Removing Other gods From The Father's House

John 6:1-15 We are rational beings; we are glued to the dynamics of our economic, social systems we found our world using. Therefore, it’s very difficult for us to adapt the workings of faith in the Kingdom of God here and now. For a person who was born in the first century, life was rough, people’s life expectancy was much lower than it is today. Many people died at such a young age. However, in Jesus’ time still, feeding five thousand people would have been such an enormous undertaking for them as it is for us today. It would have been a shock for me as well to hear Jesus say: “let’s buy some bread for all these people!” Growing up, we get to understand what is in the realm of impossibility and what’s possible. For example, one person cannot drink a whole ocean of water. That is in the realm of impossibility. When we are talking about the spiritual realm of the Kingdom of God, its dynamics are very different from what we are used to. Jesus decided to open the eyes of Philip who in his rational mind knew that even six months wages would not be enough to feed all the people present! Philip’s perspective is very natural. We can’t escape the reality we live in. That’s how the world works! Jesus introduced a new reality to Philip where the dynamics of the Kingdom of God are new and unheard of before: “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.” Later on, Jesus once said: “and they will do even greater things than these …” Jesus was expecting his disciples to understand how life in the Kingdom of God works. You will be satisfied because you are fed by heaven. Jesus meant it both physically and metaphorically. When we come to Holy Communion, we are fed on Christ in our hearts by faith. We are renewed by partaking on the spiritual food which is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet where there is fullness of joy with all the saints of God. We become living members of Christ our Savior. Holy Communion is truly special to Christian believers. It is central to our understanding of living our lives by faith. Only Christian believers who have beforehand made a commitment to belong to this spiritual family of God can truly appreciate this “Kairos moment” that we share with our Lord Jesus Christ. We are also strongly encouraged to refrain from participating, when and if we know deep down that our hearts are not ready, for example if we still harbor ill feelings for others, or feelings of unforgiveness. We are to examine ourselves and approach this moment with utmost respect. It is sad that many believers have turned this precious moment into a justice issue where even people who don’t know anything about it, are encouraged to enter it without a serious consideration to what it means. My prayer is that I would take it seriously even more and that those around me also may be encouraged to consider this transformative moment as a serious one. Not that refraining from participating is taken as a justice problem, but rather an issue of utter respect from all people with regards to our heart’s disposition: Am I ready to go to Holy Communion? Have I understood the profound meaning of sharing in this spiritual food? If not, what do I need to do to be in that space emotionally and spiritually? After all were fed, the satisfied people realized what a big miracle it was and Jesus had to leave before they enthrone him as King. This is rather teaching us something here. As humans we love honors, we love being in the limelight (at the center of public attention). We secretly crave to be famous. This was not Jesus’ desire: He understood that His Father’s mission was way more important than life itself, which was to save humanity. As believers, in what areas of life have we seen the Kingdom of God at work? Philip and the disciples saw it that day. It might be kindness (pay it forward kind of), or compassion from those who have adopted children from orphanages and giving them a new life. It could also be a person who completely changed his/her life by repentance and conversion and is now living in the truth of the Jesus Christ. May our Lord Jesus Christ open our eyes to see the Kingdom of God at work in our midst and our opportunity to join in and serve God.