The Armour of God - the teachings of Jesus

 Readings:  Ephesians 6.10-20 (The Armour of God) & John 6.56-69 (The Words of Eternal Life).

As Bishop John reminded us, last week, today is the last time we will encounter John chapter six, for some time.  Next week, we return to Mark, who will be our guide during most of the time up until Advent.  I hope that over the last few weeks, you’ve gained some insight into John 6 – it’s a crucial chapter, especially in terms of understanding this service, this Holy Communion, or Eucharist – this ‘main event’ of the church’s week.  Rev’d Judy, Bishop John and I have tried to unpack it all for you, over the last three weeks.  I hope you’ve found it useful to hear our complementary perspectives, with our sometimes different emphases.

Today, we hear of how some of Jesus’ own disciples began to grumble about his teaching on eating his flesh and drinking his blood.  As Bishop John reminded us last week, this should not surprise us.  The drinking of blood was expressly forbidden by the Laws of Moses – and although Jesus was obviously speaking metaphorically, the text tells us that ‘when many of his disciples heard it, they said “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?”’ A little later, the text says ‘because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him’.  These were members of the wider company of disciples – not the Twelve.  They were the ones who had witnessed Jesus’ great signs (as John calls them) like turning water into wine, and indeed the feeding of the 5000 men. 

Which, I think, is a cautionary tale to those who believe that performing signs and wonders are the key to recruiting new members to the church.  I’m sure we’ve all seen those promotions for healing crusades, with the promise of great miracles, speaking in tongues and all the rest.  Those who centre their ministry on such things labour under the false impression that if you can wow the crowd with super-natural tricks, and hyped-up emotion, you will bring new people into the Kingdom.  You may indeed bring along thousands of interested people, who are longing for some tangible sense of the Divine.  Healing crusades, as well as ‘holy sites’ like Lourdes, Fatima, and dare I say even lovely Walsingham, have long traded on being places where God might be somehow more tangible than in our own church, or our own front room.

But, as John 6 tells us, a faith that is built on following miracles, or visiting places of historic miracles, is likely to come under severe pressure when reality kicks in.  It is Simon Peter who leads us to the reality of the situation around Jesus, when asks him “Do you also wish to go away?”.  Simon replies “Lord, to whom can we go?  You have the words of eternal life!”

Simon sees what all those wider disciples could not.  He saw that following Jesus was not about following the miracle-worker – but about the hard graft of walking on what Jesus himself calls The Narrow Way to eternal life.  But what about Jesus own signs and wonders?  If his teaching was what really mattered, why all the miracles?  I find it helpful, personally, to think about them as Jesus being ‘unable to help himself’.  He knew that signs and wonders would not be sufficient to build deep and lasting faith into his followers.  That’s precisely why he rejected Satan’s temptations in the desert to turn stones into bread, or to launch himself off the temple roof.  But, although Jesus knew that, he just couldn’t help himself.  When he saw people in need, of food, of healing, even of being raised back to life, the Divine element of his nature just couldn’t resist.  He had to act – because he was driven by compassionate love.   

But it was not his miracles that would save the world.  It was his words, his teachings, his divine Word to the world (as John himself testifies in the introduction to his Gospel).  Simon Peter knew this – Jesus had the words of eternal life.  Peter knew that it was Jesus’ teaching he had to follow – symbolised by bread and wine, representing the blood and body of his Lord.  Feeding on Jesus means feeding on his Divine word. 

St Paul knew this too, as we saw in our first reading.  He knew that in order for the church to thrive, it had to defeat all the attacks on it which would come from the rulers of the world, and from the Great Metaphor of the Devil.  Writing from prison, as what he called ‘an ambassador in chains’ Paul encouraged his followers to focus on the teaching they had received from Jesus.  He dresses his teaching in the wonderful metaphor of the armour of God.  The belt of truth, and the breastplate of righteousness.  The shoes of the gospel, and the shield of faith (which we know, don’t we, means trust in the teachings of Jesus).  Then the helmet of salvation.  But let’s note, all these are pieces of protective armour.  Truth, righteousness, gospel, faith and salvation.  These are all core pieces of armour-plating against the evils of the world. 

But how shall we know what these things are, or what they mean?  How shall we know ‘what is truth’ as Pilate enquired?  How shall we know righteousness, faith and the true meaning of salvation?  Only by reference to the words, the teachings, of Jesus.  And this, we note, is the one piece of offensive weaponry in the armour of God.  Paul completes his metaphor of defensive armour with just one offensive weapon – ‘the sword of the Spirit – which is the word of God’. 

Because of this one chapter, and this one powerful metaphor, St Paul is often depicted holding a sword – indeed, he holds one in the south window of the chancel, here at St Faith’s.  A sword is also part of the Diocese of Portsmouth’s logo – pointing us, again, to the necessity of dwelling on, the living by, the teaching of Jesus. 

Any decent sermon should leave its hearers with a challenge.  So here’s one for us.  Let me ask you to consider how well you know the teachings of Jesus.  Other than hearing a portion of the gospel read in church on Sunday, how often do you, personally, engage with the words of eternal life flowing from his lips.  How often do you drink not just the symbol of his life-giving teaching through wine, but also drink in the life-changing wisdom of his actual words.  Maybe reading isn’t your thing – so then consider an audio-book of the Gospels.  Or check out my YouTube channel and watch my chapter-by-chapter reading of the Gospel of Luke. 

However you do it – please do it.  Soak yourself, day-by-day, in the life-giving words of eternal life of the one we call our Lord.  Amen.