Matthew 14 13-21 2008
Pentecost 12, Matthew 14:13-21, August 3, 2008
“When Your Best Just Isn’t Good Enough”
Introduction: I had almost no money. I had no home. I was living out of my car with a ¼ of a tank of gas left. And I was hungry. I went to the nearest food store. There, I carefully selected the cheapest loaf of bread…27 cents. I went to the check out where the clerk rang up my purchase. With tax the number that came up was 32 cents. I only had 31, one penny short. Well, I walked out of the store, left the bread behind, and took my hunger with me. 1 penny, that’s all I needed. 1 penny short, all I had wasn’t good enough. To this day, I remember that loaf of bread and I remember that penny. And I don’t know about you, but when I see a penny laying on the ground I still pick it up. Some people say that pennies aren’t real money any more. They are when you are short one penny and that’s what stands between you and a loaf of bread.
We have all come up short at one time or another. Haven’t we? Oh, it doesn’t have to be about money does it? We have all had times when all we had wasn’t enough, when our best wasn’t just good enough. We have all had times when we have come to the end of our ropes, where it seems that no matter what we do, we just ain’t got enough to see us through. We have all come to points in our lives where we thought that we were just going to break. You know, when we have used our last nerve and there are no nerves left.
We all feel it. Maybe not all the time, but enough times. The feeling comes to us like a wave that crashes onto the shore. Teenager know the feeling. There is always the constant pressure to measure up, be part of the crowd, be cool… or just to be liked for who we really are. But then there is always that nagging feeling that we aren’t accepted anyway, not appreciated for who we are. Parents feel it. Our children are giving us trouble and we don’t know what to do. We lay awake drowning in sleepless nights as we struggle in relationships, in marriage and in family life. We walk through life short of breath, wondering how we are going to make things work. We suffer under the weight of physical and emotional ills. Sometimes we just don’t know how we will make it through another day. These are the times when we feel, and not just feel, but know, that we are coming up short, times when all we have is just not good enough.
Most of the time we suffer alone, this is normal. We keep things to ourselves and with foolish pride we just try to bear it out. I think that it was foolish pride, or maybe just stupid innocence that kept me from asking somebody for a penny for that loaf of bread. But I sure know the result. I went away hungry.
This brings us to today’s gospel lesson. It is a very familiar text. It is the story of the feeding of the 5 thousand. This is the only miracle, besides the resurrection, recorded in all four gospels. It was the spring time of the year just prior to the Jewish Passover and a year before Jesus was crucified. Jesus had just spent a considerable amount of time teaching the people. His disciples had just come back from a mission trip. (Pause) Jesus, then hears the news that His cousin John the Baptists has been killed, beheaded by King Herod. Jesus then decided to take some private time in the desolate area near Bethsaida located on the eastern shore of the Jordan River and north of the Sea of Galilee. However, He wouldn’t get His time alone, the crowds followed him. They came from the surrounding towns, walking as much as eight miles. They followed Jesus Christ into what is described as a deserted barren land. They came with their sick. They came carrying the weight of all there needs and cares on their shoulders. They came hungering for peace of mind and spirit. They were hungry and they were coming up short in life. Why else would a human being follow a man in to a desert? These people had heard about Jesus and know they came to hear Him for themselves. They were wondering - “is this the Messiah”? Is this the one that can and will save us from the madness of the world.
They didn’t know it yet, but it was true. He was the one. He came for them. It was for these people that he came into the world. He came for the hungry, the lost, the oppressed, the sick and dying. He came for those at the end of their rope, on their last nerve, those coming up short in so many ways. He knew what their needs were, just as He knows what our needs are now. He didn’t just come for them. He came for you!
The Bible says, “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate 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 on them…” I love these words, He had compassion on them.” Jesus had compassion on them.
I don’t know how you picture God. Some people see Him as a benevolent Father. Some people think of Him as a God of judgment, checking off His list of no no’s as humans fail in their every day lives to do what pleases Him. Some people see God as unapproachable, like the great and powerful OZ, and tremble at His majesty and might. Some people just see God as being out there, but not involved very much in the lives of people. Here in this text, I see my God. I see Your God. I see our God that is intimately involved in human lives, whether we believe in Him or not. He is compassionate. I don’t know about you, but I cannot carry the weight of God’s judgment or wrath, I am tired and beaten down. I do not want to face a great and powerful Oz like God. What I desperately want what I desperately need is what Jesus gives me, gives you…His compassion. And not only that but His desire and ability to take care of all of our needs. That is what Jesus Christ does!
Our text continues, “Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." But Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Bring them here to me! We know what He did with them. He fed the five thousand.
It is true, as we look at the big picture, that the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand is a reminder, a pointer, a marker that we all need to take notice of. With it we see that Jesus is more than a man. He is the Messiah. He is the Savior. He is God in human flesh. We see that He is able to, and does control all things and is able to meet the needs of all creation just as He met the needs of the five thousand.
He is the one that fulfills the words of Isaiah, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live;… 6 "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
In the feeding of the five thousand we see that Jesus is the great provider. Come, everyone who thirsts. Come all you who are hungry. Come all you who seek to be satisfied and filled with every good thing. Come, receive the Lord’s compassion. These are all His to give. But then, He wants us to see how He gives them to us. The feeding of the five thousand is nothing more than a mile marker or a sign that point the way to our final destination. That destination is the cross. For at the cross we see how great Jesus compassion really is.
Life is more than food. Life is more than drink and satisfactions. Real life is lived and breathed in the abundant pardon of God. As Isaiah said, “Return to the LORD, that he may have compassion…, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Pardons are only given to transgressors, and sinners. In the case of human being pardons are of the utmost importance when it comes to even the simple things of life like eating and drinking. How can this be? Let me explain. How much can a person enjoy eating and drinking when the weight of sin sucks them down into the depths of human misery? How much do you think the person on death row really enjoys that celebrated last meal! I simply can’t believe that meal goes down very well. How much better that meal would be, knowing that you can wake up that next day with forgiveness, peace and comfort as you start out a new day.
So our Lord Jesus does the work of our compassionate God. God pardons us as Jesus took our sin upon Himself and carried it to the cross. He bore our death sentence so that by faith in Him we can live in the compassionate embrace of God. In His resurrection we are assured that His sacrifice is acceptable and complete. We are assured that our sins are forgiven, that we have life and eternal salvation. Because of what Jesus did on the cross we can wake up to a new and eternal day…everyday…forever. Now, because of Him, we can really enjoy our next meal, because it will never be our last.
Just as Jesus has met our most basic need, the forgiveness of sins. How much more will can we be assured that He will meet all of our other needs. There were five thousand hungry people. Jesus told His disciples, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." Five loaves of bread and two fish, I guess we could say that they were coming up short…in a big way. They didn’t have enough and there was no way for them to get enough. They mite as well walk away hungry! Then Jesus said these words. They are wonderful words. They are words that we need to remember everyday of our lives. Jesus said, "Bring them here to me." Bring them here to me!
When you are coming up short in life, when you are at the end of your rope. Bring that rope to Jesus. “Bring them here to me.” When you are on your last nerve, bring that lat nerve to Jesus. “Bring them hear to me.” Whatever it is, when life is just not working, when the cupboard is bear, the gas tank is dry, when the ends no longer meet, bring them to Jesus. Why, because Jesus said what… “Bring them to me. When you don’t have enough of whatever you need, remember Jesus said “Bring them to me.”
You see, Jesus Christ is not only the God of our eternal salvation. He is the God of our everyday lives. HE wants us to come to Him everyday and simply say, “Lord, this is all I’ve got, and it isn’t enough. I’ve done my best and my best isn’t good enough. I’m hungry Lord, hungering for your help because I can’t do it anymore without you. Then be assured, that if Jesus loved you enough to die for your sins, He will help you, in some way and some form to make it through another day…One day at a time, one moment to the next. The gospel lesson concludes with these words. “They all ate and were satisfied.” What our Lord Jesus did for those people He can do for you. His satisfaction is guaranteed.
The feeding of the five thousand tells us who Jesus Christ is. Then it points us in the direction of His cross and the forgiveness of sin. Then it also gives us peace knowing that the miracle that happened two thousand years ago is happening right now in our daily lives. The Lord satisfies our souls, and He can even help us with our very last penny. He is the God of our salvation and the God of our everyday lives. O Lord, help us to turn to you when we are running on empty Lord, give us eyes to see the miracles that you do for us right now. Help us to trust in you. Amen!