “stuff.”

2.

You have to *trust* *him*.

This stuff made no sense on the surface, so what are we to do with it?