The Living Bread

2 Samuel 18:1, 5, 9-15; Ephesians 4:25-5:2; John 6:35, 41-51

Our lesson from the book of 2 Samuel for today is the classic story of the murder of Absalom, the son of David. At the onset of the scripture lesson we are told that Absalom was attempting to escape from David's men. Riding on his donkey his head somehow got caught in a tree limb. So, we can imagine the sight: There he was, the son of David, hanging in a tree, possibly injured, but still alive.

As you remember this story in the life of King David, you may recall that Absalom had been in armed rebellion against his father, David, for some time. And, you might think that David's men would have been justified in killing Absalom as they found him hanging there on the tree. But, upon reading the whole story of Absalom's life, we should understand that Absalom was probably quite justified in his rebellion against David; for David had actually made some serious blunders in his treatment of his son, Absalom.

Absalom's rebellion, afterall, had its roots in the rape of his sister, Tamar, by his brother Amnon. Following this heinous act of incestial rape, David had done absolutely nothing to bring about justice, but had simply tried to sweep it under the rug. Seeing this evil going unpunished, Absalom had, no doubt, felt that he had to take matters into his own hand. So, he had Amnon killed. And, yet, David still blundered on, never taking the time that he needed to seek reconciliation with Absalom. This forced Absalom to the conclusion that his father was not up to the job of being king over Israel. Indeed, under the circumstances, we may even understand how Absalom could have justly believed that he was better suited than David to be Israel's judge and king.

And, certainly, David had to be aware of this, himself, at the time of Absalom's rebellion. This is why he asked his soldiers to be merciful to Absalom if they found him. So, it is with this background in mind, that we find Absalom hanging in a tree in our Old Testament Lesson for today. Yet, in spite of these facts, and in spite of David's desire for reconciliation with his Son, David's general, Joab and his men, killed Absalom with a spear as he hung there in the tree.

Now, there are those who believe that Joab killed Absalom, in spite of David's wishes, for very practical reasons. Perhaps it was for the sake of Israel's unity that Absalom was killed as he hung in the tree. Perhaps, as far as Joab was concerned, killing Absalom was necessary for the sake of peace. But, in any case, it may be said that Absalom died, hanging there on a tree, for the sins of Israel. For, in a real sense, he was an innocent man, being used as a means to atone for sin.

But, certainly, Absalom wasn't the last innocent man to be put to death upon a tree for the sins of his people. Rather, if anything, Absalom's death points to the crucifixion of our Lord upon the cross. And, even as Absalom's death actually marked the beginning of a change in David's reign for the good, so did Jesus' death upon the cross mark a new beginning and power for those who put their faith in him.

Certainly, a new beginning awaits for anyone who puts his or her faith in Jesus Christ. For instance, there is the story of Charlie Paige, a young man who was broke, penniless, jobless, and in need of a new beginning. One day as he was walking along he stopped on the street to listen to a Salvation Army service. And, there on the sidewalk he gave his life to Christ. When the tambourine was passed around for the collection, he told the girl who held it out before him that he would like to give something but had nothing to give. So, the girl gave him a dollar, saying, "Take this: put ten cents in the offering, and from now on give a tenth of all you get to God. Keep this up all your life," she said, "and you'll never be penniless again." So, he did this. He got a job, and began giving his tenth regularly. After a while he became a millionaire, and gave much more than a tenth, building hospitals and helping in many ways to carry on the work of the Lord.

For Charlie Paige, for any one, and for us there is strength and hope and a new beginning that comes from faith in Jesus Christ.

A number of years ago a man was sitting on a platform in an airport. At his feet lay a large package. A couple of security officers, passing, noticed the bundle on the pavement. They stopped and asked what it contained, suspicious that it might be a bomb. The man replied that the package contained dynamite. Immediately, the officers jumped. One of them seized the package, the other the man, and both were taken to police headquarters. When the package was opened it was found to contain -- Bibles! "Where is the dynamite?" inquired the officers. The man replied, "The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword." In effect, the man was right. "Dynamic" is the exact Greek word that the Bible uses for the word, "powerful." and the Bible is dynamite toward all that which separates us from God.

Jesus said it another way. He described himself as being the bread of life. For us it may be difficult to understand the meaning of Jesus' claim. But, in Jesus' day, bread was the basic food eaten by most people. Unlike us, today, there was very little variety in what people ate back then. So, for them, bread and water was what provided the means for living. So, it was very meaningful for Jesus to say, as he did in our Gospel Lesson for today, "I am the bread of life."

There is a story that comes out of China. Even today Christian missionaries are at work, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. One day an intelligent-looking man was speaking with a missionary and complained about the fact that all the missionary ever seemed to talk about was Jesus Christ. "Is Jesus Christ the only thing you know?" he asked.

After a moment's silence the missionary replied, "Sir, before answering your question, may I ask you: "What did you have for dinner today?" "Rice," replied the man. "And what do you expect to eat in he future?" the missionary asked. "Rice, of course. Rice gives me strength. I could not do without rice. Sir," said the man, "rice is my very life!"

The missionary raised his hand, "That is just what I wanted to hear from you. What you have said of rice, Jesus Christ is to our souls. He is the rice of life.

And, so is Christ the very means by which our spirits may be fed. Christ is that which gives power to our existence. Christ is the bread of Life. Christ is wonder bread for all who will partake.

Someone once wrote that Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40, and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ's three year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers of all time.

Jesus painted no pictures; yet, some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him.

Jesus wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world's greatest poets were inspired by Him.

Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and oratories they composed in His praise. Every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by this humble Carpenter of Nazareth.

Many people fail to comprehend the power of Christ. When it comes to power, they prefer the way of Joab over the way of David, the way of the sword and control over the way of loving reconciliation and sacrifice. A great religious leader, living in Switzerland, was pondering this problem as he was walking through the mountains, one day. Coming around a corner, he looked up onto the steep mountainside and noticed two goats meeting on a very narrow path. One of the goats was on its way up and the other goat was on its way down. The man wondered how they would get by each other. Would they try to push each other off the path, causing one of them to perish on the rocks below? But, quickly, as the man watched the two mountain goats he got his answer. The goat who was on its way up the mountain lay down on the path and allowed the other goat to walk on its back.

The way of Christ is like this. Sometimes the way of the Jesus is not the most obvious path. Sometimes it may even surprise us by bringing us to our knees in service of someone who may not even deserve it. But, then, that is what Jesus did for us, isn't it? He died for us, our very sins were placed upon him, so that we may find a place in God's realm.

Jesus is wonder bread for us. Let us partake of this bread and celebrate God's promise; God's gift to us.	Amen.