19th Sunday in Ordinary Time B

12 August 2012 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time Princeton, NJ

If I was going to nickname this Sunday I would call it Murmuring Sunday!

You may have noticed, a few weeks ago as we hit the halfway point in Ordinary Time, we took a break from
the earliest gospels written to us by Mark and during this five week hiatus we are enjoying gospels centered
on the 6th Chapter of John. For it is this chapter that encompasses the Bread of Life Discourse, which began
last Sunday and ends next Sunday. Versus the Eucharistic accounts of the Last Supper we hear with the
other gospel writers, John gives us this rich theological discourse on the Bread of Life.

So if we weave together last week and this week’s readings we hear a number of passages where God is
feeding…but the people are murmuring! So what is this all about?

We begin with the early grumblings and murmurings of the Israelites. Even though they had witnessed the
parting of the Red Sea and their deliverance from slavery they are not thrilled with being in the desert. Their
bellies are growling and they are looking to be fed. But before Moses can do or say anything the Lord God
hears their grumbling and feeds them every morning with manna from heaven.

But they are given clear instructions on how and when and how much they can collect of the bread. In short,
what God did was take this group of people who lacked faith that God would care for them and using the
bread come down from heaven brought them together in communion and community. Even though their
faith waivered, God made it clear that God would provide.

But it seems little was learned, for today we hear more murmuring in John’s gospel. Remember how this 6th
chapter started? Using the five barley loaves and two fish given by the boy, Jesus fed the 5,000 with food
left over. And the people declared then that Jesus was truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the
world. So as Jesus retreated the people followed looking for more signs, more miracles, more food. And
with that Jesus lowers the boom – you know when it is coming because it is always preceded by “Amen,
Amen,” And Christ clearly declares that he is the Bread of Life and whoever comes to him will never hunger,
will never thirst.

With that line, the Jewish leadership began their murmuring. They can sense that their power and control are
being threatened (imagine religious leadership feeling that way!) You see, they were fine with Jesus, the
carpenter’s son, feeding the multitudes and healing the sick – but claiming that God is his Father and that all
who come to him are in this divine relationship and have eternal life – is simply too much for them.

But you see, the message Christ is giving his followers is no different than what God gave the Israelites.
Faith is more than just believing in what is unbelievable – it is about relationship. Relationship with God.
Relationship with Jesus. And relationship with each other.

But God does not force anyone into relationship – it is simply an open-ended invitation. That is why Jesus
basically ignores the murmuring – tells them to stop wasting their breath and he reiterates his point a total of
three times. Jesus makes it clear that this bread we eat is different from that of the manna in the desert or
from the loaves and fishes, which only yielded short term satisfaction. It only nourished the body. Instead,
Christ freely gives us himself so that our whole being can be fed. We just have to answer the invitation.

1 Deacon Jim Knipper

So how about today – do we murmur? Do we grumble? Oh yeah, we all murmur from time to time. Faith is
all well and good – that is until things do not go our way. When the voice in our head is saying, “I mean,
come on God, get with the program and give us what we ask for!” is when we can sound like modern day
Israelites. The good Lord knows we all have stresses in our lives, so we certainly can find reasons to
murmur. But all Christ says is, ‘Why murmur?’ Don’t you know how much I love you just the way you are?
Don’t you know that no matter what is going on in your life, I am with you always? Have faith in me and
come to my table broken and battered and beaten and be fed with my body and blood and rejoice!

So let me end with a story about someone who would have every reason to murmur, but seemingly never
really has.

He was born in 1986 without any fibulas – one of the two the bones that are found in the lower leg. The
doctors told his parents that the best chance their child had for a normal life would require amputation of
both legs below the knee. Which is exactly what they did when their son was 11 months of age and six
months later he was fitted with his first set of prosthetic legs.

I have to assume there was very little murmuring, for within weeks he was already walking. As a young boy
he became active in rugby and water polo. But at age 16 his knee was shattered in an accident. Did he
murmur? Nope. He took up running as a form of rehab on his knee and 7 months later he ran his first 100
meter race and won – and he never stopped running.

In 2008 his missed qualifying for the South African Olympic Team by 0.70 seconds. Did he murmur? It
seems not, as he turned his focus on preparing for the 2012 Olympic games. But first he had to appear
before an athletic court to prove that he did not have an advantage over others by running with prosthetic
legs. This past week Oscar Pistorius was the first double amputee to compete in the Olympic Games. He
fulfilled his dream by making it to the quarter finals of the 400 meters. But in that heat Oscar came in last.
But did he murmur? Hardly, matter of fact he was filled with joy for all that he had accomplished.

So how is it that Pistorius has gone through his life without hardly a murmur? When asked basically that
same question he answered: “God is the most important person in the world to me. Christ is the reason for
my success. Christ aids me in my struggles. Christ makes all the difference.”

Oscar has it! He has led a life that is God centered!

That is exactly what the Israelites were missing, for it was all about them and their needs and their wants and
their murmurings. But God simply asked for continued faith and love. And God’s response was always
mercy. This is exactly what the Jewish leaders were missing when their ego and power and authority were
threatened by this new prophet who claimed to be the Bread of Life. Jesus answered their murmurings by
reminding them that it was not Moses who fed their ancestors in the desert, but God the Father. And he
responded to the murmurings by giving them his body and blood to nourish their everlasting souls.

And so 2000 years later we are all called to this table to be nourished by this same Bread of Life and the
Cup of Salvation. We are all called to be transformed from murmuring followers to being in communion and
community so that we can be Christ for others. It was the Jesuit theologian Robert Taft who said that the
purpose of Eucharist is not to only change bread and wine – but to change you and me – for through
Eucharist it is we who are to become Christ for others.

The invitation is given….Grace is available…the bread is about to be broken, blessed and given…

Murmur if you must, but know that there is an ever loving and merciful God always waiting for you.

2 Deacon Jim Knipper

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time B

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