July 27, 2003
John 6:1-21
Ephesians 3:14-21
The Gospel of John continues to expound on the supernatural nature of Jesus and the wonderful way in which he did miracles in his effort to do good. The story often referred to as "The Feeding Of The Five Thousand" is a wonderful lesson on how a little can do a lot. It is not a very realistic story in terms of indicating how thing get accomplished in the real world. It is a wonderful story about caring for others. It is not a very realistic story in as to the methodology by which "care" is shown to others in the real world.
If we take the long view without feeling the need to defend or deny the supernatural powers believed to be inherent in Jesus, it is a story which sets a wonderful example of concern for the welfare of other human beings. Jesus is depicted as one who genuinely cared for others, whether or not he knew them or whether or not they were like him. He viewed others of all races and backgrounds as children of God who needed to learn how to behave as such, and needed to be respected as children of God by one another. If he saw them thirsty he wanted to give them water. If he saw them hungry he wanted to feed them. If he saw them in prison he wanted to visit them. If he saw them doing harm to themselves or to one another, he wanted to save them from themselves and from one another.
And so it is that Paul could pray for the Ephesians that the spirit of Christ might dwell in their hearts through faith and that being rooted and grounded in love, they might come to know the fulness of love which passes knowledge and thus experience the fulness of God in their lives.
The prayer of Paul for the Christians in Ephesus is an expression of a wonderful hope for each of us to have for ourselves and for one another. God won't "reach out of the blue" and bless us with this kind of healthy spirituality. We must find and claim it for ourselves in degrees, and in a growing manner, in our lives, in our world, in our day. It is this attitudinal spirit, and this spirit of behavior, which truly brings "salvation" to persons and to the world.