August 6, 2017 – Pentecost +8A

“Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.” Matthew 14:13-21

“the point isn’t what Jesus does, but why. Because the character of the God Jesus reveals and represents is captured in a single word, “compassion.” Matthew says that when Jesus saw the great crowd that had followed him he had compassion on them. And so he healed their sick, tended their needs, and shared with them his presence. And then, when evening came and they found themselves without food, he fed them. Notice, before going further in the story, the context of this scene. It begins with the transitional line, “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.” The thing Jesus just heard about was John the Baptist’s murder by King Herod at a feast. The juxtaposition couldn’t be more ironic, or powerful. One moment Matthew invites us to focus on one more episode from the “lifestyles of the rich and shameless” and in the next he fastens our attention on a scene portraying poor, sick, and hungry crowds looking for relief. It’s like switching channels from the Kardashians to a news report on immigrant children stranded at the border. Matthew is indicating by these contrasting scenes just what kind of God Jesus represents. In the first century, you see, gods aren’t normally supposed to care about people like the crowds. The gods of the ancient philosophers, for instance, were considered dispassionate and so were regularly referred to by cozy names like “the Unmoved Mover” or “First Cause.” At the other end of the spectrum, the gods of the Greek and Roman empires were notorious for using humans as playthings and for ordering the world to their whims. At best, gods were supposed to take the side of the rich and powerful, to stand with people like Herod and his well-fed party guests, sanctioning their exploitation of the poor and even the bloody murder of a truth-teller like John. They were definitely not known for siding with the oppressed, the ordinary, the downtrodden, or the hungry.

And yet that’s what happens here, as Jesus renews, embodies, and fulfills the consistent call of the God of Israel to feed the hungry. Make no mistake, that was no minor endeavor, as what we now call “food scarcity” wasn’t only known in the ancient world, it was rampant. And so the disciples’ suggestion that these hordes of people go buy food isn’t just unrealistic – they are, after all, out in a deserted place – it’s ridiculous…and even a little insulting, as the folks making up these desperate crowds probably didn’t have money to buy food in the first place. And so Jesus tells his disciples to get over their callous self-concern and feed them themselves. Which brings us to the second miracle of the story: Jesus uses the disciples, even when they would rather look after themselves, to tend the needs of these thousands of men, women, and children. Using words and actions foreshadowing the Last Supper, Matthew depicts what happens when you move from a worldview of scarcity – “we have nothing here but five loaves and fishes” – to one of abundance – “thank you, God, for these five loaves and fishes.” Whatever their initial skepticism, or doubt, or self-preoccupation, the disciples are caught up in Jesus words of abundance and gratitude and distribute what they have and participate in the wonder and joy that “all ate and were filled.” God used even these reluctant disciples, that is, to care for the poor and hungry that God loves so much. And that miracle continues. (David Lose, davidlose.net, The Real Miracles of the Story, July 28, 2014

Years ago after a particularly devastating earthquake in Alaska, the city of Anchorage was hit hard. Many people wrote to the governor of Alaska demanding he do something. The people wrote about the suffering and their particular needs. The governor went on television to talk about the response he had received. In particular he mentioned a 3 x 5 card he had received from a little boy that had 2 nickels taped to it with this note: “Use this wherever it is needed. If you need more let me know.” Now, 2 nickels in the face of devastation might look like 5 loaves and 2 fish – a meager amount for such a large need – 15,000 hungry people. But my friends, there are plenty of illustrations, both biblical and contemporary where an initial offering which, though at first appearing meager, has led to a true miracle – either in ministry, mission, or bricks and mortar.

Now, some people would look at 2 nickels and sneer and say “What good is that?” But, my friends, my feeling is that God will look at 2 nickels and say “We are blessed today”. My feeling is that the crowd did not know where the 5 loaves and 2 fishes came from. It was dusk when Jesus told the disciples to feed the people. By the time the meal was distributed to most, it would have been dark. They did not know how it happened – they just know they were fed. Jesus took 5 loaves and 2 fishes that were given by someone in the crowd, maybe a small boy, like two nickels to the governor, and Jesus said “We are blessed today” – and he blessed them, and all the people ate. Jesus took what was considered “the meal of the poor” – bread and fish – and he fed everyone a royal meal. Though the crowd did not know it, the disciples knew that they had just been taken on a wild ride of a miracle. Sometimes it only takes two nickels.

Pastor Dave