When that big day comes … when all is said and done … when we die … we pray that we will enter the pearly gates for eternal rest and peace with our Lord.
Well …
As long as there is beer.
And candy.
Fast cars, giant TV screens, unlimited massage.
Oh … and every puppy I’ve ever owned.
Jesus our Lord? He has become a bit of an afterthought, eh?
Yes, yes, hi there Jesus, glad to finally meet you. Where’s the beer?
Sound silly?
Today’s Gospel from John paints just such a scenario as the crowds who had been fed fishes and loaves – witnesses to a miracle and a good meal – searched for Jesus, their new “king.” But Jesus knew they were not searching for a true king, but a “bread king” who would fill their bellies, rather than their hearts.
You can’t blame them. They were hungry.
Just like you can’t blame us … we really do want to see our puppies in heaven.
But Jesus pulled no punches with this crowd at Capernaum. He tells them, “Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.”
In other words, as we work out our salvation, do not search for ways to feed our hunger for things that perish – including all the things we think we need. But, rather, “believe in the one He sent” the One who tells us that our Lord will be all that we need in paradise.
We won’t need our puppies … we will have God in our presence.
Think about what that will feel like.
Sure, we all enjoy good food, good drink, the thrills of life. But God has planted in our hearts feelings that go much deeper than the satisfaction of our physical wants.
Think of how it felt when you first fell in love … when you held your baby for the first time … when you saw your first sunset on a lake or the ocean.
Glimpses of God’s glory on earth.
Now imagine that feeling multiplied many times … until your cup runneth over.
Better yet, don’t imagine it at all. We are human and we simply don’t have the capacity to envision the glory of heaven, hard as we may try.
Instead, seek out those glimpses of God’s glory … through prayer, meditation, long walks in the woods.
Whatever it takes to overcome the physical things our body tells us we want.
Mind over matter.
Love over stuff.
Jesus over cold beer and puppies.
