What Is There to Eat…, Easter 3 (B) – 2000

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“What is there to eat?”

“Have you anything here to eat?”

Isn’t that just like Jesus? Not only does he insist, during his lifetime, that we need to enter the Kingdom like children, now in the resurrection he models that for us.

How many times a day in how many kitchens across the land do children, young and old, tall and small, just stand there and demand to know, “What is there to eat? ” And that is always the primary question with Jesus. As in real life, so it is in the resurrection of the body.

In Emmaus Jesus breaks bread with two of the disciples. On the shores of the Sea of Galilee, he instructs the “Peter and John Fishing Company” to throw their nets over on the other side of their boat; they do so and fill the boat to overflowing! There are so many fish, in fact, that Peter has to jump overboard and wade in to shore, where he finds Jesus, sitting by a charcoal fire, a few fish already on the grill, saying, “Come and have breakfast!” (John 21: 12)

Jesus says this to us, too: “Come and have breakfast!” We can relate to a God like this: on the beach, a warm fire, fresh fish, bread, some good friends. And then of course there is the story of the little boy. Jesus is there with five thousand people after a long day of teaching and preaching, and he turns to Philip and says, “What is there to eat? What do we have to feed all these people?”

It’s the same question. These stories are related.

And it’s a little boy who has five barley loaves and two fishes. And as it was that day, so it must have been on the beach, and so it was in that room with the disciples — same question, same food, same story. Everyone ate and was satisfied. Everyone’s eyes were opened and they could see it was Jesus with them!

Everyone begins to understand when they eat with Jesus; to really understand for the first time. Everyone is to go and tell others to repent, to accept God’s forgiveness, and to tell the story-beginning right here and now!

And so it is that we gather at the Lord’s table every week, to eat with him and his friends; to be fed to overflowing; to have our eyes opened and to begin to understand. And so we, too, can go and tell others to repent, to accept God’s forgiveness, and to tell the story. This is how we know it is Jesus we are with-he is always eating and drinking with people. He always fills people to overflowing!

We know others did it, too. Peter, for instance. When asked for money by the lame man on the way to church, Peter said, “Silver and gold have we none. But such as we have give I thee. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And we know the man was healed and went walking and leaping and praising God. He became a witness of these things. Because he praised God and told the story, we are here today.

We gather and hear the words of scripture. We share the meal. We are with his friends. We recognize Jesus is here. And he sends us out to tell others the news, to tell others the story, to offer the Name of Jesus to everyone we meet.

So when we are asked, “What is there to eat?” We can say, “Come and have breakfast. Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Rise up and walk!

Alleluia, Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen indeed, alleluia! And so are we! And so are we!

Amen