14 March 2010
Psalm 66, 67; Gen. 48:8-22; Rom. 8:11-25; John 6:27-40

Could Jacob have done anything differently at the last than to bless the youngest son first and in the process give his favorite an additional portion of the inheritance? All his life he had been the youngest but had received what was not due to him by the laws of inheritance. It is surprising that his son didn’t simply smile at his father’s crossing of the hands to bless Ephraim with the right hand. In the story of the family in the book of Genesis the blessing continually goes to the youngest son, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, and now in this generation Joseph over his brothers and Ephraim over Manasseh. We will see that same pattern in the choosing of David and then of Solomon as kings. We must be careful to bless what God blesses rather than following custom or tradition blindly.

Jesus here has just fed 5000 people and they have come back the next day and propose that if He wants them to believe in Him then He needs to do it again. Their proposal is that He do what Moses did in giving their fathers manna, but that didn’t turn out so well, they tired of the manna after a time and rebelled against God’s provision. This conversation is very similar to the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan woman (John 4), speaking of the bread that comes down from heaven and give life to the world and they respond, “Sir, give us this bread always,” just as the woman had asked Him for the water of which He spoke. From there, however, the conversation doesn’t go quite the same. Jesus begins to speak of that bread and uses the words, “I am the bread of life.” Their interest in this bread has now gone down dramatically. What is it that we want Jesus to do to prove Himself to us?

The two images here that Paul uses, the spirit of adoption and all creation groaning in anticipation of the revelation of the sons of God are powerful and moving. Adoption into the family of God from the previous state of spiritual orphans is a theological statement. As John has said in the prologue to his Gospel, Jesus has given us the right to become children of God, implying that until we believe in Him we are not children, simply creatures, even if image bearers. Do we have the spirit of adoption which is gratitude for the love and grace we have received in that transaction? The second image, of creation groaning in anticipation for the revealing of these children of God is the relief of all creation that a new humanity is here. The new humanity will care for the creation in the same way the creator cares for it, we will live into our original mandate, to be stewards of creation for our heavenly Father. Living from the Spirit will change everything for all of creation. John’s vision tells us that this stewardship awaits a new creation, itself liberated from the effects of the fall of mankind, but we are to begin the work now.

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!