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25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" 26 Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." 28 Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." 30 So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' " 32 Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." 35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:25-35 NRSV)
A marvelous Monday be yours, dear Friend, and for those whom you love. I trust your weekend was a refreshing and renewing one. As we pray this day, please lift up Mrs. Elisa Gaytan, of Edinburg, wife of The Rev. Francisco Gaytan, who will undergo knee surgery today. Pray all goes well. Please pray for Iona Walden, wife of The Rev. Clay Walden of Marble Falls, whose baby Adena, is due any day now! The Waldens are excitedly nervous about the arrival of their first baby! We ask continued prayers for Sammie Gibson as he recovers from outpatient surgery at home in Gonzales. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
A young man with a son was at the head of a long line at the Dollar Tree in Marble Falls on Saturday. His son wanted a soft drink and had a Pepsi in his hands. I don't know what else the boy had, but the father's total for the purchase was $3.25. I believe the child had candy. The clerk working the register had a very slow internet connection and the machine was not reading the man's card. The clerk called for the manager to come and help. The man said he had already swiped his card twice and was reluctant to swipe it again. The manager asked if it was a food stamps card? The man shyly said yes. He then started to leave the store. "You haven't paid your bill yet!" The manager said, "Your card only has twenty-five cents on it." The man was getting impatient and angry. "I've already swiped it twice, and I'm nervous about it being swiped too many times. I'm going to check this as soon as I get home. The woman behind the man graciously offered to pay the three dollars. The man angrily said, "I've already paid it! How can they be charging me?" As the line grew longer, the man grew more nervous and irate. Finally, the manager said, "Go on. We'll take care of it." The man just walked out. A woman behind me yelled angrily, because the man left by sharing some bad words, "You should be grateful!" I knew the tone and it was about not having anything with which to buy food for his son. It's a helpless feeling no one wants to feel.
The people who wanted to see Jesus knew that feeling and perhaps more, because they themselves may have been hungry and had been present at the miraculous feeding of the multitudes. Free food, even if it's just loaves and fishes, works to cure hunger. And it would motivate more than one to seek out the man who can provide that; and that is what Jesus knew about this crowd. And it is not that Jesus didn't want to feed the crowd, He wanted to stress that they, and us, should work "for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." The crowd declares they will do whatever it takes to get this bread. Jesus replies the only thing they need to do is to believe in Him. Belief, they believe, would require yet another miracle or act on the part of Jesus, referring to the manna in the wilderness that the Jews ate while in the wilderness. Jesus responds with the truth, that it was not Moses that provided that bread, it was God, and further, that "the bread of God is that which comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world." This got their attention and they ask for Jesus to give them this "bread always." Jesus makes one of His "I am" declarations, as He said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
These men and women were on the ground floor of some incredible revelations that no one had heard before, that God provides the bread of life that satisfies for all eternity. The hunger that so many people suffer and can't seem to satisfy with earthly bread or anything else that humans seem to try. Jesus is inviting people to go beyond the everyday realm of the physical to the supernatural realm; the only realm that truly satisfies for all things eternal. It us completely up to us to decide whether to believe or not. And whether we will serve God or not.
PRAYER: Loving God, help me take steps towards You and away from the mundane. Grant to my soul the bread that fully satisfies. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show others the satisfaction that is yours through Jesus Christ!
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
