Resisting Thrones

Gospel: John 6: 1-15

Jesus had been going about doing good to others.  Crowds hear about these good deeds, so they follow him wherever he goes.  Jesus looks to be apart from them, but they keep finding him.  They come in large numbers to a large field.  They are hungry, so Jesus multiplies the loaves and fishes to feed them, hoping that would lead them to go home.  Instead, they want to make him a king, so Jesus finds a way to escape from them, not wanting any part of such an enterprise.

In every age and place, whenever someone wants to use Jesus for their political ends, he flees from them.  For those who would have Jesus as king to bless their violence, wars, and animus toward the other, Jesus flees from their sight.  For those who would make Jesus into a community organizer, Jesus flees from their sight as well.  To reduce Jesus to a political program and agenda is to invite his swift and immediate departure from one's life.  

It is much easier to reduce Jesus to a political program than to accept him for who is really is - the presence of God's mercy and love in the world who invites us to extend that mercy and love to others.  We would much rather have the political program than actually extend mercy and love to others.  But the presence of Christ is in the bread offered and shared with others, not in the political agenda of the crowd more than willing to eat the bread, but not willing to be the bread.