Proper 15 :: Proverbs 9: 1–6; Psalm 111; Ephesians 5:
15–20; 6: 51–58
This is the homily given at Greenwood Furnace State
Park, on the occasion of the annual parish picnic of St. John’s, Huntingdon,
Pennsylvania, by Fr. Gene Tucker on Sunday August 19, 2018
“TANGIBLE REALITY AND THE
REALITY OF MYSTERY”
(Homily text: John
6: 51-58)
(Introductory remark: For the
past three Sundays, we’ve been making our way through the sixth chapter of the
Gospel according to John. The entire chapter is devoted to recording the
feeding of the crown of 5,000. Following this event, Jesus engages in
conversation with some of those who had been fed. The conversation unfolds as
Jesus tries to steer His listeners away from a literal understanding of His
mission and purpose in coming among them. We will enjoy this delightful sojourn
in the Fourth Gospel for two more Sundays, today and next Sunday. Today’s
reading unfolds as Jesus points toward the future offering of Himself on Good
Friday).
“Truly,
truly, I say to you, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink
his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my
blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6: 53 –
54) (ESV)
Whenever
we hear these words of our Lord, most likely our minds will connect them to the
Eucharist.[1] After
all, Christians down through the ages have made the connection between these
words and their meaning in the Eucharist.
But,
this morning, let’s try to set aside those associations and take a fresh look
at the scene that unfolds before us in the description that John has provided.
Taken
at their literal and face value, what Jesus has said makes no rational sense.
No wonder that those who were engaged in conversation with Jesus said, “How can
this man give us his flesh to eat?” (John 6: 52b) (ESV)
Taken
at their literal and face value, Jesus’ words are abhorrent to any
right-thinking person….is what Jesus said meant to refer to cannibalism? (We
would do well to remember that the early Christians were persecuted by the
Romans in part because the Romans thought that Christians were engaging in
cannibalism. Judging from the face value of the words, “This is my body, this
is my blood,” such a conclusion is a reasonable one.)
But,
it would take the events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday to clarify just what
Jesus meant. In time, God’s purposes in sending Jesus Christ among us to take
up our humanity would be understandable.
What
we are dealing with is a tangible reality, and its connection to the reality of
mystery.
The
tangible reality is Jesus’ presence. Jesus comes among us an observant Jew, a
man who resided in Nazareth, a man whose mother and (foster) father were known
to many. Jesus comes as a human being in all the meaning of that word: a man
who cried, felt compassion for those who were like “sheep without a shepherd”
(Mark 6:43b), who met the needs of those He encountered, who resisted the
corrupt leadership of the chief priests, the Scribes and the Pharisees, who
worked with His hands as a carpenter.
But
something more is also involved in this person of Jesus.
That
something more has to do with mystery.
Mystery
is connected to the present, tangible reality of everyday life, but mystery
points us toward another aspect of this present reality. It is something we can
sense, something we know that works, though we may not understand exactly how,
This
last comment brings us to the Eucharist.
When
those who receive this Sacrament come forward to receive, these (or similar)
words are spoken as the gifts are given: “The body of Christ, the bread of
heaven,” and “The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation.”
Perhaps
we’ve heard these words so often that their tangible meaning has been eclipsed
by the mysterious meaning of them.
Perhaps
we ought to step back for a moment and consider the tangible reality and its
implications, for this tangible reality tells us that God cared so much for us
that He sent His only Son to dwell among us, to experience our human existence
to the full, even to the point of suffering a horrible death on the cross.
Wow!
You
and I matter to God, that’s what all this means. We matter to God a whole lot.
What
we are dealing with in this tangible reality is the connection between the
tangible and the mysterious. The mysterious does not exist in its own realm
alone, it exists in the tangible reality, the things you and I can touch, hear,
see and experience.
That
means that this present and tangible reality matters a lot to God. The everyday
is made holy by God’s intervention into that present and tangible, everyday
reality.
And
so, we Christians celebrate the tangible reality which points beyond itself to
the mysterious workings of God. Can we fully understand this mystery in this
life? No, we can’t. Can we understand the tangible reality of the Lord’s death
on the cross? Yes, we can. But can we understand Jesus’ rising from the tomb on
Easter Sunday morning, conquering – in the process – the power of our final
enemy, which is death? No, we can’t. Jesus’ resurrection lies within the realm
of mystery, a mystery we cannot fully understand, but which we know works for
our benefit.
The
mystery of the resurrection works, and benefits us as believers, pointing
beyond this present reality to the reality of God’s love, whose love will
guarantee for us eternal life once this present life is over.
Being
able to comprehend the mysteries of God which are connected to – but which lie
beyond – this present reality is a gift from God, given
through the reality of the coming of Jesus Christ and aided by the continuing
work of the Holy Spirit.
AMEN.
[1] The Holy Eucharist is known by various
titles within Christendom: the Mass,
Holy Communion or Holy Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, etc.
