Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord which engages us this morning comes from our Gospel lesson (John 6: 1-15). ����������������

By the time of our Old Testament lesson, The LORD had miraculously called His people out of Egypt with many signs. He had forced the Pharaoh to release the Israelites. Many miraculous plagues that were used to convince Pharaoh that He was up against the most powerful God of all, the only God. This LORD of the Israelites was determined to save them from their slavery and did so by another miraculous sign, bringing them through the Red Sea and drowning the soldiers of Pharaoh that were still bent on destroying them. ����������������

After the LORD had saved His Chosen People, he continued to preserve them and teach them. He had sent the miraculous sign of manna, the breadlike substance from the sky, to feed them daily for 40 years. He had given them his teachings, the 10 commandments and others, so that they would know how to please their saving God as they lived out their daily lives. In our Old Testament text we heard them say twice "Everything the Lord has said, we will do." We know they won't. God knew they wouldn't. Nevertheless, Moses and Aaron and 72 others actually were given the opportunity to go up the mountain of the LORD and eat and drink with Him. They were to trust the Lord and follow Him wherever He led them. Later they were promised (Deuteronomy 18) "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like (Moses) from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him." ����������������

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus shows himself to be that new Moses, the new prophet sent from the saving Lord. A great crowd of people was following Jesus. They were wondering if He was the prophet who was to come because they had seen the miraculous signs He had performed on the sick. In today's lesson we are belated witnesses to one of Jesus' most marvelous miracles, the only miracle, aside from his resurrection, that is recorded by all four Gospel writers. Jesus shows that like Moses, He can feed 1000's of people miraculously. He changes 5 cheap barley loaves and two small fish into a feast for more than 5,000. (John 5: 14) "After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." ����������������

But the people had become too focused on the signs, the miracles that Jesus was doing. They wanted more of this earthly bread He was providing. Still today it is easy for us to get too focused on the signs, the miracles, and want that same type of miraculous solutions to our problems here. Don't we all want God to swoop down and miraculously solve our family problems, our school anxieties, our health problems, our work and financial concerns? Wouldn't it be nice if a miracle worker came and solved all of our congregational problems? Wouldn't it be nice if we had all the money and energy we needed to improve all our programs and start many new programs? How nice it would be if some bread-giver could be found to take care of us and get everything in our lives humming along smoothly. The people both inside and outside of our church would be dazzled, amazed by the endless string of miraculous deeds. (paragraph modified from Dan Pokorny, Concordia Journal, July 1982). ����������������

But that kind of miracle hungry thinking misses the point of Jesus' signs. We often think that His life went along smoothly, miraculously every step of the way up until the end at the cross. At this time, his second Passover during his three-year ministry, He still had a year to go until He would give his life as a sacrifice for us in death. At this time He was facing many personal and ministry tragedies. The Jewish leaders were already starting to plot against Him (John 5: 18). The other Gospels reveal that His most trusted earthly compatriot, John the Baptist, had just been cruelly executed by King Herod, simply because Herod's dancing stepdaughter requested it. Jesus had just tested His disciples, especially Philip, about the scope of his miraculous powers, and Philip had pretty much failed. And now, when Jesus wants to show the love and compassion of God through another miraculous sign, this time with food, the people misunderstand his mission again and seek to make him an earthly king by force. Jesus, alone and misunderstood again, withdraws to a mountain by himself.

Later in this chapter, Jesus teaches that He is the Bread of Life and that people should feed on Him. He says of Himself (v. 50) "here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die", and (v. 56) "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him." After He teaches this, many of his disciples leave him (v. 66). Life is a struggle for Jesus. No matter how clearly He teaches His disciples that His purpose for coming was to "lay down his life for the sheep" (John 10: 15), they don't understand Him. He was telling his disciples time and again that He, (Mark 9: 31) "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." His miraculous signs were not the purpose for his coming. His miraculous signs were simply signs, pointers, indicators of who He was, the prophet who was to come, to whom they were to listen. His miraculous signs were done, not as an end in themselves, but to point people to His Words and the wondrous reasons why they should trust in Him and who He was. His signs were done so that all would believe that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Resurrection and the Life, the only Way to God the Father. His miraculous signs were done so that people would come to His salvation and then remain in Him and He in them, day by day into eternity.

A minister was walking along the ocean with his small son. The boy questioned his father about Sunday's sermon. The boy said, "Dad, I cannot understand how Christ can live in us and we live in him at the same time." Further down the beach, the father noticed an empty bottle with a cork in it. Taking the bottle, he half filled it with water, recorked it and flung it out into the ocean. As they watched the bottle bob up and down he said, "Son, the sea is in the bottle and the bottle is in the sea. It is a picture of life in our saving Christ. You live in Christ and He lives in you." (Traditional story found on Sermonillustrations.com) ����������������

When things are a struggle, either in our personal lives or family lives or congregational lives, it is easy for us to look for miracles for answers to our problems and to forget that everyday we live in Him and He lives in us. Any visitor among us might think from what I said earlier that things are not going well among us and that God has not been giving our congregation tangible, visible blessings and signs of late. Actually quite the contrary. The outward signs and blessing for our congregation this summer have been good. Many new members have joined, several in Baptism. Our school enrollment numbers are up nearly 30%. Giving and attendance at worship have been up, during the summer. God's signs have been good for us. ��

But our text reminds us that his outward signs of blessing are only that, signs, pointers. We want to always remember that those signs point to the ultimate reality He has for us, our salvation through the Word of God made flesh, Jesus Christ. He gives us earthly blessings like food and shelter, electricity and gasoline. But His chief blessings to us always come through the simple means of Word and Sacrament. The Words of Jesus, and His body and blood to feed upon give us the ultimate of gifts, salvation. ����������������

Whenever we start thinking that God is not with us unless we've seen a tangible sign lately, we can be reminded of the Psalm we chanted before that we'll repeat again during our Offertory. "What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will take the cup of salvation and will call on the name of the Lord". (Psalm 116: 12-13). That is why Jesus came. Here again is a pleasant surprise. The first thing we're urged to do by way of thanking God for all his benefits toward us is to accept another benefit from Him, salvation in Christ. We repay God for all his blessings � by merely receiving another huge blessing. It's as if someone gave us a scrumptious meal, and then, when gratefully we ask, "Is there something I can do for you?" he replies, "Well yes, I'd appreciate it very much if you would accept this $1000 along with it." So it is with God. For all His earthly gifts to us God, it seems, would like this gift back, that we take another gift from Him, the gift of salvation. For all his favors toward us, God believe it or not, would regard it as a favor toward Him if we would simply be the recipients of His eternal favor in Christ. The first and foremost thing that God seems to want in return for all His goodness toward us is to lavish upon us His love so that we become His children. Wow! (paragraph modified from Rev. Francis Rossow, Concordia Journal, July 1982). What a marvelous sign!

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)