Göttinger
Predigten im Internet,
hg. von Ulrich Nembach und Johannes Neukirch
7. Sunday after Trinitatis
Date: 18. Juli 1999
Predigttext: John 6:30-36
Author: Esko Ryökäs
The Gospel according to St. John, chapter 6, verses 30-36 So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? Qur fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen to me and yet do not believe." Today's text paints Jesus as the Bread of Life. The expression "The bread of life" is not an easy one to understand. The real meaning often remains a mystery to us in everyday life. Among other things Jesus as "the bread of life" means that the trust we have in Jesus gives us a fundamental security in our lives. To demonstrate this point, I have picked out three questions from the bible text: 1) Property and purchase are not the only meaning in life. 2) One can either be successful or mistaken in ones association with others. 3) The fundamental trust in life does not stem from knowledge alone. I want to tell you three stories: 1) Twenty years ago, I studied in West Germany, for six months. I got used to the lifestyle of the automobile city, almost every student had a car and many families possessed three cars, one for each child. There wasn't such a great difference between in the North of Europe and Germany but one had to get used to the way of life, the towns were full of cars and the parking facilities were overflowing. At the beginning of Spring, I decided to visit the Leipzig exhibition. It was a versatile function where the East German Republic could show off their know-how and achievements. There were many attainments and cultural events offered, which one was prepared for but neither the fine porcelain nor the three-arched Church of St.Thomas could make this trip an impressive experience. On the Sunday morning I was looking out of the window and saw something new and unusual, on the street stood a few cars, almost all of them were Trabis. A man stood by one of the cars with a bucket and cloth. His son also had a cloth in his hand and was polishing the car. Father and son hardly spoke to each other but it seemed that both were quite content, the son polishing the father's car, the father teaching the son how to do it, working together, caring for their personal achievement, their own car. I knew that in the GDR the Trabi was valuable, despite having the means, to buy one was very difficult. I was very impressed from the joint interests and the togetherness of the family. Father and son belonged together, enjoyed their work together, it wasn't the car that was important, rather the family. One could almost reach out and touch their happiness. It was exceptional to be lucky enough to possess a car, the number of vehicles were small in comparison with West Germany and the northern countries. The possession or non-possession of a car was not the important thing in life. The atmosphere unfolded in the family and in the community, it was not acquired through money, or bought from the store. On that Sunday morning in the streets of Leipzig, one could feel the happy feeling of irreplaceable unity. 2) Everyday, one strives after a better life. What one cannot achieve with money is often ignored. It is so easy to read the adverts and to seek ones luck in the shops. At first, all these things seem to be satisfactory. One easily goes past the other people, nonetheless one needs them, not as helpers but because they give our lives meaning. This is often pointed out in Confirmation classes. In Finland (in 1995) 90,8% of all 15-year olds took part in Lutheran Confirmation classes, from these 82% visited classes in open air camps. The camp lasted from a few days to up to two weeks but almost always included in the programme was the emphasis on community and joint experiences. 2.1 In the middle of the Confirmation class, John was a little tired. The evening programme promised to be somewhat unusual, the minister had asked him to take towels and training shoes with him. When it was his turn, outside the club, his eyes were bound by a towel and then he was lead inside. He was told that his balance would be tested, he was lead to a wide wooden board that would be lifted into the air. He should support himself on the other campers who stood beside him. That can't possibly be difficult thought John and went cheerfully along with his companions. But the wooden board wasn't as thick or as wide and he could only put one foot on and not both side by side and then the board was lifted in the air, John held the hands of his fellow students and then held onto their heads. He had a person holding onto each of his hands, the board only swaying a little, now he was lifted up, the heads of his friends sinking a little. It was difficult to stay still when you couldn't see. He could only hold on the hair of his fellows, their heads were now quite a way down but he held on tightly. Other people were now very important, the board was still swaying. The minister then asked John to jump off the right side. It seemed foolhardy to jump at that height without being able to see. John hung onto the others by their hair and carefully tried to get into the right position although he was a little scared because he couldn't see and then he jumped down.... Suddenly he felt the ground, he tore off the blindfold and realised that he had hardly left the ground, those beside him had only kneeled down lower and lower. The whole class laughed and John laughed with them, it was an amusing experience. 2.2 John realised that the other people were important. One can be blindfolded but one can rely on others, they can sometimes be underhand or out for their own good. For John, everything that happened was half in jest but occasionally one meets the real limits of life and asks oneself, who can I rely on? 3) Margaret wanted to know how far she could push her limits. She had already tried rapid-rafting, mountaineering and marathon skiing and now she wanted to try bungee-jumping. On the beach near the town, a bungee jump had been set up for the reckless ! A crane reached up above the houses and churches and at the top was a basket for all the interested to jump from after paying an immense amount of money. Margaret was a student and did not have a great deal of money but as the opportunity arose to try something new, she couldn't resist. Somehow the money would be made available, Two weeks going without too much food and she would have the money. She got into the basket. Margaret was not alone in the basket. The man explained the rules and fixed the band onto her ankle. He told her that she should jump out across and downwards otherwise she could hurt herself. He also asked her if she had emptied her pockets of all heavy things, Margaret heard all this rather mechanically and nodded her head. On the outside she appeared rather calm. Can I rely on this thin band, can I rely on the assurances of this man, she thought, then her common sense came back. Thousands had already done this and nothing had ever happened but the waves of the sea were a long way below and the rope seemed very thin. The church looked so small and the wind was blowing. Even though the man repeated all that Margaret already knew, she was not reassured. The wind was swinging the crane more violently. When the man gave the signal to Margaret to jump, over one hundred metres, she hesitated a moment at the same time murmuring a prayer to God. The words rushed through her lips and then she jumped down. The waves were approaching, waiting to engulf her, the wind whistling through her ears and hair. The sea was coming even closer and closer. And then, the rope tightened, it worked. The blood went to her head, her ears rang, the rope dug into her ankle. Please hold, she thought, I know it will hold but what if it breaks, will my jump slow down before I land in the sea? She saw the fish under the surface of the sea, as though they were waiting for a guest. Then the movement changed and she was springing upwards, she felt a jerk downwards again. The feeling of being a pendulum seemed to be lasting a long time but didn't feel as terrifying. Margaret was let down and welcomed by the man who gave her a towel to wipe away the sweat. It held, the rope held. The man was right, it paid off to accept his word, but she felt rather foolhardy even though the feeling was starting to wear off. Only the power of the experience was uppermost in her mind. One thing surprised Margaret. She had prayed, she didn't know why it had occurred to her to do so, but it just happened and it gave her courage. She couldn't quite one hundred percent trust the man's word. The reassurance at her level of awareness did not satisfy her. Another form of trust came from her prayer and it comforted her. This experience, not the bungee-jumping, but the involvement of prayer remained supreme. The strength to live, stemmed from the knowledge that she could pray to God, to Jesus. When she realised that she could trust Jesus, that He sees and hears everything in our lives, she found it easy to jump. It surprised Margaret but at the same time pleased her. 4) The content of our lives cannot be purchased with money. Happiness and community spirit are not attained with money. Money buys things, products also experiences and maybe friends but friends can also mislead as in the case of John. Trust is a fundamental condition of a mutual life. Margaret experienced that deeply. At the same time she noticed that before an eventful experience, it is good to trust in Jesus, one can really trust in Him. Jesus was a god but was also a human being. He knew what went through the minds of the people and because He is Gods son, He can also help us. This gives us foundation. From this we receive the bread of life. The Gospel according to St. John, chapter 6, verse 35 And Jesus said unto them, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth in me shall never thirst." Email: esko.ryokas@helsinki.fi Esko Ryökäs Docent, Assistent University of Helsinki |
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