Rejoice To Be Fed Up John 6 1 15
March 15, 2026
Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
Laetare, The Fourth Sunday In Lent 15-March-2026 Sermon Text: John 6:1-15 Sermon Theme: “Rejoice to Be Fed Up!” I. Jesus Feasts You On His Word! (Vs.1-4) II. Jesus Plans For Your Welfare! (Vs.5-9) III. Jesus Fills Us With Good Things! (Vs.10-11) IV. Jesus Alone Will Win Our Salvation! (Vs.12-15) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
Episode Notes
Laetare, The Fourth Sunday In Lent 15-March-2026
Sermon Text: John 6:1-15
Sermon Theme: “Rejoice to Be Fed Up!” I. Jesus Feasts You On His Word! (Vs.1-4) II. Jesus Plans For Your Welfare! (Vs.5-9) III. Jesus Fills Us With Good Things! (Vs.10-11) IV. Jesus Alone Will Win Our Salvation! (Vs.12-15) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
I.N.R.I. Exo 16:2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, A month of liberty was too much for the children of Israel. They are fed up, so they grumble. Their faulty memory remembers slavery as the good old days. Sitting by meat pots and eating bread to the full. Now they are fed up with hunger. Moses and Aaron only led them away from comfortable slavery to starve to death in the wilderness.
Twenty-five days into our Lenten journey - do you feel the same? Why did I decide to lay aside sugar? Screens? Alcohol? All things are created by God and are sanctified by prayer. I long for the good old days of eating cupcakes, scrolling through social media, while sipping on my ice cold adult beverage. Lenten disciplines, fasting, isn’t to earn brownie points with our merciful Lord. They are fine outward training, as we confess in the Small Catechism. They show us the weakness of our flesh. We struggle to lay aside the good gifts from God to prepare to fight against our old sinful adam’s weapons of pride, covetousness, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, drunkenness, anger, wrath, and sloth or acedia. We are fed up with saying no to our desires of our eyes, our stomach, and our perverse will. Lenten discipline is only leading me out into the wilderness to kill me with hunger and thirst.
History records that Jesus went up on a mount, His disciples followed to listen. He sat down and began to preach to them, to you, to me...Mat 5:3-6 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. (5) Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Turn away from your stomach god - be fed up with Jesus’ blessings of poverty, grief, meekness, hunger and thirst.
Repent of trying to force Jesus to be your Bread King to fill your stomach god. Learn the discipline to be glad every Sunday to come into the House of the Lord, the true Jerusalem from above - here at Emmanuel. Repent of walking by sight. Come to church every Sunday to be fed up! In fact: “Rejoice to Be Fed Up!” I. Jesus Feasts You On His Word! (Vs.1-4) II. Jesus Plans For Your Welfare! (Vs.5-9) III. Jesus Fills Us With Good Things! (Vs.10-11) IV. Jesus Alone Wins Your Salvation! (Vs.12-15)
I. Have you ever been fed up with the preacher that the Holy Spirit sent you? His sermons are too harsh. He preaches against popular socially acceptable sins. He doesn’t know when to be quiet. He says the same thing over and over again. He calls good people the spawn of Satan. He even preaches against the authority in the land. He dares to call them out for their sins. We are fed up with his preaching. We are fed up with the clothes he wears and the food he eats. We are fed up with the company that he keeps - they are the dregs of society - tax collectors, soldiers, sinners.
Fed up with your preacher? King Herod was, so he has John the baptizing preacher arrested and thrown in a dungeon. Still he preaches calling the King to repent of stealing his own brother Philip’s wife - Herodias and illicitly marrying her. Herodias is fed up with this preacher. When her daughter dances and her drunken husband swears and oath - she stops his preaching. John is beheaded. That will stop that nagging preaching of repentance and belief in the gospel.
Or will it?(vs. 1-2) One preacher beheaded, but 12 are sent out by Jesus to preach the same message. King Herod hearing the news of the preacher - Jesus of Nazareth - fears that the preacher John whom he beheaded has been raised from the dead. You may kill the preacher, but the Word of our God endures forever.
History records that Jesus receiving news about John’s execution after the joyful return of the 70 - now takes them away to rest in His Word and prayer. He crosses the Sea of Tiberias named in honor of Tiberias Caesar by the Roman conquerors. A large crowd follows Jesus for entertainment to see more signs done on the sick. They come to church not to listen to His sermon, but to see the sights.
Jesus ascends the pulpit. (Vs.3) St. Mark records, Mar 6:34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. St. Matthew adds that Jesus moved with compassion healed their sick. The Preacher’s sermon will last the entire day. Rejoice to be fed up as here within this Christian Church - Jesus still feasts you on His Word. Sending forth His 72 preachers He promises, Luk 10:16 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."
It is spring of the year, late March or April (vs.4) In another year, our Lord Jesus will fulfill the Passover in His own flesh at Jerusalem. He is the Passover Lamb of God - He alone takes away the sins of the world with His holy precious blood and His innocent flesh sacrificed FOR YOU into suffering and death. After His death for your sins and His resurrection for your justification. He still wants you to be fed up with His preaching! He sends forth the men He has called and ordained saying, Mar 16:15-16 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (16) He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Repent of your sloth god, tempting you to sleep in on Sunday, or to listen to a sermon like any other entertainment. Rejoice that every Sunday Jesus feasts you here on His Word. Be like the Christians at Thessalonika - as preacher Paul rejoiced, 1Th 2:13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.II. “If you are the son of God, command these stones to become bread.” The fallen angel Satan tempted hungry Jesus after fasting for forty days. The devil plays the desires of our eyes, the feelings of our flesh, the calculations of our minds to doubt God’s care for our physical welfare. Driven by covetousness and greed our old adam is fed up with never having enough. We want to live by bread alone, bank accounts that are full, bills that are paid off, so we can proudly proclaim, “Debt free!”
Satan has used the same play book since he hoodwinked our first parents to turn their eyes from God’s loving care for them in Eden to do it themselves. Eating of evil plunged us all into sin, death, and captivity in spiritual darkness and devilish lies.
Repent! Rejoice to be fed up with Jesus’ care for your body. (Vs.5-6) Matthew, Mark, and Luke all report that first Jesus preached and healed. Then He feds the sheepish crowd of 5,000. John adds this fact - before our Lord preached - lifting up His eyes - He is concerned about their bodily welfare. He puts the question to Philip. Then our Lord ascends the pulpit preaching all day and healing the sick.
Now comes evening. The disciples solution: “Send them away! Let them go to the surrounding villages and buy food and lodging for themselves. Jesus asks, ‘How much do you have?” (Vs.7) Checking with Judas the treasurer, all they have is 200 days wages in their money bag - not enough - even if a Cosco was nearby to buy a little morsel of bread for each. As for their own supplies of food - (vs.8-9) Andrew reports they had five loaves and two small fish they could purchase from a lad. But that would be useless. No one can care for a hungry mob in the wilderness as night is falling.
Repent! Be fed up with your budgets, be fed up with your planning, your calculations. Learn from Jesus to pray morning, noon, and night to your Father in heaven, “Give us this day our daily bread!” Jesus plans for your welfare - turn from your covetousness and cling to His cross. Rom 8:31-32 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (32) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
III. Lift up your eyes with David to Mount Zion - the Jerusalem above - of the Promise - of King Jesus! Praise Him! Psa 145:14-18 The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down. (15) The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season. (16) You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. (17) The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works. (18) The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.”
Behold the nail scared living hand of our King! (Vs10-11) Taking the meager supplies of the church - five barley loaves and two small dried fish. Jesus looks up to heaven, blesses, breaks, and gives them to the disciples to distribute to the well ordered crowd. The synoptic gospels tell us that Jesus had them lay down in orderly groups of 50 or 100. They recline in the green grass to eat. Perhaps King David’s song echos in their minds, Psa 23:1-2 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (2) He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
Rejoice! Our God fills us with His good gifts! All that we have, our body, life, breath, sight, senses, ability to think - all these are His daily and generous gifts. He gives, not because we earn it, but because He is good - His mercy never ends.
He blesses our vocations that through them He may provide us our daily bread. More - He uses your hands as His masks to care for and provide for your neighbor. Charity is our privilege to serve Jesus hidden in the hungry, sick, poor, mourning, and prisoners.
Jesus’ gifts fills the 5,000. They are satisfied at His table. Learn from Him that you cannot out give God. His gifts flow through you to others. Be fed up with your greed - repent and rejoice in His superabundant gifts that free you to be your brother’s brother!
IV. King Jesus will not have His gifts wasted. (Vs.12-13) The disciples who gave away their meager supper - now each have a basket full of food to sustain them and allow their care for others.
Jesus will have nothing lost. After His Word is preached and His gifts given - He calls us to gather up the fragments. Seek the lost, the straying, those who no longer are glad to come into the house of the Lord. Invite your family, friends, enemies, and neighbors to rejoice with Jerusalem. To be glad with her - to be fed by the Church through Word preached and Sacraments given - to receive Jesus as King.
The crowds wanted a king (vs.14-15). Jesus is truly the Prophet - promised by Moses. They want to force Him to go to Jerusalem this Passover and be their king. Overthrow the Romans - set them up an earthly kingdom of free bread and health care. They want to set Jesus up as a King who doesn’t rule in their hearts, but only lets them do what they want - to continue in their sin. Isn’t that how many of us want to enthrone Jesus. We go through the motions, warm pews, come to His table - but we want a playdough Jesus that we can mold into our image.
Repent! Jesus goes up alone to the mountain. He alone bears your sin! He alone suffers your hell! He alone wins salvation FOR YOU! Repent! Daily die to self - daily rise to live new life in King Jesus! It is the birthright of baptism. It is given and shed for you at His table - be fed up with Jesus. Eat His flesh and drink His blood under bread and wine - for God the Father has drawn you here to hear His Word.
Then when your flesh, Satan, the world ask you do you also want to leave Jesus - stay away from Church - to grumble - you can answer with Peter, Joh 6:68-69 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (69) Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." For you are sons of the Promise, as Isaac was.... Amen.
Sermon Text: John 6:1-15
Sermon Theme: “Rejoice to Be Fed Up!” I. Jesus Feasts You On His Word! (Vs.1-4) II. Jesus Plans For Your Welfare! (Vs.5-9) III. Jesus Fills Us With Good Things! (Vs.10-11) IV. Jesus Alone Will Win Our Salvation! (Vs.12-15) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert
I.N.R.I. Exo 16:2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, A month of liberty was too much for the children of Israel. They are fed up, so they grumble. Their faulty memory remembers slavery as the good old days. Sitting by meat pots and eating bread to the full. Now they are fed up with hunger. Moses and Aaron only led them away from comfortable slavery to starve to death in the wilderness.
Twenty-five days into our Lenten journey - do you feel the same? Why did I decide to lay aside sugar? Screens? Alcohol? All things are created by God and are sanctified by prayer. I long for the good old days of eating cupcakes, scrolling through social media, while sipping on my ice cold adult beverage. Lenten disciplines, fasting, isn’t to earn brownie points with our merciful Lord. They are fine outward training, as we confess in the Small Catechism. They show us the weakness of our flesh. We struggle to lay aside the good gifts from God to prepare to fight against our old sinful adam’s weapons of pride, covetousness, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, drunkenness, anger, wrath, and sloth or acedia. We are fed up with saying no to our desires of our eyes, our stomach, and our perverse will. Lenten discipline is only leading me out into the wilderness to kill me with hunger and thirst.
History records that Jesus went up on a mount, His disciples followed to listen. He sat down and began to preach to them, to you, to me...Mat 5:3-6 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. (5) Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Turn away from your stomach god - be fed up with Jesus’ blessings of poverty, grief, meekness, hunger and thirst.
Repent of trying to force Jesus to be your Bread King to fill your stomach god. Learn the discipline to be glad every Sunday to come into the House of the Lord, the true Jerusalem from above - here at Emmanuel. Repent of walking by sight. Come to church every Sunday to be fed up! In fact: “Rejoice to Be Fed Up!” I. Jesus Feasts You On His Word! (Vs.1-4) II. Jesus Plans For Your Welfare! (Vs.5-9) III. Jesus Fills Us With Good Things! (Vs.10-11) IV. Jesus Alone Wins Your Salvation! (Vs.12-15)
I. Have you ever been fed up with the preacher that the Holy Spirit sent you? His sermons are too harsh. He preaches against popular socially acceptable sins. He doesn’t know when to be quiet. He says the same thing over and over again. He calls good people the spawn of Satan. He even preaches against the authority in the land. He dares to call them out for their sins. We are fed up with his preaching. We are fed up with the clothes he wears and the food he eats. We are fed up with the company that he keeps - they are the dregs of society - tax collectors, soldiers, sinners.
Fed up with your preacher? King Herod was, so he has John the baptizing preacher arrested and thrown in a dungeon. Still he preaches calling the King to repent of stealing his own brother Philip’s wife - Herodias and illicitly marrying her. Herodias is fed up with this preacher. When her daughter dances and her drunken husband swears and oath - she stops his preaching. John is beheaded. That will stop that nagging preaching of repentance and belief in the gospel.
Or will it?(vs. 1-2) One preacher beheaded, but 12 are sent out by Jesus to preach the same message. King Herod hearing the news of the preacher - Jesus of Nazareth - fears that the preacher John whom he beheaded has been raised from the dead. You may kill the preacher, but the Word of our God endures forever.
History records that Jesus receiving news about John’s execution after the joyful return of the 70 - now takes them away to rest in His Word and prayer. He crosses the Sea of Tiberias named in honor of Tiberias Caesar by the Roman conquerors. A large crowd follows Jesus for entertainment to see more signs done on the sick. They come to church not to listen to His sermon, but to see the sights.
Jesus ascends the pulpit. (Vs.3) St. Mark records, Mar 6:34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. St. Matthew adds that Jesus moved with compassion healed their sick. The Preacher’s sermon will last the entire day. Rejoice to be fed up as here within this Christian Church - Jesus still feasts you on His Word. Sending forth His 72 preachers He promises, Luk 10:16 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."
It is spring of the year, late March or April (vs.4) In another year, our Lord Jesus will fulfill the Passover in His own flesh at Jerusalem. He is the Passover Lamb of God - He alone takes away the sins of the world with His holy precious blood and His innocent flesh sacrificed FOR YOU into suffering and death. After His death for your sins and His resurrection for your justification. He still wants you to be fed up with His preaching! He sends forth the men He has called and ordained saying, Mar 16:15-16 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (16) He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Repent of your sloth god, tempting you to sleep in on Sunday, or to listen to a sermon like any other entertainment. Rejoice that every Sunday Jesus feasts you here on His Word. Be like the Christians at Thessalonika - as preacher Paul rejoiced, 1Th 2:13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.II. “If you are the son of God, command these stones to become bread.” The fallen angel Satan tempted hungry Jesus after fasting for forty days. The devil plays the desires of our eyes, the feelings of our flesh, the calculations of our minds to doubt God’s care for our physical welfare. Driven by covetousness and greed our old adam is fed up with never having enough. We want to live by bread alone, bank accounts that are full, bills that are paid off, so we can proudly proclaim, “Debt free!”
Satan has used the same play book since he hoodwinked our first parents to turn their eyes from God’s loving care for them in Eden to do it themselves. Eating of evil plunged us all into sin, death, and captivity in spiritual darkness and devilish lies.
Repent! Rejoice to be fed up with Jesus’ care for your body. (Vs.5-6) Matthew, Mark, and Luke all report that first Jesus preached and healed. Then He feds the sheepish crowd of 5,000. John adds this fact - before our Lord preached - lifting up His eyes - He is concerned about their bodily welfare. He puts the question to Philip. Then our Lord ascends the pulpit preaching all day and healing the sick.
Now comes evening. The disciples solution: “Send them away! Let them go to the surrounding villages and buy food and lodging for themselves. Jesus asks, ‘How much do you have?” (Vs.7) Checking with Judas the treasurer, all they have is 200 days wages in their money bag - not enough - even if a Cosco was nearby to buy a little morsel of bread for each. As for their own supplies of food - (vs.8-9) Andrew reports they had five loaves and two small fish they could purchase from a lad. But that would be useless. No one can care for a hungry mob in the wilderness as night is falling.
Repent! Be fed up with your budgets, be fed up with your planning, your calculations. Learn from Jesus to pray morning, noon, and night to your Father in heaven, “Give us this day our daily bread!” Jesus plans for your welfare - turn from your covetousness and cling to His cross. Rom 8:31-32 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (32) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
III. Lift up your eyes with David to Mount Zion - the Jerusalem above - of the Promise - of King Jesus! Praise Him! Psa 145:14-18 The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down. (15) The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season. (16) You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. (17) The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works. (18) The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.”
Behold the nail scared living hand of our King! (Vs10-11) Taking the meager supplies of the church - five barley loaves and two small dried fish. Jesus looks up to heaven, blesses, breaks, and gives them to the disciples to distribute to the well ordered crowd. The synoptic gospels tell us that Jesus had them lay down in orderly groups of 50 or 100. They recline in the green grass to eat. Perhaps King David’s song echos in their minds, Psa 23:1-2 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (2) He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
Rejoice! Our God fills us with His good gifts! All that we have, our body, life, breath, sight, senses, ability to think - all these are His daily and generous gifts. He gives, not because we earn it, but because He is good - His mercy never ends.
He blesses our vocations that through them He may provide us our daily bread. More - He uses your hands as His masks to care for and provide for your neighbor. Charity is our privilege to serve Jesus hidden in the hungry, sick, poor, mourning, and prisoners.
Jesus’ gifts fills the 5,000. They are satisfied at His table. Learn from Him that you cannot out give God. His gifts flow through you to others. Be fed up with your greed - repent and rejoice in His superabundant gifts that free you to be your brother’s brother!
IV. King Jesus will not have His gifts wasted. (Vs.12-13) The disciples who gave away their meager supper - now each have a basket full of food to sustain them and allow their care for others.
Jesus will have nothing lost. After His Word is preached and His gifts given - He calls us to gather up the fragments. Seek the lost, the straying, those who no longer are glad to come into the house of the Lord. Invite your family, friends, enemies, and neighbors to rejoice with Jerusalem. To be glad with her - to be fed by the Church through Word preached and Sacraments given - to receive Jesus as King.
The crowds wanted a king (vs.14-15). Jesus is truly the Prophet - promised by Moses. They want to force Him to go to Jerusalem this Passover and be their king. Overthrow the Romans - set them up an earthly kingdom of free bread and health care. They want to set Jesus up as a King who doesn’t rule in their hearts, but only lets them do what they want - to continue in their sin. Isn’t that how many of us want to enthrone Jesus. We go through the motions, warm pews, come to His table - but we want a playdough Jesus that we can mold into our image.
Repent! Jesus goes up alone to the mountain. He alone bears your sin! He alone suffers your hell! He alone wins salvation FOR YOU! Repent! Daily die to self - daily rise to live new life in King Jesus! It is the birthright of baptism. It is given and shed for you at His table - be fed up with Jesus. Eat His flesh and drink His blood under bread and wine - for God the Father has drawn you here to hear His Word.
Then when your flesh, Satan, the world ask you do you also want to leave Jesus - stay away from Church - to grumble - you can answer with Peter, Joh 6:68-69 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (69) Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." For you are sons of the Promise, as Isaac was.... Amen.
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