They say, “you are what you eat”, which for many of us is a cause for concern because what we eat is not exactly what most dieticians would label as “healthy”. The Standard American Diet (the ironic abbreviation of which is S.A.D., sad), the SAD is high in calories, fats, and sugars and dangerously lacking in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Further, the SAD diet contains high amounts of processed food which can contain questionable flavor enhancers, stabilizers, and preservatives. If we truly are what we eat, then most of us are toxic bags of sodium, sugar.
As a country we are starting to recognize and wrestle with the consequences of consuming a Standard American Diet diet. With nearly half of all American adults suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease because of the SAD diet, we are forced to confront the reality that what we put into our bodies has a profound impact on those bodies. Many of us are learning, the hard way, that we truly are what we eat. [1]
The correlation between diet and health isn’t just a physical phenomenon. The same correlation also exists in the spiritual realm. Which is even more concerning because the spiritual American diet is just as sad as the standard American diet. The average American is awake for about 16 hours a day. Eight of those 16 hours are spent at work. Of the remaining 8 hours, the average American consumes about 3 hours of television, and an hour each on eating, shopping, and personal care. The last 2 hours are consumed by things like cooking, cleaning, and other household tasks. Now, clearly not everything the average American consumes on a daily basis is bad for them. One could argue 8 hours of sleep is good for you, as is the time spent eating and bathing. But of all the things we consume on a daily basis, does anyone want to guess how much time the average American spends consuming God’s Word? Anyone? 12 minutes. If we assume most of those minutes are accumulated on a Sunday, then the average American spends about 3 minutes a day consuming God’s Word. Now, 3 minutes a day is better than 0 minutes a day but if one is only spending 3/1,440 minutes a day in God’s Word, then one is clearly malnourished?
To make matters worse the spiritual American diet isn’t just lacking in proper spiritual nutrition, it is also full of things that are spiritually poisonous and toxic. The devil has done a pretty good job of packaging these poisons and toxins in such way that they seem appealing to us. Pride has been repackaged as confidence, greed repackaged as the American dream, lust repackaged as entertainment, envy repackaged as ambition, gluttony repackaged as celebration, anger repackaged as activism, and sloth repackaged as “me time”. These poisons and toxins were once known as the 7 deadly sins, but the devil has done such a good job repackaging them that on a daily basis we gobble these sins up without thinking twice. Our spiritual diets are so full of these spiritual poisons and toxins that it’s no wonder many of us suffer chronic spiritual diseases like doubt, worry, and apathy.
You are what you eat, not just physically but also spiritually. Which is why in our gospel lesson from John 6:41-51 Jesus offers us a healthy alternative to our deficient and deadly spiritual American diets.
The people gathered around Jesus were hungry. Many of them had enjoyed the meal of barley bread and fish that Jesus had miraculously provided for them on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. But that was a day ago and since then they had boated crossed the Sea of Galilee to find Jesus in Capernaum. They were once again hungry and wondered if Jesus might whip up another miracle meal for them to enjoy. Instead, Jesus offered them something better. He offered them Himself. He told them a diet of barley bread and fish would only satisfy them for a time, but He could satisfy them for an eternity. ‘No thanks’, they said. ‘we would rather have the barley bread and fish, or if not that than perhaps some of that miraculous manna our ancestors ate.’ ‘You have something better than manna!’, Jesus persisted. ‘you have me!’ “I am the bread of life (that came down from heaven[2]). He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”[3] ‘Believe in me and you will have eternal life. Believe in me and I will raise you up on the last day.’[4]
Here is where our text for today begins. “41 At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”” They knew exactly what Jesus was saying. They knew His claim to be the bread of life was a claim to be the Messiah; they knew his claim to have come down from heaven was a claim to be the Son of God. They knew exactly what Jesus was saying and they didn’t like it. ‘Who does this guy think he is!?!’, they asked each other. ‘He may be able to do some fancy tricks with barley bread and fish but, we know his mom and dad. We know where he comes from, and it certainly isn’t heaven.’
They weren’t interested in what Jesus had to offer them. Future promises of a happily ever after were all fine and good but they do not satisfy the appetites of the here and now. That is what they wanted from Jesus. They wanted someone who would satisfy the appetites of the here and now. They wanted someone who would feed them barley bread and fish, someone who would heal their sicknesses and cure their diseases, someone who would champion their cause and put their enemies in their place. Never mind what He would do for them on the last day, they wanted to know what He could do for them today. They wanted instant gratification; they wanted Jesus to satisfy their appetites in the here and now and if He couldn’t do that, then frankly what He was offering was not all that appetizing.
I wonder if that is part of the reason our spiritual diets are so poor. A big reason our physical diets are so poor is because sodium, sugar, and syrup taste good; they taste way better than broccoli, brussels sprouts, and beans. If given the choice between a KitKat and a carrot 9 times out of 10 you are picking the Kit Kat and the only reason you pick the carrot the 1 time is because your mom or your wife made you. Sodium, sugar, and syrup satisfy our appetites with an instant gratification in a way that broccoli, brussels sprouts, and beans don’t. A big reason our physical diets are so poor is because we are eating to satisfy the appetites of the here and now.
I wonder if our spiritual diets are not all that dissimilar from our physical diets. I wonder if we are not satisfied with the future promises of the happily ever after that Jesus offers us. I mean they sound nice. Who wouldn’t want to have a glorified body, who doesn’t want to live in a place where there is no more sorrow and morning, pain and death? How wonderful that one day we will stand beside the saints, one day we will sing with the angels, one day we will bask in the glory of the LORD, but one day… is not today. It would be nice if we had something to snack on today while we wait for one day to come. For example, it would be nice if Jesus would provide us better, higher paying jobs. It would be nice if Jesus would heal our bodies and take away our pain. It would be nice if Jesus would fill our lives with accomplishment and success. It would be nice if Jesus did more to satisfy the appetites of our here and now. Is that not what you are craving?
We want Jesus to be more like sodium, sugar, and syrup, but He’s not. He is more like broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and beans, and Jesus doesn’t apologize for that. He doesn’t pretend to be something He is not. He doesn’t call Himself the filet mignon of life, He doesn’t call Himself the crawfish etouffee of life. He doesn’t call Himself the bacon carbonara of life. He calls Himself the bread of life. He says, “51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Jesus compares Himself to bread that contains two essential ingredients that you need today; two essential ingredients that you cannot live without. Those two essential ingredients are substitution and sacrifice.
Jesus said, “this bread is my flesh”. Jesus offers Himself as your substitute. Jesus came to be part of the human experience so that you have someone understands what you are going through. More than that, Jesus endured the same trials and temptations so that you might have one who is able to sympathize with you in your weakness. Still more than that, Jesus resisted those trial and temptation and obeyed every command of God so that you would have something better to offer God than the flawed and failed life you have lived. One day, when you stand before the throne of heaven, you will need that substitute, but not just one day, you need that substitute today.
Jesus said, “I will give for the life of the world”. Jesus offered Himself as the sinner’s sacrifice. Jesus allowed Himself to be declared guilty for crimes He did not commit so that you would be declared innocent. More than that, Jesus allowed His flesh to be pierced for crimes He did not commit so that your flesh would be preserved. Still more than that, Jesus allowed Himself to be forsaken by God for crimes He did not commit so that you would be forgiven. One day, when you stand before the throne of heaven, you will need that sacrifice, but not just one day you need that sacrifice today.
I understand substitution and sacrifice may not be as appetizing as a higher paying job, a healthy body, and a life full of accomplishments. I understand you have a craving to satisfy the cravings of the here and now. I understand Jesus has more in common with broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and beans than He does with sodium, sugar and syrup. When the people who had gathered around Jesus realized what He was offering them many of them lost their appetite and no longer followed Him. I can see how that could happen to me and you. The craving for instant gratification is strong. But I pray God grant us the wisdom of Peter, who when Jesus asked “You do not want to leave too, do you”[5] Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”[6] Lord without you our spiritual diets are truly sad. Without You, Lord, our spirits not only fail to thrive, but they also simply cannot survive. You are the only one Who can give us the spiritual nutrition we need. You are the spiritual vitamins and minerals our souls need to survive. You, Lord, are the bread of life.
You are what you eat. Therefore, Lord, grant us the wisdom to make healthy choices. Grant us the wisdom to resist the cravings of instant gratification, grant us the wisdom to eat our fill of the living bread that came down from heaven, grant us the wisdom to find satisfaction in the substitution and sacrifice of Jesus. Grant us the wisdom, Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.
[1] https://drcindyjakubiec.com & https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209844
[2] John 6:38
[3] John 6:35
[4] John 6:40
[5] John 6:67
[6] John 6:68-69