An Apple For The teacher

As we read John  6:35 and 41-51 at last night's Bible Study with our church's youth I read in my study bible that the image of Jesus as the bread of life is meant to be a metaphor for achieving understanding through the teachings of Christ. That single piece of information opened a whole new way of looking at this passage.

No living thing can live without food, not for long anyway. Plants, animals, humans, all living things need whatever it is that provides them the fuel to continue. It is, and will always be, amazing to me that no matter how many living things are on this earth we are all being provided for by the Creator. I'll admit there are those in this world who barely have enough, and there are those in this world who have too much - but that's not the fault of our Creator.

As the largest consumers in the world those of us in modern industrialized nations need to begin to look out for the rest of the world. My wife made a comment the other day while watching the Olympic games. She said, "Why can't the leaders of our world get along as well as the athletes who represent those countries do?" She's so right. These athletes may get upset when they lose by 100th of a point or 10th's of a second, but they don't fight with each other about it. Instead they realize that on that day, in that time, the other athlete was better. The only thing to do is to congratulate the other athlete, usually by hugging or shaking the hand of the one who inched them from their victory.

Indeed, then, why can't the leaders of our world be like that. In today's passage Jesus reminds those around him to stop bickering and to start living in the understanding which he is trying to bring to them - the understanding that we, the human race, really should begin living in love and acceptance of those around us. This is what Jesus did, this is what Jesus is trying to teach, this is the "bread" we are being asked to eat in order for us to continue in the joyous peace God intended.

Jesus is the great teacher. Let's do our part and begin learning.