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Gospel: John 6:22-29
[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
***
***
Imagine hosting some of your closest friends for dinner.
You really put out a good spread: steaks grilled to perfection, steaming baked potatoes with cheese, chives, and sour cream, a tossed green salad, a California Cabernet, and apple pie à la mode for dessert.
There’s laughter throughout the meal and the sharing of old memories. Both your heart and your stomach are full.
Then when it’s time for your guests to leave, they take out their wallets, put several twenties on the table and ask, “Now, how much do we owe you?”
***
What a crazy question! Insulting, really. You can never repay the host.
Dinner is a gift, an act of love.
The best your guests can be is grateful for the laughter, the friendship, and a full stomach.
Maybe write a “thank you.”
In the very least, accept it.
***
Acceptance.
This is what Jesus asks of us in today’s Gospel – and throughout the Easter season – simply to accept what he’s done for us. Like guests who cannot repay their host, we cannot repay Jesus for what he’s done.
“But, this is the work of God,” he says, “that you believe in the one he sent.”
Believe in Christ’s death and resurrection. And allow that belief to transform the way we see the world – and the role we play within it.
That is enough for God, our divine host.
***
Image credits: (1) Tricia Goyer (2) Christ Church InTown (3) Linda Marie Lovison