Being Fed: Giving What is Needed...
Notes
Transcript
Gracious and Loving God, when we need, we look to you. But God, when we don’t need, we rely upon ourselves. Help us to see that our neediness is not a prerequisite to what you give. Grant that we might have ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart willing to move our feet so that we do more than we receive, Amen.
Rich Tatum of Muskegon, Michigan wrote a story about he and his wife…it goes something like this…My wife and I recently went on vacation and took along a camera. Upon our return, my wife began proudly showing off our latest set of vacation photos; she’d then tell me her coworkers’ reactions. After a few days of this, I noticed a recurring theme. Invariably, people would say, “Wow, your husband must have a really nice camera!” Even though people liked my photos, I was disappointed. I wanted them to acknowledge what a good photographer I am, not what a good camera I have. I ranted to my wife: “Why do people do this? Nobody looks at a painting and says, ‘Nice brushes!’ Nobody looks at a skyscraper and says, ‘Nice drafting table!’ Nobody looks at a sculpture and says, ‘Nice chisel!’ What’s wrong with these people?” It felt good to get that off my chest. Until my wife reminded me, “So, how often do you look at creation and say, ‘Nice work, God’?” —Rich Tatum, Muskegon, Michigan Larson, Craig Brian, and Phyllis Ten Elshof. 1001 Illustrations That Connect. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2008. Print.
Nice work God, nice work…I wonder how often we all look to what we have done and ask for credit but forget to give credit where credit is truly due…to the one who gave us everything, including the one who gave his life for ours...
God provides for the needs of all creation
God provides for the needs of all creation
As I was preparing myself for this time of reflection this morning, there were a couple of things that struck me about this passage from Matthew…first and foremost, it is one of the most well known stories in the Bible about Jesus, this and the first miracle he performed are stories, no matter how often we hear them, that typically get a lot of attention. The Gospel writers are no different because this story of the feeding of the 5,000 or the miracle of the loaves and fish is the only miracle that Jesus performed to appear in all four Gospel narratives. What that means is that of all the things that Jesus did in his time here on Earth, the Gospel writers, all four of them, felt that this was the most important event to digest.
This also means that in the nearly four years we have been together, we should have studied it at least four times. Yet, when I went back through my files, I could not find a single reference to this passage or any of the other narratives at all…what this also means is that we have never had an opportunity to reflect together on one of the most important stories from the Gospels. Now, I am going to rectify that this morning but I also want you to hear something really important from the very beginning…this is not a story only about a miracle but rather the lesson of action. Hear me again on this…this story is not only about God’s ability to do great things and perform miracles but also about a call to action. So let’s break down this story a bit...
The Story and meaning for us today...
The Story and meaning for us today...
I am fairly certain that most of us know what the miracle of this story is…the feeding of so many with so little. But, I want to briefly retell the story in my own words so that we might gain a little more than just what Jesus did in that moment that was so special…here’s the story...Jesus has just learned that his cousin John was beheaded by King Herod. In his grief, Jesus desires nothing more that to disappear for a while. We need to keep in mind that what Jesus has been doing to this point has attracted a lot of people to follow him. In this story, we are told that there are at least 5,000 men who have gathered around him. This number does not include the women and children either, this is just the number of men. With that being said, some scholars have estimated that there could be as many as 20,000 people surrounding Jesus. I don’t know about you, but if I had just learned that someone I was close to had just died and I was surrounded by that many people, I too might be seeking some solitude.
Let’s stop for a moment to consider this…this is the second or third time over the last few weeks that we have heard that Jesus desired to be alone. It is not all that surprising but it is still surprising that he truly tries to get away in this moment. What this tells us is that it is important for us to be alone at times. It is important for us to refresh ourselves in ways that bring us peace. For Jesus in this moment, it was getting into a boat to get away from the hustle and bustle of those around him that had no idea what he was going through emotionally or physically in that moment.
However, as he tries to escape all the noise and spend some time alone, those who have been following him continue to do so. I want you to take notice of something important in this story at this point...
Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Jesus saw the needs of those around him as greater than those of his own needs. He had compassion for those who had gathered and he did things for them, even though he was probably very emotionally drained at this point. Now, I know in our society, there are very few people who put the needs of others ahead of their own. It is hard. We are constantly bombarded with messages of “You need this” or “You deserve this”…we are also bombarded by people who have authority or perceived authority who take advantage of their roles to get ahead. We live in a world in which we are told to look out for number one, meaning our own personal selves. But that is not what Jesus does here…look at this next piece...
That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”
Matthew tells us that they are outside the city and nowhere near anyone’s home. They are in a place where food and shelter are not. So, here we hear the disciples trying to get rid of the people who had gathered. They are trying to care for them by making sure that they can get food and shelter before night falls. I can also imagine that those disciples are exhausted. A few of them had been John’s disciples before they followed Jesus and so they are probably grieving the loss of John as well. They are probably spending the bulk of their waking hours trying to keep people from getting too close to Jesus. They are probably stressing out about who would be the next person killed. They had legitimate concerns about theirs and Jesus’ safety. I can imagine that at the hour this was taking place, they too might have been looking for some solace for the evening. Here’s the thing, Jesus does not tell them to send anyone away but rather responds like this...
But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”
And, here is the call to action that I want you to take notice to in this passage…the disciples wanted to send the people away but Jesus tells the disciples, basically, “Oh no you don’t! You don’t have to send them away, you give them something to eat!” Wait, what? What do you mean feed them ourselves, we don’t have enough food. Yet, a young boy steps forward and says, I have some food that we can share. So Jesus takes it, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it all away. Notice that we are not told that he held back one loaf for him and the disciples or a part of a fish. Nope, he takes all five loaves and both fish and gives them away. I wonder, when was the last time any of us, myself included, gave away our last scrap/piece of food because we cared more about another’s need over our own?
Listen gang, I know that is hard to hear but to be honest, that is what this story teaches us and I have to be honest and say, I am a selfish person. I like to eat, obviously. I like to have the things I have and keep it all safe and sound in my little world. But that is not what this story teaches us, not even close. Jesus takes what God provided through that young boy, multiplies it, and then gives it all away, trusting the whole time that what they have will be enough for everyone…yes, this is a miracle story about how God provides what is needed when it is needed. So, what does that tell you? Does that speak into your hearts about what we too should be doing in this time and this society?!?! I mean, think about it for a moment...after Jesus gave thanks and fed (both of which are action verbs here)...
They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.
There was more than what they needed…we like to keep our stuff and we like to think that others will do the helping but what I think is really important for us right now it this...Jesus does not call the disciples to sit down like the rest of the crowd, he tells them to feed the people who are hungry. He tells us as disciples to do the same. In a story in which we typically focus on the miracle, it is not really the miracle that is important. It is a challenge to do something in this world that makes a difference in the lives of others. So, I want to challenge us this morning as we consume this bread and this juice to begin thinking differently about who we are and what we are called to be in this world…where is Jesus telling us to share ourselves and what we have with others…think about that for a while....Amen.