Today’s chapter is John 6

Tom writes:

This is like a massive contraction in the latter stages of labour. Things have been building for a while but this is a big one; the knuckles are seriously whitening and the midwives are putting on their gloves. Everyone is thinking “Here comes the Kingdom”. Everyone except Jesus. He has pooched off to a mountainside to have some time on his own. To the crowds this feeding of the 5000 looks like one of the last major signs of the end of exile. The long promised heavenly banquet is being served up and the king is being unveiled. Surely enemies are about to be vanquished and friends bequeathed into a glorious time of prosperity and peace? No. Or at least, not quite. Jesus is the King and he is ending this exile but he hasn’t yet shown the people the full expanse of his kingdom. People haven’t yet grasped that his domain is not just Israel’s friends but some of her enemies as well. And they haven’t grasped that Jesus hasn’t come just to vanquish people but to transform them into better versions of themselves. So Jesus walks away to let the people cool off from their passions. These people aren’t yet ready for this baby. And then Jesus walks on the water. Jesus subjects nature to his mastery. He is God incarnate, I AM here among us. “Fear not” he says and indeed we shouldn’t.

For while Jesus confounds our simple minds and sometimes seems to dash our hopes, we can never doubt his greatness. Jesus shows us here twice that he is too majestic for anything to threaten or overthrow his magnificent intentions for the world. And so we know that our true hopes can never be dashed, only the ill-formed ones that are too small or incomplete to hold all the bounty he is pushing our way. Jesus may have seemed to walk away from your prayers, but keep your eyes on the water because he is going to calm your fears when he walks to you across the sea.

Question for reflection

Some of Jesus’ teaching is hard teaching. Some of his treatment of us isn’t what we expected. What will you do; depart from him, or stay close to the one who has the words of eternal life?

John 6 - Friday 25th October