Coffee With God

Reflection: John 6: 24-35

We often misunderstand our God as a miracle worker; as someone who solves all our problems with miracles. Pause for a moment and think of the content of our prayers to God … are they all for some miraculous intervention of God in our lives or in the lives of our loved ones? For a healing, for success in business, for so many of our needs over which we have no control… Today’s Gospel says Jesus runs away from them and goes up the mountain alone. Jesus going alone to the mountain is a clear sign. In the Bible, a mountain refers to the place where people conversed with God in prayer. Today the gospel invites us to go up the mountain of prayer – the mountain of personal relationship with God, and not to run after miracles. People were looking for Jesus because he had just fed over five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. In the very next scene, the disciples are presented in a boat, caught in the midst of a storm. The evangelist John presents the inner turmoil of the disciples. They were totally disturbed because, they understood the proposal of Jesus – Jesus invited them to follow the example of the little boy who dared to share his bread. He did not keep it for himself. He did not ask the people to pay for it. He gave up all he had to satisfy the hunger of the multitude – the hunger of the world. Now it is the turn of the disciples and their hearts are troubled because accepting this proposal is difficult. Therefore, the reference to the turbulent sea is the agitation of the Christian community. The Word of God calls for a conversion, a radical change in life’s choices. This is the fear that every believer experiences when we do not see Jesus by our side. We do not feel him near us, and we are agitated. But, once we welcome him in to our boat, into our hearts, the waves are calm. And at this point begins today’s gospel passage. The passage was written for us; today we need to understand well what Jesus wants to do with our lives. We are the disciples tossed by the waves of the sea today. Jesus wanted to introduce to his disciples and the crowds, the new world – the world of sharing, mutual support, where there is no more hunger. But we are agitated at his proposal; but we are still seeking him, for the wrong reason. Are we looking for God or the loaves and fishes?