Hunger
John 6: 5-13 and 24-35
March 2, 2025
This is the fourth in a series of messages travelling through the gospel of John. I encourage you to read along at home and ask for God to speak to you through the stories and thoughts presented. We’re now up to chapter six.
For today’s message I’m using some thoughts shared by a former spiritual director of mine: Jerry Toshalis. His widow Barbara is presently my spiritual director. Barbara Toshalis preached with me about a year ago in worship here on spiritual direction. Jerry died a year and a half ago. Thank you Jerry.
Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, is coming up this coming Tuesday. It is the day on which we indulge before we start Lent on Wednesday. In honor of Mardi Gras, here are three rules of chocolate:
- Chocolate covered raisins, cherries and strawberries all count as fruit so we can always eat as many as we want.
- It’s important to eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It takes the edge off our appetite, so we’ll eat less.
- If calories are an issue, store chocolates on top of the refrigerator. Calories are said to be afraid of heights, so they will jump out of the chocolate if they are kept up high.
Hunger. That’s our subject this morning. It’s the desire of the body and the yearning of the soul.
Hunger. What do you hunger for? What do you desire? What do you yearn for?
We talked about this a few weeks ago as we started this series through the gospel of John. We mentioned aloud some of our individual desires. Like peace and comfort and love and joy and fun. Maybe it’s chocolate. Maybe all we want is chocolate…
How would you answer the question: What do you hunger for? What do you desire? What are you yearning for? What do you really want in life?
The author of John wants us to ponder our deepest hunger and then the author points to where we can find satisfaction.
Hunger: the desire of the body and the yearning of the soul.
Remember this book was written by the John community of Jewish followers of Jesus in Ephesus. It was written to encourage people to turn inward, into their hearts, to discover the spiritual Jesus Christ who lives inside us.
Our Scripture passage today begins with the story in which Jesus is reported to feed five thousand people. This feeding of the multitude story is one of those found in all four of the gospels. It’s a story that the Jewish followers of Jesus loved because it reminded them of their forefather and founder: Moses.
We remember that Moses led the Jewish people out of Egypt into the Sinai Desert. Here the people struggled for forty years. During that time, they experienced great hunger. Physical hunger. This hunger led Moses and God to rain down manna from heaven. This helped feed the people.
Fifteen hundred years later the story of Jesus is told in which thousands of people are fed as well. Only this time, there was so much left over, it filled twelve baskets. Jesus is the one who feeds people in a way that was even more amazing than Moses.
The story continues with word spreading about how Jesus fed so many people. Crowds came looking for Jesus hoping they too might get some bread. Jesus had left that place during the night and travelled across the lake to Capernaum on the other side.
Imagine being in that group of people looking for where Jesus had gone. You’ve travelled by boat seeking for this Jesus.
Why are you seeking Jesus?
On the one hand, there’s a part of you that is hungry today. There never seems to be enough food for the table because you’re poor. So you’re often hungry. And always looking for a free meal.
You hear a voice, the wonderful calming – yet confronting voice. Could it be the Teacher from God? You focus now, you wait, you listen, you listen intently.
This is what you hear:
“You’ve come looking for me, not because you saw God in my actions, but because I fed you, filled your stomachs – and for free.”
Is it true? Well, perhaps yes. You just want that emptiness, that hollow sensation to go away. Sometimes you’ll do just about anything to make it go away: anything to be filled up.
Hunger: it’s the desire of the body and the yearning of the soul.
Oh, but there’s more. The voice returns – that strangely peaceful, assuring voice. Could this be the Teacher from God?
This voice, this truth is familiar – as if its presence is someone you know, you trust. In your emptiness, you open. In your emptiness, you listen. In your emptiness, you hear:
Jesus says: “Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life.”
You realize your hunger is not just for food. Your emptiness is not just in your stomach, but in your soul. There is something you are missing deep in your heart.
What exactly is it? You don’t know. Is it a deep joy, an inner peace, a sense of purpose, an overflowing love? Yes, maybe you hunger for all of that and more.
You ask Jesus, “What does God want us to do?
This Teacher says, “God wants you to have faith in the one God sent.”
You’re tempted to trust this man speaking to you, this Teacher. But you want proof. You want some reason that this Teacher is different than the others. You don’t want to fall for misinformation and another charismatic personality.
You say, “What miracle will you work so that we can have faith in you? We need some proof that you really are from God, that you do have something that will help us. We know that Moses gave our ancestors manna from heaven to eat. What can you do for us in our day?”
Once again, in your emptiness, you open. In your emptiness, you listen. In your emptiness, you hear:
Jesus says: “The real significance of that story from Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread, but that God is right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread.”
Suddenly, there is warmth moving inside you. You have no explanation. After all, there is nothing tangible about this experience at all. You haven’t eaten anything. You haven’t purchased anything. You haven’t done anything. Except you have listened. And from your soul, you have heard the voice of the Christ, the Teacher from God.
Now, you know. Now you understand. In the past, even when your stomach was full, your life was often empty. In the past, even though abundance might have filled some of your days, yet your life seemed hollow. But not now. This is a new moment, a new day.
Hunger: it’s the desire of the body and the yearning of the soul.
You hear these words: “I am the bread that gives life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever.”
We’re back to that question I mentioned at the beginning of this message, aren’t we?
Hunger. What do you hunger for? What do you desire? What do you yearn for?
I believe the Christ is with us right now in this sanctuary in Coloma. The Teacher from God is speaking to us right now. Jesus is asking us: What do you hunger for?
In your emptiness, I invite you to open your heart. In your emptiness, I invite you to listen to what’s speaking in your soul. In your emptiness, hear these words:
I am the bread of life. I truly satisfy the deepest desires of your heart.
God, in Christ, is with us and in us right now to satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts. To bring us the bread we hunger for and the drink we desire. To bring us the joy, the peace, the comfort and the amazing love we long for.
Thanks be to God…
