Does the bread of life ever give you indigestion? Have Jesus’ words of life ever soured and upset your stomach? When has that happened to you and what was it about? What words, ideas, or teachings of Jesus are more than you can stomach?

I think that’s a part of what’s happening in today’s gospel (John 6:56-69) so I want to take a look at some slices from the bread of life. I want us to taste some of Jesus’ words of life and see how we like them. 

• Let’s start with an easy one. “Do not be afraid.” Jesus says that more than once throughout the gospel. He also tells us to not worry or be anxious. Those sound like words of life, don’t they? I suspect we could all use an extra slice of that bread in a world where some want us to be afraid, suspicious, and distrusting of one another. 
• How about this: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly”? (John 10:10) Do those sound like words of life? I think so too. Anyone disagree? That bread probably tastes pretty sweet, like good pan dulce. Is that abundant life for everyone or just a few? Is that the kind of bread you’d like to eat? Is it what you want for those you love? How about the migrants at our border, is it for them too or does that get your stomach churning?
• Try this one, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” (Luke 6:27-28) I’ve choked on that bread but I think those also are words of life. How about you? How big of a bite of that bread do you want? 
• Jesus has this idea that people matter. He makes space and place for all sorts. He offered rest to those who were weary and carrying heavy burdens. (Matthew 11:28) “Let the little children come to me,” he said. (Mark 10:14) He touched the ones others labeled untouchable. (Matthew 8:1-3) He gave second chances (John 8:1-11) He ate with the people who were not usually given a seat at the table. (Luke 5:29-32) He let all of them know that they mattered and belonged – more words of life.
• “Peace be with you,” Jesus says three times after his resurrection. Before that he said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” (John 14:27) In a world of wars, insurrection, and violence peace is surely a word of life we need to hear, learn, and inwardly digest, don’t you think? 
• Jesus has some strong and direct words for us about welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and caring for those in need. (Matthew 25:31-46) Who thinks those are words of life? I do too but I can’t help wondering why those are the people we so often discard and demean. Why aren’t we eating more of that bread?
• Don’t take revenge, turn the other cheek. (Matthew 6:38-39) Put away your sword. (Matthew 26:52) “Blessed are the peacemakers.” (Matthew 5:9) Do you hear the life in those words? They are bread for a hungry and often violent world. Maybe if we eat enough of that bread we will one day live by the power of love rather than with the love of power.
• And who can forget these words of life: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31) and “Do to others as you would have them do to you”? (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31) That bread is medicine for the racism, abuse of woman and children, oppression of the poor, and gun violence that are bankrupting our humanity.

Jesus has a lot of other ideas and teachings and I could go on and on but that’s probably enough for now. So let me ask you this. Does any of that offend you or turn your stomach? Are there parts of Jesus’ teaching that are just too difficult to accept, that make you want to turn and walk away? 

That’s what they are doing in today’s gospel. They complained, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” It’s more than they can stomach. The bread of life has given them indigestion. 

Jesus asks them, “Does this offend you?” Apparently it did because “many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.”

What about you and me? Where are we in all of that? I hope the gospel still has power to offend, challenge, and call us up short. But I don’t know if it does. It seems that today most of our offense is taken about another’s politics but not the gospel of Christ. 

I’ve never had anyone say to me that she or he was offended by, ticked off at, or in disagreement with the gospel of Jesus. But I have had some tell me they felt that way about some of my sermons. They thought I had gone from preaching the gospel to messing with their politics. It makes me wonder if we’ve started taking our politics more seriously than we take the gospel. 

But here’s the thing. The gospel is political. Do we really think we can or should separate the gospel from our politics? Shouldn’t the gospel inform, determine, and correct our politics? And shouldn’t it be bigger than our partisanships? We’re not Christians for an hour and a half on Sundays and Democrats, Republicans, or Independents the rest of the week. 

We are not Republicans, Independents, or Democrats who happen to be Christians. We are Christians who happen to be Independents, Democrats, or Republicans. I don’t care which of those, if any, you are. I care that you are a Christian. I hope you do too. And I hope you will let it make a difference. 

If you are thinking this sermon is heading toward the upcoming presidential election, you are correct. It is. But I’m not going to tell you who to vote for. That would be too easy. And I hope you won’t let anyone else – spouse, relative, friend, or party – tell you who to vote for. 

I want us to struggle with what it means to be a follower of Jesus at this time in the life of our nation. I want us to dream a future for our children and grandchildren through the eyes of the gospel and not just our party’s platform. I want us to put more faith in the way of Jesus than we put in our political agendas.

If that means you have to change your mind, that’s okay. Jesus did too. Do you remember the Syrophoenician woman? (Mark 7:24-30) We’ll hear her story in a couple of weeks. She came to Jesus and asked him to heal her daughter. He refused because of who they were, where they were from, and what they believed. He called her a dog. Sound familiar? Politics has been around a long time. 

But the woman persisted. She was hungry enough that if she couldn’t have the bread of life she’d take the crumbs of life that fell from the table. And that opened the heart of Jesus. He set aside his politics and changed his mind. He offered her and her daughter words of life. What if that’s how we approached this election? 

What if we watched both candidates to see who is offering bread of life? What if we listened to them to see who is speaking words of life? What are you seeing and hearing these days?

We have seventy-two days left to watch and listen. Let that be your spiritual practice between now and election day. Pay attention. Watch. Listen. Pray. And when election day comes don’t just vote for your candidate, choose words of life – for yourself, for others, for our nation. Choose words of life.

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Image Credit: By Photo by Andreas Wahra, edited by Entheta – own photography (Andreas Wahra) Image:Cefalu Christus Pantokrator.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.