Laetare 2025

Laetare (Lent IV)

John 6:1-15

March 30, 2025

The lack of money is a test. Insufficient resources is a test. In today’s Gospel, Jesus sees a large crowd coming to Him, so He puts a question to Philip, “‘Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?’ But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.”

Jesus is enacting here His own sermon, where He told His disciples not to worry about what they would eat, or what they would drink, or what they would wear: “For your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Three Sundays ago we heard the account of Jesus fasting in the wilderness. The tempter seeks to take advantage of Jesus’ hunger. Jesus controls His own appetite with the Word: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” He waits for the Father to supply Him what He needs.

What will we do, when the test confronts us? Can we control our own appetites? What will we do when the money is running short? “Two hundred denarii is not enough, Jesus, to fix this problem.” A denarius is about one day’s wage, so 200 is a good portion of a year’s salary. Needing that much is a problem. But with Jesus, it’s a test: where is your trust?

Andrew approaches with a little boy, and the little boy has a little food. But what is that among so many?

The miracle here seems to be in the multiplication of the loaves and fish. But I wonder if the miracle is really located elsewhere. What does Jesus do? He takes the little food, He takes what they have and is not enough—not even close—He takes what is not enough and gives thanks to the Father. There’s the miracle: a Man takes what is insufficient, and instead of complaining, or worrying, He gives thanks. He trusts His Father.

Such trust is simple to understand but difficult to embrace. Jesus’ disciples never lack their daily bread. But He doesn’t want us preoccupied with daily bread – money, and all the things we need to keep going in this life. About all these things He says, “Do not worry; your heavenly Father knows what you need.” But many in the crowd don’t get it. By the end of this chapter the large crowd of 5,000 men will dwindle all the way down to twelve.

The day after the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus crosses over the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. The people follow Jesus there, wanting storehouses of bread. Jesus immediately rebukes them:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life.” [Jn 6.26f]

The world needs to be remade. Our souls need to be remade. Our bodies need to be remade. Money cannot buy life. Money cannot secure life. This Gospel is a sign not only that God will give us our daily bread, but also that we need something more than that. The rest of the chapter is Jesus teaching about the bread from heaven: His flesh, which He gives for the life of the world. “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day.” This is the point where people object. “How is this possible?” “It must be symbolic.” But Jesus insists: “Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you have no life in you.” What Jesus is giving is for the transformation of the world, the regenesis of our fallen humanity. It’s natural to worry about money, about daily bread. But Jesus bids us to be far more concerned about the eternal things: the condition of our humanity, the holiness of our souls (or lack thereof), the matter of death and resurrection. St. Cyril put it this way: “If bodies should be made whole again solely by Christ’s touch, how shall we not live who taste and eat that flesh? For He will reshape those who partake of Him to His immortality.” That reshaping, being conformed to Christ’s immortality, having our corruption destroyed and replaced by holy incorruption – this is our goal as disciples of Jesus. He’ll give us the daily bread. What we do is take what we have, even if it’s just a little, give thanks for it, and hand it over to Him.

That’s what we do in our offerings. How much do we trust Christ with? How much do we hold back?

It is most comforting that our Lord Jesus uses what we understand and need—bodily food—and by His Word attaches His own body to it and nourishes us with immortality. Jesus meets us in the flesh and communicates through it heavenly things.

One last thing for today: At the close of today’s Gospel, they recognize Jesus is the prophet, and so seek to make Him king. Jesus rejects it, and retreats up the mountain.

Why? They misunderstand kingship. They misunderstand politics. Fundamentally, they misunderstand God. Israel demanded a king around 1020 BC. In demanding this, the LORD said to Samuel, “They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Sam 8:5). Now, a thousand years later, the Jews see in Jesus someone who can fulfill their political and military aspirations. St. Ephrem the Syrian put it this way: “They sought a king for themselves without a [divine] command. By force they wanted to lead God. How often they have killed kings and made others.” “By force they wanted to lead God.” That’s all human religion. We want to lead God. There is an entire cult of “leadership” infecting the church still today, where by the exercise of will and charisma a man thinks he can transform church and society.

But the church catholic is not ruled by leaders or popes, bishops or so-called doctors. We have one head: Christ. And we have one source of authority: His Word. No council or convention, no study Bible or papal decree can give us anything more than what we already have in God’s pure Word.

Jesus will be crowned King, the thorns encircling His brow indicating what kind of King He is: His rule is love and self-giving, His decree is forgiveness. Today we stand with those 5,000 hungry men. We are insufficient, and our faith is little. The world calls us to chase after perishable bread, to crown our own kings, to lead God by our own designs. But the only thing we really need is Baptism, His Word, and His Body and Blood. When we’re with Jesus, it’s enough. More than enough. +INJ+