Joshua was old, and he knew that his time on earth was coming to an end.
So he gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He reminded them that, many generations before, God has spoken to their ancestor Abraham at that very spot. He also reminded them how God had called Moses to lead them out of slavery in Egypt, and how God parted the sea for them, and accompanied them through the wilderness, where they had wandered for forty years as refugees without a home.
In the years since, Joshua had led the people of Israel in establishing their new nation. Now, as he was about to die, Joshua had one more thing to say.
Joshua said to the people: “Serve the Lord…. But if it seems wrong in your opinion to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Choose the gods whom your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But my family and I will serve the Lord.”
The people responded: “the Lord is our God; we, too, will serve the Lord.”
But then Joshua said: “You can’t serve the Lord, because he is a holy God.”
The people responded: “No! The Lord is the one we will serve.”
Joshua said: “Alright, then. Put aside all other commitments, all false gods and idols, and serve the Lord above all else.”
And the people said again: “We will serve the Lord our God.”
It’s somewhat of a strange back-and-forth, but Joshua knew that serving God is not an easy thing to be taken lightly. Joshua wanted to make sure the people understood the level of commitment they were making.
Don’t just say yes to God. Mean it. Make sure your heart and your mind are aligned with the words that are coming out of your mouth. And know what it is that you are getting into.
Many of those who initially followed Jesus didn’t know what they were getting into…
Jesus explained to them about the bread of life… I preached about the bread of life two weeks ago, the bread that gives you abundance, purpose, wholeness… It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Who wouldn’t want that?
But when Jesus finished explaining to them about the bread of life, his followers responded: “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?”
And many of them turned back, and no longer followed him.
Following Jesus is difficult. Serving God is a commitment that will challenge you. Joshua knew that, and wanted to make sure the people knew that. Jesus knew it, and when he explained the bread of life, many of his followers found following him to be too difficult, and they turned away.
But what is it about the bread of life that is so difficult to accept? Why does the bread of life offend so many people?
Maybe it was because, as Jesus continued talking, the people realized it wasn’t just a self-help kind of thing. It wasn’t just about coming to Jesus and receiving bread. It wasn’t just showing up, being filled, and going home.
I know you all understand that. You all are committed to Jesus, and you are committed to Bixby Knolls Christian Church. You understand that a commitment means you’re in it for the long haul, and that it’s about more than just having your needs met.
But some people want church to be like that. They want to show up, get filled, and go home. They want to show up and be filled with the Spirit, filled with the bread of life as they understand it...
And that’s all they want. It’s all about their own fulfillment.
These are the people who will stop attending worship or who will find another church because the church they are attending doesn’t leave them fulfilled. They don’t like the music, or the carpet, or all the new people who sit in their spot… They say, “I’m not getting my needs met.”
So they move on. Because their focus is on their own needs.
But Jesus isn’t here just to meet your needs. Jesus isn’t here just to grant your wishes. The bread of life isn’t something you can choose off a menu, and send back if it doesn’t meet your expectations.
Maybe that’s what many of Jesus’s followers were expecting. Jesus fed the 5,000 in the wilderness, and they saw him as the giver of bread, but they wanted it catered to them. “Oh, Jesus, giver of bread… I’d like mine to be sourdough with a bit of marmalade on top, if you please…”
And when they find out that that’s NOT what it’s going to be like,… they start walking away.
When they realize that the bread of life involves struggling for a deeper, richer, more meaningful life, not only for themselves but for their neighbors as well… When they realize that it involves reorienting one’s life, confronting those things within that are at odds with the sort of life to which Jesus calls you… then they throw in the towel. They tap out. They say, “this isn’t for me. This isn’t what I signed up for.” And they walk away.
Only those who remained with Jesus understood that Jesus wasn’t going to cater his message to what they wanted. Only they understood that Jesus wasn’t going to give them the bread they wanted; he was going to give them the bread they needed. Only they understood that the bread served to them wasn’t going to be catered to their tastes; instead, they would have to adapt their diet, change their eating habits, in order to receive the bread that was given to them.
When we eat the bread of life, our lives are changed. There’s a lot of metaphor here, of course, but it’s very powerful.
A few weeks ago, I met T’Challa…
In case you don’t know, this is all from the movie the Black Panther.
And since then, I realized that, in one way at least, eating the bread of life is kind of like when T’Challa ingested the heart-shaped herb.
T-Challa ingests the heart-shaped herb into his body, and becomes the Black Panther. Ingesting the herb allows the Black Panther to enter another plane of existence, where he can interact with the spirits of his ancestors. When the Panther returns to our reality, his strength, endurance, agility, and stamina are all enhanced.
In short, he becomes a new person.
Maybe all those would-be followers who ended up walking away from Jesus didn’t want to become new people. Maybe they all kinda liked the people they were, and the lives they were living. Maybe they were all too comfortable with the status quo.
Partake of the bread of life that makes all things new? No thanks! Sounds too difficult...
And they walked away.
As the dust settled from their departure, Jesus turned to the twelve disciples who were his closest, most loyal companions. He asked them: “Do you also wish to leave?”
It’s kinda like he’s challenging them, the same way Joshua challenged the people of Israel. “Are you sure you want to do this? Think about it carefully, and make your choice…”
And the answer he gets back isn’t quite an enthusiastic yes. Peter responds for the group, and Peter is known for answering too quickly, blurting out answers he later regrets. But this time, Peter hesitates. He seems to think about it for a moment… and instead of quickly answering Jesus’s question, Peter actually responds with a question of his own.
So in response to Jesus’ question, “Do you also wish to leave,” Peter responds..., “Where else can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” In other words, “it would be nice to walk away. It would be easier, more relaxing. But then we wouldn’t receive the words of eternal life. Then we wouldn’t receive the bread of life.
“And no matter how difficult and challenging the transformation is that takes us from our old lives to our new lives, we’re committed to it. Ultimately, nothing else will satisfy us as much as the bread of life…..”
When T’Challa ingested the heart-shaped herb, his life became more challenging, more difficult, but also more meaningful. The same is true for those who partake of the bread of life.
Being a Christian is not easy. It takes us beyond our comfort zone. Having our stomachs filled with food is no longer enough to keep us truly satisfied. Now that we have been changed, the only thing that keeps us truly satisfied is doing the will of God.
Gary Hall, the Dean of Washington National Cathedral, spoke some words that explain in a little more detail what it’s like for those who have ingested the bread of life and have committed to following Jesus:
“Following Jesus entails some risk. It means signing on to some values that push deeply against the culture. It involves a willingness to stand with people who can do nothing for you. It asks that you find your fulfillment not on your own but in mutuality and communion with others. There is, in fact, a cost of discipleship. In a self-serving culture, many around you will be confused and offended by what you stand for. They won’t get a life centered around love and justice and not around self-aggrandizement.
“But that life has so much more to it than risk. As Peter says, ‘You have the words of eternal life.’ Life lived in solidarity with the poor, the sick, the oppressed is neither unrelievedly grim nor entirely self-denying. There is suffering and pain, to be sure, but there is also joy and freedom in standing with those whom in the Beatitudes Jesus calls ‘blessed.’”
This is what all those church words and phrases we hear thrown about really mean. Phrases like “new life,” “born again,” “kingdom of God.” These phrases all point to this new state of being - the state of being we find ourselves in when we follow the ways of Jesus.
Not everyone who throws these words around and speaks the language of Christianity actually follows Christ. A lot of people claim to be Christians, but don’t really follow Christ, because they are afraid of what the change might bring. They kind of like things the way they are, they like the lives they are living, and they’re quite comfortable with the status quo.
They are not ready for the radical transformation that comes to those who truly eat of the bread of life.
So the question of Joshua remains: Who will you serve? Choose this day whom you will serve.
The question of Jesus remains: Do you also wish to leave? Do you want to go back to your quiet, peaceful lives?
Or are you truly ready to follow me?
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