July 26, 2009 - Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Scripture Study
PROPER 12
YEAR B
JULY 26, 2009


THE READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE

A reading from Second Kings

A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, "Give it to the people and let them eat." But his servant said, "How can I set this before a hundred people?" So he repeated, "Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the LORD, `They shall eat and have some left.'" He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the LORD.


Remaining seated, let us read responsively from Psalm 85

10 All your works praise you, O LORD,
and your faithful servants bless you.

11 They make known the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your power;

12 That the peoples may know of your power
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom;
your dominion endures throughout all ages.

14 The LORD is faithful in all his words
and merciful in all his deeds.

15 The LORD upholds all those who fall;
he lifts up those who are bowed down.

16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD,
and you give them their food in due season.

17 You open wide your hand
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.

18 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving in all his works.

19 The LORD is near to those who call upon him,
to all who call upon him faithfully.



A Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians [Ephesians 3:14-21]

I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.


The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint John
Glory to you, Lord Christ. [John 6:1-21]

Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."

When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.


EXEGESIS:

CHAPTER 6: GALILEE, JERUSALEM, GALILEE, JERUSALEM

The end of chapter 4 finds Jesus in Galilee. Chapter 5 moves to Jerusalem. Chapter 6 (our reading for this week) moves back to Galilee. In chapter 7 Jesus returns to Jerusalem. It would simplify the geography to put chapter 6 between chapters 4 and 5, but this author is more concerned with theology than geography. Jerusalem will be the place of Jesus' death during a subsequent Passover. There he will break bread with the disciples in the Upper Room, temporarily closeted away from his enemies. Here, at Passover, far from Jerusalem, he will break bread with thousands on a mountaintop.

This week's Gospel lesson includes two stories. The first (vv. 1-15) recounts the feeding of the five thousand. The second, (vv. 16-21) tells of Jesus walking on water. Both the miraculous feeding of bread from heaven and the miraculous crossing of the sea are reminiscent of the Exodus.


VERSES 1-4: JESUS WENT UP THE MOUNTAIN AND SAT DOWN

1After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.


"After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee" (v. 1a). The "other side" is probably the eastern side, across from Tiberius, but this isn't certain. Wherever they are, the disciples will get in their boat and depart for Capernaum, at the north end of the sea, when evening comes (6:16).

"also called the Sea of Tiberias" (v. 1b). The Sea of Tiberius is a name found in the Gospels only here and at 21:1. The name comes from the city of Tiberius which was built on the west shore of the sea by Herod Antipas, completed in 20 A.D. and named in honor of Tiberius Caesar, who reigned as the Roman emperor from 14-37 A.D. The sea is also known as Gennesaret (Luke 5:1).

"A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick" (v. 2). In Galilee, Jesus healed the son of a royal official (4:46-54). In Jerusalem he healed a man who had been sick for 38 years (5:1-18). This verse suggests that there were additional healings in Galilee during this visit.

"they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick" (v. 2b). The words "sign" and "signs" are important in this Gospel, occurring 17 times. A sign is "something that points to, or represents, something larger or more important than itself.... In the New Testament, ...signs point primarily to the powerful, saving activity of God as experienced through the ministry of Jesus and the apostles" (Lockyer, 991). "Miraculous 'signs' as a source of faith play an important part in the gospel of John (cf. John 20:30). The positive and correct reaction of the people to Jesus' signs is recorded (6:2, 14; 7:31; 10:41-42; 12:18-19). But, even in John, Jesus retains a skeptical assessment of faith induced by signs (2:23-25; 4:48) and attempts to point beyond the signs to the demands and promises of his message (3:2-3; 6:26-27, 35-40)" (Myers, 949).

"Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples" (v. 3). These words signal that something important is about to happen. Mountains are places where God and God's will are revealed –– where God gave the Torah to Moses (Exodus 19) –– where God defeated the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18) –– where Jesus gave his greatest sermon (Matthew 5-7) –– and where he will be transfigured (Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9).

This reference to the mountain is one of a series of Exodus/Moses images in this chapter. Others include crossing the sea (v. 1), the mention of the Passover (v. 4), God's provision of bread (manna) (v. 11), the gathering of fragments (v. 12), the mention of manna (vv. 31-32, 49-50), and the mention of "the bread that came down from heaven" (v. 58). Jesus is like Moses, but is greater than Moses.

"Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near" (v. 4). The mention of the Passover is another signal that something important is happening. This Gospel tells of three Passovers:

•The first was in Jerusalem, where Jesus cleansed the temple at Passover (2:13-25). In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), the cleansing takes place near the end of Jesus' ministry, but this Gospel reports it as taking place immediately after the first of Jesus' signs, a miracle of abundance, the making of wine from water at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee (2:1-11).

• Now, at Jesus' second Passover, we have another miracle of abundance, the feeding of the five thousand (6:1-14), a miracle like unto God's gift of manna in the wilderness –– a linkage that Jesus will make clear in the Bread of Life discourse (6:22-40) that follows the feeding of the five thousand.

• The story of Jesus' third Passover will require eight chapters for its telling (11:55 - 19:42), and will include the events leading up to Jesus' crucifixion as well as the crucifixion itself. The Passover celebrates the Exodus, with the Passover lamb commemorating the salvation of the Israelites from the death angel. In this Gospel, Jesus is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (1:29, 36 –– see also 1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Peter 1:18; Revelation 5:12). Just as the Passover lamb saved the lives of the Israelites, so the Lamb of God has come into the world "so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (3:16).


VERSES 5-9: WHERE ARE WE TO BUY BREAD FOR THESE PEOPLE TO EAT?

5When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He said this to test (Greek: peirazon) him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7Philip answered him, "Six months' wages (Greek: diakosion denarion –– two hundred denarii) would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." 8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?"


Unlike Matthew 14:14 and Mark 6:34; 8:2, this Gospel does not mention Jesus' compassion for the crowds, who are like sheep without a shepherd. In this Gospel, this story has to do with faith in Jesus rather than his compassion.

The story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand is also found in Luke 9:10-17, making it the only miracle story to be found in all four Gospels.

"Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" (v. 5). Jesus addresses his question to Philip, whose home is in nearby Bethsaida (1:44). If anyone would know where to purchase bread locally, Philip should know.

This is an allusion to the question raised by Moses to God in the wilderness: "Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?" (Numbers 11:13).

Jesus "said this to test (peirozon) him" (v. 6a). Peirazon can mean "to examine" or "to tempt." The examiner hopes that the student will pass the test, while the tempter hopes that the student will fail. Jesus is an examiner here –– hoping to find in Philip a man of faith.

"for he himself knew what he was going to do" (v. 6b). Jesus has a plan in mind. He is not asking Philip a question to initiate a brainstorming session to solve a difficult problem. He is probing Philip to learn the depth of his faith.

"Six months' wages (diakosion denarion –– two hundred denarii) would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little" (v. 7). Philip points out the obvious difficulty –– the purchase of bread for such a large crowd would be very expensive. The Greek says diakosion denarion –– two hundred denarii. A denarius is a day's wages for a working man, so two hundred denarii represents at least six month's wages –– a capital sum that would seem enormous to a man like Philip. How can he get that kind of money?

Philip could go even further by pointing out the logistical problems associated with the procurement and transportation of such a large quantity of bread. Even if the disciples could collect sufficient funds, they could hardly expect to find bread already baked in sufficient quantities to feed thousands. How many ovens would be required? How many bakers? How much flour? How long would it take for the dough to rise? To bake? How could the disciples transport thousands of loaves of bread? What about water? What about toilet facilities? If the disciples were to tackle this monumental task and gather the necessary food, could Jesus reorganize the crowd for teaching again after dinner? Wouldn't it make more sense to dismiss them now and let them find their own dinner?

But doesn't Philip remember Jesus' miracle at Cana (2:1-11) –– "the first of his signs" (2:11) –– revealing Jesus' glory and causing his disciples to believe in him (2:11)? Philip was already Jesus' disciple when Jesus worked that miracle of abundance (1:43-48). While we are not specifically told that Philip was present at the Cana wedding, surely he has heard about that miracle. For whatever reason, he fails to connect that miracle of abundance with the need for abundance here.

"One of (Jesus') disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 'There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?'" (vv. 8-9). Andrew makes a feeble stab at a solution, identifying a modest resource –– a boy with his lunch. But then he endorses Philip's pessimism by saying, "But what are they among so many people?" Both Philip and Andrew help us to understand the magnitude of the coming miracle by stressing the obvious difficulties.

"five barley loaves" (v. 9). Barley loaves are an inferior bread usually eaten by poor people. It is less nutritious, less tasty, and harder to digest than bread made from wheat.

These barley loaves recall Elisha's miraculous feeding of one hundred people with a small supply of barley loaves. In that story, a man from Baal-shalishah brought twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain to give to Elisha for the offering of the first fruits. Elisha said, "Give it to the people and let them eat." But his servant said, "How can I set this before a hundred people?" So Elisha repeated, "Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, 'They shall eat and have some left.'" The servant "set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord" (2 Kings 4:42-44). The connections between the stories of the prophet Elisha and the prophet Jesus are unmistakable.

"and two fish" (v. 9). The fish are probably small –– an accompaniment for the bread, which is the main course.

This is all that the Gospels have to say about this boy (the Synoptics don't even mention him). The boy is an unlikely candidate to save the day, just as the shepherd-boy, David, was an unlikely opponent for Goliath many years earlier. His pitiful offering is as inadequate as was David's sling. The boy has little to offer, but he offers that little bit. Jesus will transform that little bit into more-than-enough.

What if the boy were unwilling to share his lunch? What if he were to say, "I need this for myself" –– or "My little bit won't make any difference"? "In the parable of the talents our Lord makes it plain that... it is the one-talent people who are most likely to falter and fail him; and this on the ground that anything they could do is so trivial as to be not worth doing.... That, says Christ, is a fallacy that has disastrous consequences" (Gossip, 555). "There would have been one great and shining deed fewer in history if that boy had refused to come or if he had withheld his loaves and fishes. The fact of life is that Jesus Christ needs what we can bring Him. We may not have much to bring but He needs what we have" (Barclay, 207).


VERSES 10-14: THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

10Jesus said, "Make the people (Greek: anthropous –– men) sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they (Greek: hoi andres –– the men) sat down, about five thousand in all. 11Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks (Greek: eucharistesas), he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." 13So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world (Greek: erchomenos eis ton kosmon)."


"Jesus said, 'Make the people sit down'" (v. 10a). Jesus might intend this gesture to signal the crowd to prepare for lunch. If so, it is a bold move for a man with so many mouths to feed and so little food.

"Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they (hoi andres –– the men) sat down, about five thousand in all" (v. 10b). The "in all" at the end of this sentence is absent in the Greek, and might mislead us to assume that it includes women and children. In that time and place, this sort of count would include only men, so the total crowd would be larger, probably much larger. Matthew's Gospel makes this explicit by saying, "And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children" (Matthew 14:21).

"Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks (eucharistesas), he distributed them to those who were seated" (v. 11). Eucharistesas is the Greek word from which we get our word Eucharist. "At this point in the story, (eucharistesas) carries little meaning beyond its obvious sense of giving thanks to God.... But as the chapter unfolds, the term will take on a particular meaning for the Johannine community and its audience" (Howard-Brook, 145). The traditional prayer of thanksgiving is "Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who bringest forth bread from the earth" (Carson, 270). It expresses, not a blessing of food, but thanks to God.

In the Synoptics, the disciples distribute the bread, but in this Gospel, Jesus does it. "Jesus' actions do not reflect the more liturgically stylized actions of the synoptic accounts (e.g., Mark 6:41; Luke 9:16), but rather reflect the actions of a host at a Jewish meal" (O'Day, 594). The emphasis is less clearly eucharistic in this gospel than in the Synoptics.

"When they were satisfied" (v. 12a). The people eat their fill –– not just a token amount as some scholars have suggested. Nor is this a lesson in sharing, as others have suggested. This is NOT the story of a young boy who sets an example of generosity that inspires the rest of the crowd to share their food which turns out to be adequate for the occasion. This IS a story –– one of many in both Old and New Testaments –– about God's/Jesus' ability to transform too little into more than enough.

Attempts to explain this story by rationalistic or humanistic interpretations only diminish it –– shrinking the miracle to fit our vision instead of expanding our vision to see God's majesty. We must ask why some interpreters find it possible to believe in the miracle of the resurrection but not the miracle of the loaves and fishes –– and if they do not believe in the miracle of the resurrection, how can they be faithful spiritual guides?

Jesus commands, "Gather up the fragments left over, so nothing may be lost" (v. 12b). This is somewhat different from the Exodus account, where God commanded the Israelites to gather the manna but not to keep it until the next day (Exodus 16:16-21). When the Israelites disobeyed this order by keeping food for the next day, "it bred worms and became foul" and was lost (Exodus 16:20). "The discourse will allude to this in terms of the food that perishes (v. 27). It will also go on to talk of Jesus not losing anything that the Father has given him (v. 39; cf. also 10.28; 17.12; 18.9)" (Lincoln, 213).

The emphasis in the Exodus story was the faithfulness of God's providence, while the emphasis here is the abundance of God's providence. Jesus makes no mention of gathering only what is needed for the day.

"So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets" (v. 13). The twelve baskets of leftovers are more food than Jesus started with –– one basket each for the twelve tribes of Israel. The supply is abundant. God provides plenty to meet our needs.

In an article on the significance of various numbers in the Bible, Borchert says, "The combinations of four and three (the world and the divine) are important. Three and four when added equal seven, which is regarded as a reference to fullness or perfection. The multiplication of three and four equals twelve, which is the representative number of the people of God. Five and ten often are regarded as signifying human or mortal completeness.... A thousand (three multiples of ten), the general big number" (Borchert, 255 –– see also the article on "Numbers" in Bromiley, 556-561). While our text provides no interpretation of the numbers involved here, it includes several of these significant numbers –– seven resources (five loaves and two fish) (v. 9) –– a crowd of five thousand (v. 10) –– and twelve baskets of leftovers (v. 13).

Seeing the miracle, the people say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world" (erchomenos eis ton kosmon) (v. 14). This apparently refers to Moses' promise, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet" (Deuteronomy 18:15). "In Greek, the phrase is the same as the description of the as yet unnamed Jesus in the prologue (1:9): 'The true light was coming into the world' (erchomenos[n] eis ton kosmon). It is John's way of speaking of the advent of Jesus" (Smith, 149).


VERSE 15: JESUS WITHDREW AGAIN TO THE MOUNTAIN BY HIMSELF

15When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

"When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king" (v. 15a). The crowd wants to institutionalize Jesus' role as provider and deliverer. Having seen power at work, they want to harness it for their own purposes. "If this was the second Moses, he would surely do for them what the first Moses had done for their ancestors and deliver them from oppression" (Bruce, 146).

While the crowd's response is natural enough, it makes too little of Jesus, whom they wish to claim as their own personal genie. Their response "reverses the answer to the catechism question so that it would read, 'Our chief end is to be glorified by God forever" (Brueggemann, 446).

"he withdrew again to the mountain by himself" (v. 15b). Seeing that they are about to make him king by force, Jesus withdraws. He has a ministry to fulfill, but not the one that these people envision. To become the king that they want would shrink his ministry from the world (3:16) to the eastern end of the Mediterranean –– from all of history to a generation or two –– from a giver of eternal life to a giver of temporal security. And to become their king would expose Jesus to a justifiable charge of treason, legitimizing his execution as a criminal. No longer would he be the innocent lamb dying for the sins of the world, but he would instead die as a rightfully convicted felon.

There is "much of St. John's irony in the passage; He who is already King has come to open His kingdom to men; but in their blindness men try to force Him to be the kind of king they want; thus they fail to get the king they want, and also lose the kingdom He offers" (R.F. Bailey, Saint John's Gospel, quoted in Morris, 307).


VERSES 16-21: THEY SAW JESUS WALKING ON THE SEA

16When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19When they had rowed about three or four miles (Greek: hos stadious eikosi pente e triakonta –– about twenty-five or thirty stadia), they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20But he said to them, "It is I (Greek: ego eimi); do not be afraid." 21Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.


"When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum" (vv. 16-17a). In Matthew 14:22 and Mark 6:45, the disciples depart on Jesus' orders. Here they leave on their own initiative. Luke 9 doesn't report this departure.

"It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them" (v. 17b). In this Gospel, darkness is more than the absence of physical light –– it signals evil or danger. It is now dark, and Jesus is absent.

"The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing" (v. 18). Located nearly 700 feet (215 meters) below sea level, the sea is nearly surrounded by high hills. The topography is such that high winds often sweep down suddenly from the hills, making the sea a dangerous place to be in a small boat. There is no indication yet that the disciples are in danger or afraid, but their journey will not be easy.

"When they had rowed about three or four miles" (hos stadious eikosi pente e triakonta) –– about twenty-five or thirty stadia) (v. 19a). A stadion is a little more than 600 feet (180 meters), so this distance is 15,000-18,000 feet or roughly 3 - 3.5 miles (4.8 - 5.6 km). The sea (really a good-sized lake) is 8 miles (13 km) east to west at its widest point and about 13 miles (21 km) north to south. The point here is that the disciples are somewhere in the middle of the lake. They have rowed a considerable distance in the storm, but have a considerable distance left to go. Their group includes experienced fishermen who have surely been on the lake during storms. While the text doesn't say that they are afraid, anyone who has ever been caught in a storm in the middle of a large lake will appreciate the challenge that they face –– the danger that the storm poses.

"they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified" (v. 19b). Now, for the first time, we hear that the disciples are terrified. It is not the storm that terrifies them, but the sight of Jesus walking on the sea and coming near their boat. John doesn't specify the cause of their fear, but the Synoptic Gospels tell us that the disciples are afraid because they think that Jesus is a ghost (Matthew 14:26; Mark 6:49; Luke 24:37).

Jesus says, "It is I (ego eimi); do not be afraid" (v. 20). Ego eimi can be translated "I AM" –– God's name (Exodus 3:14) –– and Jesus uses this phrase often in this Gospel to say "ego eimi the bread of life" (6:35) –– "ego eimi the light of the world" (8:12) –– "ego eimi the good shepherd" (10:11) –– etc. Here on the chaos of these troubled waters, therefore, Jesus is revealing himself on two levels. He is the leader whom the disciples have been following, but he is also the presence of God in their midst. He comes to help them in their distress. "Jesus' glory is not revealed for power, but for grace-filled pastoral care" (O'Day, 597).

Matthew includes the story of Peter attempting to walk on the water to meet Jesus (Matthew 14:28-31), a story not found in the other Gospels.

"Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going" (v. 21). The immediacy of their arrival suggests that Jesus is somehow responsible for their quick return to land. The movement of this story is from the chaos that the disciples experience when separated from Jesus to the peace that he brings when he joins them. It echoes Psalm 107:23-30:

23Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the mighty waters;
24they saw the deeds of the LORD,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their calamity;
27they reeled and staggered like drunkards,
and were at their wits' end.
28Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he brought them out from their distress;
29he made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30Then they were glad because they had quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.


THOUGHT PROVOKERS: (Top of page)

In many of the families I visited nothing was certain, nothing predictable, nothing totally safe. Maybe there would be food tomorrow, maybe there would be work tomorrow, maybe there would be peace tomorrow. Maybe, maybe not. But whatever is given –– money, food, work, a handshake, a smile, a good word, or an embrace –– is a reason to rejoice and say gracias. What I claim as a right, my friends in Bolivia and Peru received as a gift; what is obvious to me was a joyful surprise to them; what I take for granted, they celebrate in thanksgiving; what for me goes by unnoticed became for them a new occasion to say thanks.

Henri J. M. Nouwen, Gracias! A Latin American Journal

* * * * * * * * * *

One of the characteristics of truly great people is that they can receive graciously. I know a very famous man in the academic world who by no means always dresses like an academic. In a London railway station he saw an old lady in difficulties and offered to carry her bag. When he had put it in her carriage for her, she gave him sixpence –– which he gravely and courteously received rather than embarrass the old lady who offered it.

Jesus could receive. He could take a boy's picnic lunch because it was all that the boy could offer –– and with it he could work a miracle.

William Barclay, Everyday with William Barclay

* * * * * * * * * *

To give without any reward, or any notice, has a special quality of its own. It is like presents made for older people when you were a child. So much went into them –– dreams and prayers and hours of knotted fingers and frozen effort and there... only a dirty piece of knotted string came out of it. But you knew, even if they didn't, that you were giving them something worthy of them.

There is something of worship or prayer in laying down an offering at someone's feet and then going away quickly. The nicest gifts are those left, nameless and quiet, unburdened with love, or vanity, or the desire for attention.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh, The Flower and the Nettle

* * * * * * * * * *

The fragrance always stays
in the hand that gives the rose.

Hada Bejar,
17th century British playwright

* * * * * * * * * *

A candle loses nothing
by lighting another candle.

Anonymous

* * * * * * * * * *


BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Barclay, William, The Daily Study Bible, "The Gospel of John," Vol. 1 (Edinburgh: The Saint Andrew Press, 1955)

Borchert, Gerald L., New American Commentary: John 1-11, Vol. 25A (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1996)

Bromiley, Geoffrey (General Editor), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Volume Three: K-P - Revised (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1986)

Bruce, F. F., The Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983).

Brueggemann, Walter; Cousar, Charles B.; Gaventa, Beverly R. and Newsome, James D., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV––Year B (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993)

Carson, D. A., The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991).

Craddock, Fred R.; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; and Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year B (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1993)

Gossip, Arthur John and Howard, Wilbert F., The Interpreter's Bible, Volume 8 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1952)

Howard-Brook, Wes, Becoming the Children of God: John's Gospel and Radical Discipleship (New York: Maryknoll, 1994).

Hoyer, Robert J., Lectionary Bible Studies: The Year of Mark: Pentecost 1 (Minneapolis and Philadelphia: Augsburg and Fortress Press, 1976)

Kostenberger, Andreas J., Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: John (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004)

Lincoln, Andrew T., Black's New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to Saint John (London: Continuum, 2005)

Lockyer, Herbert, Sr., Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1986)

Morris, Leon, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995).

Myers, Allen C., The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1987)

O'Day, Gail R., The New Interpreter's Bible, Volume IX (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995)

Ridderbos, Herman (translated by John Vriend), The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997)

Sloyan, Gerald, "John," Interpretation (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1988)

Smith, D. Moody, Jr., Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: John (Nashville: Abingdon, 1999)

Richard Niell Donovan, Sermonwriter.com