This past week I was listening to a public radio program in which the guests were dietary experts.
They were bemoaning the fact that Americans are struggling like never before with proper nutrition.
One was saying not only that many fast foods contain alarming levels of sugars, fats, and salt, but
that addictive chemicals have been deliberately introduced in some products that actually create
further cravings for them. So we keep coming back for more and more, and perpetuate the problem.
This discussion got me to thinking about this whole phenomenon of addiction. In this country alone
there are tens of millions of people struggling with addictions. And these addictions come in a very
wide variety of activities. There are alcohol and drug addictions, relationship addictions, sex
addictions, pornography addictions, gambling addictions, food addictions, and probably many others
as well.
I’ve spent a good bit of my adult life working with people directly and indirectly affected by addiction.
And I’ve done it long enough to know that addiction is a pretty complex problem. There are physical,
psychological, medical and interpersonal aspects of it all wrapped up together, and individuals
suffer from these different things in different proportions. There isn’t a good one-size-fits-all
explanation. But having said this, in order to look comprehensively at this huge and growing
problem, I think one really has to ask, “What are the things that these addictions have in common?”
And I think this is what gives us some clues as to how to approach this problem.
It first should be pointed out that, when a person first starts doing something that later becomes an
addiction, they generally don’t start out by saying, “My goal in life is to become an addict.” People
really don’t expect that this is going to be the outcome.
Rather, the beginning of virtually all addictions revolves around using or doing something that gives
tangible pleasure or satisfaction. In an often difficult or painful life, this is one little area in which we
can give ourselves a little relief, or even some fleeting happiness. The bottom line is our drug or
activity of choice feels good! It works!
I used to work with a recovering alcoholic/addict who said, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that
abusing drugs or alcohol is a thoroughly miserable thing. When I drank I felt like I was ten feet tall
and the life of the party.” But the problem is: It doesn’t keep working. To give the same level of
pleasure or satisfaction, whatever we choose as our “drug of choice” (which can be food, sex,
gambling, or many other things) yields diminishing returns. After a few times it doesn’t make us as
happy. So we use more. We have to intensify our experience to get the same satisfaction. We use
more of whatever we’re using, or do crazier things to get the same payoff. This phenomenon is
called “tolerance.” We’re able to tolerate more and more of our “drug of choice” but getting less and
less from it.
And as the cycle wears on we no longer feel much pleasure or satisfaction at all. We find ourselves
on a downward spiral, feeling worse and worse, and just trying to feel normal. Eventually we’re living
a life of misery and enslavement. That’s what all of these addictive elements and behaviors have in
common.
And the widespread nature of this problem begs a question. What is going on here? Why are
so many people succumbing to addiction, and watching their lives and the lives of their loved ones
come unraveled as a result? Why do we start doing such things in the first place? Or more to the
point: Why are we so hungry? Why do we have to turn to drugs, food, sex, gambling, and
pornography in the first place? What is missing in our lives? Some would say that we almost seem
to be wired for addictions of various kinds. And I think this is what gives us a clue as to the root of
the problem all humankind shares in common.
Listen closely to the observations of a couple very astute people in history. St. Augustine said in the
400’s: “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest
in you ...” Our hearts are restless. Has your heart ever been restless? You know, nothing
quite seems to give you peace. The rock band U2 sang, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for,”
and the Rolling Stones sang, “I can’t get no satisfaction.” (The grammar check on my word
processing program really lit up on that one.)
Anyway, when our hearts are restless, that’s when we’re likely to turn to something that will give us
instant gratification, however temporary. And if you can’t relate to what I’m saying, simply think “Oreo
cookies.” But Augustine is telling us that that bag of Oreos, and all the bags of Oreos that follow,
aren’t going to cut it in the long run. They’re not going to bring us peace. “Lord, you have made us
for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you ...”
The great Christian mathematician Blaise Pascal said something similar in the 1600’s. Speaking of
that wistful emptiness we all want to fill, he writes: “What else does this craving, and this
helplessness, proclaim, but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now
remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking
in things that are not there, the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since
this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God
himself.” The thing that Pascal is describing, afterward became known as “the God-shaped void.”
This God-shaped void has plagued humanity since the Fall, at which point our sinful nature cut us
off from the God who alone can satisfy our deepest yearnings.
And this is what brings us to today’s Gospel reading. God has a solution to this tragedy. And it’s a
solution of elegant simplicity and utter, unconditional love on the part of God the Father and His
Son, Jesus Christ. You’ll recall that, in last week’s Gospel reading, after feeding the 5000 Jesus
addressed the crowds that were following him because he filled their stomachs with the miraculously
multiplied loaves of bread. He talked about the manna that was provided to their forebears in the
wilderness to assuage their hunger. And then he said, “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.” OK? Don’t be putting
your efforts into instant gratification, into those things that temporarily give you some pleasure or
satisfaction. Instead, look to the One who was designed to give you life and fill your souls forever.
And today Jesus cuts right to the point with one of those heart-stopping one-liners. He says, “I am
the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never
be thirsty.” There’s not a single wasted word in this claim. And there’s much more here than can be
discussed in one homily. We’ll be spending more time next week talking about what all this means.
But for starters, there are a couple of language matters that make this claim even more stunning
than it seems at first. This is one of a number of “I am” statements found in John’s Gospel. You
see, the Greek phrase is Eigo eimi. Eigo means simply the pronoun “I”. Eimi is from the verb “to
be”, and means “I am.” It’s not necessary to have the word Eigo, I, in front of it for it to mean “I am.”
But when you put Eigo in front, it carries an of extra emphasis. It emphasizes the pronoun. So using
the inflections, it’s Jesus saying “I am the bread of life.” Not the manna that rained down from the
heavens, not the loaves we distributed beside the Lake of Galilee. And I’m not telling you where you
can go and find the bread of life, but “I am the bread of life.” Is that clear for you?
Now, there’s a second important thing about the “I am” statements. They have a double meaning.
Do you remember the name God gave himself when he first introduced Himself to Moses? It was a
Hebrew word that meant what? I am. Jesus is using this double entendre to announce who He is. A
couple chapters forward in John, when the Jewish people to whom He’s speaking claim that Abraham
is their father, Jesus replies, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was, I am.” Immediately afterward,
the crowd picks up stones to throw at him. Why? It isn’t because Jesus is claiming to have existed
long ago that they want to stone him, but because he’s deliberately using the name reserved for
God, and claiming it for himself. “I am.” This clearly isn’t lost on the crowd. So Jesus is saying with
emphasis that it is He who is the bread of life, and at the same time announcing that He is God
incarnate. Unlike the toys, treats and titillations we desperately grasp, He’s the only one who can
satisfy the deepest hunger of our souls.
My friends, this past week I’ve felt convicted to impress upon all of us, including myself, how very
important this is. And with this I conclude. The stakes are very high. When we substitute anything
or anyone else for the bread of life we’re flirting in the long term with death. There was a terrible
story in the news this past week about a 48-year-old man in the Pittsburgh area who went on a
shooting rampage at a women’s workout class, killing several and injuring many.
Now, there was a lot going on here, including obviously some kind of psychopathology. But he had
apparently spent his whole adult life trying to seek fulfillment in relationships, and in his perception
these had let him down. He began deeply hating women in general. These are the words he wrote
on an online blog a few months ago: “I know I will never enjoy life. It is difficult to live almost
continuously feeling an undercurrent of fear, worry, discontentment and helplessness.” Then he
concluded by writing, “What is it like to be dead?”
Sadly, I think this man experienced the answer to his own question long before he took his own life.
One might argue that this is a very extreme case, and it is. But make no mistake, this earth is
littered with the wreckage of human lives who sought fulfillment and happiness in things that
ultimately disappoint and enslave. You and I were made for much more than those things. And the
good news is that, that for which we were made is readily available to each and every one of us. For
He is the one who warmly assures us, “Ask, and it will be given you.” He stands ready and waiting.
So my plea to us all is this: Let us take Jesus’ words seriously. And when we’re faced with the
distresses of life, let each of us turn first to the bread of life. Not to those people and things that can
give us a quick lift and then let us down, but to the only one equipped to meet our deepest needs.
Let us always turn first to the Bread of Life. He has made us for himself, and our souls will not rest
until we find our rest in Him. Amen.
They were bemoaning the fact that Americans are struggling like never before with proper nutrition.
One was saying not only that many fast foods contain alarming levels of sugars, fats, and salt, but
that addictive chemicals have been deliberately introduced in some products that actually create
further cravings for them. So we keep coming back for more and more, and perpetuate the problem.
This discussion got me to thinking about this whole phenomenon of addiction. In this country alone
there are tens of millions of people struggling with addictions. And these addictions come in a very
wide variety of activities. There are alcohol and drug addictions, relationship addictions, sex
addictions, pornography addictions, gambling addictions, food addictions, and probably many others
as well.
I’ve spent a good bit of my adult life working with people directly and indirectly affected by addiction.
And I’ve done it long enough to know that addiction is a pretty complex problem. There are physical,
psychological, medical and interpersonal aspects of it all wrapped up together, and individuals
suffer from these different things in different proportions. There isn’t a good one-size-fits-all
explanation. But having said this, in order to look comprehensively at this huge and growing
problem, I think one really has to ask, “What are the things that these addictions have in common?”
And I think this is what gives us some clues as to how to approach this problem.
It first should be pointed out that, when a person first starts doing something that later becomes an
addiction, they generally don’t start out by saying, “My goal in life is to become an addict.” People
really don’t expect that this is going to be the outcome.
Rather, the beginning of virtually all addictions revolves around using or doing something that gives
tangible pleasure or satisfaction. In an often difficult or painful life, this is one little area in which we
can give ourselves a little relief, or even some fleeting happiness. The bottom line is our drug or
activity of choice feels good! It works!
I used to work with a recovering alcoholic/addict who said, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that
abusing drugs or alcohol is a thoroughly miserable thing. When I drank I felt like I was ten feet tall
and the life of the party.” But the problem is: It doesn’t keep working. To give the same level of
pleasure or satisfaction, whatever we choose as our “drug of choice” (which can be food, sex,
gambling, or many other things) yields diminishing returns. After a few times it doesn’t make us as
happy. So we use more. We have to intensify our experience to get the same satisfaction. We use
more of whatever we’re using, or do crazier things to get the same payoff. This phenomenon is
called “tolerance.” We’re able to tolerate more and more of our “drug of choice” but getting less and
less from it.
And as the cycle wears on we no longer feel much pleasure or satisfaction at all. We find ourselves
on a downward spiral, feeling worse and worse, and just trying to feel normal. Eventually we’re living
a life of misery and enslavement. That’s what all of these addictive elements and behaviors have in
common.
And the widespread nature of this problem begs a question. What is going on here? Why are
so many people succumbing to addiction, and watching their lives and the lives of their loved ones
come unraveled as a result? Why do we start doing such things in the first place? Or more to the
point: Why are we so hungry? Why do we have to turn to drugs, food, sex, gambling, and
pornography in the first place? What is missing in our lives? Some would say that we almost seem
to be wired for addictions of various kinds. And I think this is what gives us a clue as to the root of
the problem all humankind shares in common.
Listen closely to the observations of a couple very astute people in history. St. Augustine said in the
400’s: “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest
in you ...” Our hearts are restless. Has your heart ever been restless? You know, nothing
quite seems to give you peace. The rock band U2 sang, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for,”
and the Rolling Stones sang, “I can’t get no satisfaction.” (The grammar check on my word
processing program really lit up on that one.)
Anyway, when our hearts are restless, that’s when we’re likely to turn to something that will give us
instant gratification, however temporary. And if you can’t relate to what I’m saying, simply think “Oreo
cookies.” But Augustine is telling us that that bag of Oreos, and all the bags of Oreos that follow,
aren’t going to cut it in the long run. They’re not going to bring us peace. “Lord, you have made us
for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you ...”
The great Christian mathematician Blaise Pascal said something similar in the 1600’s. Speaking of
that wistful emptiness we all want to fill, he writes: “What else does this craving, and this
helplessness, proclaim, but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now
remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking
in things that are not there, the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since
this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God
himself.” The thing that Pascal is describing, afterward became known as “the God-shaped void.”
This God-shaped void has plagued humanity since the Fall, at which point our sinful nature cut us
off from the God who alone can satisfy our deepest yearnings.
And this is what brings us to today’s Gospel reading. God has a solution to this tragedy. And it’s a
solution of elegant simplicity and utter, unconditional love on the part of God the Father and His
Son, Jesus Christ. You’ll recall that, in last week’s Gospel reading, after feeding the 5000 Jesus
addressed the crowds that were following him because he filled their stomachs with the miraculously
multiplied loaves of bread. He talked about the manna that was provided to their forebears in the
wilderness to assuage their hunger. And then he said, “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.” OK? Don’t be putting
your efforts into instant gratification, into those things that temporarily give you some pleasure or
satisfaction. Instead, look to the One who was designed to give you life and fill your souls forever.
And today Jesus cuts right to the point with one of those heart-stopping one-liners. He says, “I am
the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never
be thirsty.” There’s not a single wasted word in this claim. And there’s much more here than can be
discussed in one homily. We’ll be spending more time next week talking about what all this means.
But for starters, there are a couple of language matters that make this claim even more stunning
than it seems at first. This is one of a number of “I am” statements found in John’s Gospel. You
see, the Greek phrase is Eigo eimi. Eigo means simply the pronoun “I”. Eimi is from the verb “to
be”, and means “I am.” It’s not necessary to have the word Eigo, I, in front of it for it to mean “I am.”
But when you put Eigo in front, it carries an of extra emphasis. It emphasizes the pronoun. So using
the inflections, it’s Jesus saying “I am the bread of life.” Not the manna that rained down from the
heavens, not the loaves we distributed beside the Lake of Galilee. And I’m not telling you where you
can go and find the bread of life, but “I am the bread of life.” Is that clear for you?
Now, there’s a second important thing about the “I am” statements. They have a double meaning.
Do you remember the name God gave himself when he first introduced Himself to Moses? It was a
Hebrew word that meant what? I am. Jesus is using this double entendre to announce who He is. A
couple chapters forward in John, when the Jewish people to whom He’s speaking claim that Abraham
is their father, Jesus replies, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was, I am.” Immediately afterward,
the crowd picks up stones to throw at him. Why? It isn’t because Jesus is claiming to have existed
long ago that they want to stone him, but because he’s deliberately using the name reserved for
God, and claiming it for himself. “I am.” This clearly isn’t lost on the crowd. So Jesus is saying with
emphasis that it is He who is the bread of life, and at the same time announcing that He is God
incarnate. Unlike the toys, treats and titillations we desperately grasp, He’s the only one who can
satisfy the deepest hunger of our souls.
My friends, this past week I’ve felt convicted to impress upon all of us, including myself, how very
important this is. And with this I conclude. The stakes are very high. When we substitute anything
or anyone else for the bread of life we’re flirting in the long term with death. There was a terrible
story in the news this past week about a 48-year-old man in the Pittsburgh area who went on a
shooting rampage at a women’s workout class, killing several and injuring many.
Now, there was a lot going on here, including obviously some kind of psychopathology. But he had
apparently spent his whole adult life trying to seek fulfillment in relationships, and in his perception
these had let him down. He began deeply hating women in general. These are the words he wrote
on an online blog a few months ago: “I know I will never enjoy life. It is difficult to live almost
continuously feeling an undercurrent of fear, worry, discontentment and helplessness.” Then he
concluded by writing, “What is it like to be dead?”
Sadly, I think this man experienced the answer to his own question long before he took his own life.
One might argue that this is a very extreme case, and it is. But make no mistake, this earth is
littered with the wreckage of human lives who sought fulfillment and happiness in things that
ultimately disappoint and enslave. You and I were made for much more than those things. And the
good news is that, that for which we were made is readily available to each and every one of us. For
He is the one who warmly assures us, “Ask, and it will be given you.” He stands ready and waiting.
So my plea to us all is this: Let us take Jesus’ words seriously. And when we’re faced with the
distresses of life, let each of us turn first to the bread of life. Not to those people and things that can
give us a quick lift and then let us down, but to the only one equipped to meet our deepest needs.
Let us always turn first to the Bread of Life. He has made us for himself, and our souls will not rest
until we find our rest in Him. Amen.
Why Am I Hungry?
John 6:35-51
John 6:35-51
August 9, 2009
The Rev. Daniel Tuton
The Rev. Daniel Tuton
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