The Message, July 28, 2024: "Always Enough," John 6:1-21

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
August 06, 2024

(This is a brief reflection. We had the congregation participate in an interactive exercise at this point in the service in which they were asked about their hopes and dreams for First Parish Church. This reflection led into that exercise.)

“Always Enough”

A Reflection on John 6:1-21
Rev. Scott W. Cousineau

            The other day I was looking at various commentaries on our scripture passage for this morning and I stumbled upon the ‘Pastoral Ponderings’ of Reverend James Laurence. Reverend Laurence grew up in Northborough, Massachusetts, then went to college at Bowdoin College here in Maine, then did his graduate studies at the University of Chicago. It occurred to me that he has something in common with some of the folks in this room. But what really intrigued me about him is that he began his career as an economist.

            In his ‘Ponderings,’ he said that he enjoyed being an economist, but he acknowledged that as an economist he viewed the world with very different eyes. He said that economists view the world through the lens of scarcity. In fact, at some point he learned that economics is defined as “the study of the allocation of scarce resources among competing ends.” He went on to say that economics is often referred to as the dismal science because there is not enough, there is never enough.

            This morning’s passage is one of the most famous and familiar passages in scripture. It is also the only miracle that is recorded in all four gospels.

            As we heard … and as we already knew … a great multitude of people had followed Jesus because they had seen him perform signs and wonders with the sick. They had seen him perform acts of power. The introductory verse hints that the people may have followed Jesus for the wrong reasons. It hints that their possible intention was to see MORE signs and MORE wonders. They wanted more of that.

            John does not indicate that they followed Jesus so that they could hear more teaching or more preaching. He does not indicate that they followed him so that they could hear him open the Word of God for them.

            However, whatever the motivation of the crowd may have been, they were there, and the hour was getting late. As the disciples surveyed the crowd and they saw the multitude with the eyes of economists. “There are too many of them, Jesus. Send them away. We could never feed this many people. We do not have enough!”

            But Jesus is not an economist. He is Jesus. He had the people sit down … and fed them.

            Jesus did not call them to be economists. He called them to be disciples.

            Remember that in the first sermon that Jesus delivered, The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told them, “Do not worry about your life. Do not worry about what you will eat or what you will drink. Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap, or store up in barns. Do not worry about what you will wear. Look at the flowers of the field. They do not labor or spin. If God takes care of them, will God also care for you? Have faith in God. Trust in God.” (Matthew 6:25-34, paraphrased)

            Jesus did not call them to be economists. He called them to be disciples. And he calls us to be disciples as well.

            With God, there is always enough. With Jesus, there is always enough.
Beloved children of God, let us place our faith in Jesus Christ. Let us put our trust in God. In them, there is always enough. Amen.

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