Thirst

John 6:22  The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23  Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24  So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 25  When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" 26  Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27  Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." 28  Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" 29  Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." 30  So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31  Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 32  Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33  For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34  They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." 35  Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36  But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37  Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38  for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39  And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40  This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day."

This is an example of people who see life in absolutely different ways:

On the one hand there are people who greedily grasp for things because they think this will satisfy the cravings of life. What must we do to perform ... What sign are you going to give us ... give us this bread ... Here are people who want Jesus to provide for them: they want his loaves of bread, his miracles, his signs and wonders. On the other hand Jesus consistently points out that possessing temporary things do not satisfy the cravings: Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.

This remains the perennial human dilemma: we think that having stuff will satisfy our cravings – but they only wet an appetite for even more stuff. And the one lesson that life teaches us is that we will never have enough stuff. Jesus knew this, and so he offers that which will satisfy: "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

There flows from Calvary a stream
For every sinner’s pain,
And he that drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never thirst again.

Refrain

What! never thirst again?
No, never thirst again;
What! never thirst again?
No, never thirst again,
For he that drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never, never thirst again

Words & Music: May A. Stephens, 1903

The Third Sunday in Lent

Thirsting for God

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 118.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.