B, Post Pentecost 13 Proper 15 - Ephesians 5:15–17, 21 John 6:51-58 "Flesh Vs Flesh"
Wisdom verses wisdom.
Understanding verses understanding. Feelings verses feelings. Passions verses passions. Human flesh verses the flesh of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the Son of humanity, the Son of
God, came to bridge the divide between the fallen flesh that dies and our
Father in heaven who is the light and life of all creation together with his Son
and the Holy Spirit.
John’s gospel begins with words written to remind us of
Genesis chapter one.
In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without
him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome it. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among
us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full
of grace and truth. (John 1:1–5,14 ESV)
The flesh of God meets the fallen flesh of humanity at the
feeding of the five thousand. In the
wake of this extraordinary meal, the Word of God made flesh, engages with the
flesh of humanity, the understanding, the feelings, and the passions of humanity.
A Lutheran pastor on moving to a town was targeted by the
local Jehovah’s Witness, who lobbed on the manse doorstep not long after the
minister was installed into the congregation.
After the Witnesses gave their usual testimony of heresies and half-truths,
the Lutheran pastor spoke about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Holy Baptism,
and the body and blood of Jesus, that we’ve heard Jesus say, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat
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. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is
true drink.” (John 6:53–55 ESV)
Once the pastor said this truth to the Jehovah’s Witnesses,
they erupted with scorn and contempt, at the implications of eating and
drinking Jesus’ body and blood. The Jehovah’s
Witness don’t believe in blood transfusions, and these Witnesses construed the
consumption of Jesus’ body and blood as cannibalism.
As Jesus taught this to those in the tabernacle at
Capernaum, it’s understandable how the Jews and the disciples would have heard
a similar message to that of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. After all, sense would have only been made of
Jesus’ words in John six, after the resurrection and the giving of the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost. As well as through the
lived experience of the early church as they were called, gathered, enlightened
and made holy by the Holy Spirit in the Word of God.
Similarly, we who have been baptised into Jesus’ death and
resurrection have been drowned in his body and blood in the waters of Holy
Baptism, fed on his Holy Word of life, and given his body and blood in the
bread and wine of Holy Communion. In all
three of these holy elements, we continually receive the Holy Spirit who gives,
sustains, and builds faith in those who do not reject the holy three — Word, Water,
and Wine — of Jesus’ bread of life!
Now that you and I have the Holy Spirit in the Holy three,
faith is generated within, lighting up the darkness that needs lighting up with
the fires of the Spirit within. The
battle that ensues within all of us is now the battle of… human wisdom verses Jesus’
wisdom… human understanding verses Jesus’
understanding… our feelings verses God’s feelings… our passions and desires verse the passion of
Jesus Christ.
The human flesh and spirit of our old Adam and its works is
confronted by the Holy Spirit’s work to daily enflesh us in the body and blood
of Jesus Christ, for forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation!
But the human will is strong! The old Adam seeks a resurrection of its own. Our human spirit, in seeking a knowledge of
good and evil from within the self, works within to push out the Holy Spirit, together
with the knowledge of Jesus Christ. This battle wears on each of us and makes one
tired. Eventually this battle leads to
the breakdown of the self — mind, body, and soul — resulting in death.
But the will of God is such, that even despite death this
does not have to end in eternal death, and the separation from God, that the
devil, the world, and the old Adam seeks!
What the devil wants the old Adam to hear in the world is a
message of confusion. That muddled
message is loud and strong today! It’s a
deceptive message of unity while our way of living is one of disunited individualism.
We’re being taught to fight for the longings
of identity, equality, and rights of the individual’s understanding and
feelings over everything else.
Saint Paul reminds the Ephesians not to be driven by feelings. He calls them not to be foolish! Not to be moved by the will of what is within. This is literally to not be driven by gut instinct! To exchange faith in Christ with the desires of
the self in one’s own knowledge of what one thinks is good and evil.
Paul’s command is just as important for the internal
confusion of your learnt individualism, and the disorder in today’s creation! Just as much as it was for the troubled church
in Ephesus, existing between pagan female cultic worship and the witness of Judaism
rejecting Jesus Christ.
Paul warns, “Look carefully then how you walk,
not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days
are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord
is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with
the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and
for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15–21 ESV)
Paul speaks to the Ephesians concerning the powers and principalities
at Ephesus (Ephesians 1:21, 2:2, 3:10, 6:12). Jesus confronts the powers and
principles within each of us in his call to consume his flesh and blood when he
spoke at the synagogue in Capernaum. You
are warned to look within, to oust worldly wisdom, and make way for the Holy Spirit
who brings wisdom in the will of God.
We are warned that the days are evil, contrary to what the
world is telling us! We’re to understand
in what we’re taught in the Word of God that the unity with the nations that Israel
sought was contrary to the will of God.
The church today is still being tempted into a unity with the nations against
God’s will rather than God’s call for the church to make disciples of all
nations.
In Paul’s warning there’s a caution for us to guard
ourselves against consuming a worldly wisdom, of feeble flesh, fleeting feelings,
and chaotic misunderstanding of what is good and evil.
When you heed this warning, you allow a repentance of the heart,
to turn back to God. You turn from being
conservative and progressive. That is
turning back to Jesus Christ from conserving or progressing your sinful self-directed
powers and principles, as well as conserving or progressing the world’s powers
and principalities.
Having been turned, we feed not on our understanding, feelings,
wisdom, faith or flesh. But like Jesus who
said to our Father in heaven, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me.
Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36 ESV) We too, allow the cup of salvation to come upon
us as we allow the Holy Spirit to do the will of God within us. To sacrifice our wisdom, understanding,
feelings and faith in ourselves as we carry our cross too.
The Holy Spirit enables us to take up the faith with
reverence for Jesus Christ and carry the cross we’re called to bear, rather than
burden ourselves with a faith in ourselves.
Just as Jesus submitted to the cross for your forgiveness, the Spirit empowers
you to submit to others out of reverence for the work Jesus Christ did to save
you from confusion, chaos and death.
The light shines in your darkness, and your darkness has
not overcome it. So let the wisdom and understanding,
the feelings and faithfulness, the power and passion, of Jesus’ Word made flesh,
shine in your darkness. The Holy Spirit
seeks to reflect the glory of Jesus Christ from you into the places where God wills
you to be. Amen.
And the peace of God which surpasses all understand, keep
our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
