SERMON Sunday 3rd August 2008 8am and 10am
Matthew 14:13-21
Well, did it really happen ? The Feeding of the 5000, with only 5 loaves and two fish?
It is one of the most well-known stories about Jesus, and one of the most unbelievable. Stories of Our Lord feeding crowds like this appear a number of times in the gospels. The details change a bit, here and there, but obviously there was an event - or a series of events -- "something happened".....that was remembered fondly by the first Christians. They must have considered it extremely important for it to be recorded so many times.
Did it really happen, as the literal words would suggest ? That's a question that a modern person is entitled to ask.
Now, if you are a fundamentalist, this is not a problem for you. You would just say, "Well it's in the bible. I take everything in the bible absolutely literally. The Bible says Jesus fed 1000's of people with just 5 loaves and 2 fishes. It says it there in black and white. So it must have happened just like that. Full stop. No more questions."
If you are a fundamentalist, I respect you and your opinions. I just wish I could be so certain. I just wish things would be so simple. But I disagree with you. There is so much in the bible which I do not believe is intended to be taken literally. There has to be interpretation.
And so I believe that as we look into this story, as we come at it with our reason, our experience, and our knowledge of other parts of the scriptures -- (not least the Old Testament) -- we find that that gospel passage tells us alot about God, and about human nature, and about God and us, and the possibilities of a change in our nature. Things that we need to hear.
Let me tell you what I believe about this gospel story:
There were crowds of people who were looking for something. looking for someone -- to lead them, to heal them of their infirmities, to give them hope. These people had come into contact with Jesus, and they didn't want to let Him out of their sight. Even when He was wanting to have some time for Himself, and had sailed across the lake to a deserted spot, these crowds followed Him, walking around the lake to where He had gone to. His primary motivation towards them was His compassion -- they were lost souls, they were in need of a shepherd. Yes, it is in the nature of God to be compassionate -- but it is also in the nature of God to want to teach that compassionate attitude to us, to His people, so that we can then be better equipped to be His agents, His instruments, in the world.
The hour was getting late. There appeared to be not enough food. When the disciples came to Jesus and pointed this out to Him, He put them on the spot and asked them exactly how much food they actually had with them. "Nothing but 5 loaves and two fish". Notice that in the disciples' response there was a negativity, a feeling of despair and hopelessness. "We have nothing here but......"
Our Lord then took that "nothing here but..." and used the occasion to teach something important about God: namely that God can make much out of a small amount.
I believe that "what actually happened" was that the disciples were encouraged by Our Lord to share what they had -- the seemingly small amount of food -- and that as they did that, the disciples changed their negative feelings into positive, hopeful, ones -- and that as Jesus pointed out this "change of attitude" to the crowds, so the crowds then shared what they had, with each other. It is not inconceivable that some of the thousands had some food with them, and that the example of Jesus and the disciples demonstrated that selfishness could be overcome, that God's compassion could come into peoples' lives and that one member of the crowd who had some food would now feel compassion towards the one who didn't have any food, and that therefore sharing would take place.
You could say that the "miracle" here was the birth of compassionate love in grudging hearts. The "miracle" of changed men and women who now had something more of Christ's attitude within them to banish any selfishness; the crowds being prompted to share what little they had.
But to take this matter further: as with all the miracles in the scriptures, we should not just regard them as things which "happened" (in some way or another), but, more importantly, we should regard them as things which happen, even today, if we have eyes to see.
There are a number of contemporary messages which I believe come from this gospel passage:
1) that God would not wish for anyone in the world to perish from hunger, and there are enough resources in the world to feed the world's hungry, if only we can be cured from our selfishness, our hoarding, our lack of compassion for the other person, and can distribute the food that is there. This is a lesson which we, particularly in the wealthy countries, need to hear.
This story tells us that as Christ shares His attitudes with us, it is "as if" He is "feeding us with His own nature, His own personality, His own person". Many people would see parallels between the "miracle of the loaves and fishes" and the Eucharist, where we receive Christ in that special sacramental way.
The "miracle" can happen even today, as people's attitudes and behaviour are changed into those of Jesus Christ.
2) then, secondly, that maybe we don't need to eat as much as we do. If it were thea case that people shared what little they had, that day, in that deserted place, they probably didn't really get much to eat at all, but nevertheless "were filled". They had sufficient. It is another lesson which we, in the prosperous countries, always need to hear. "How much is enough?"
3) and thirdly, that God's gifts should not be wasted. The story tells us that "all ate and were filled" and there was quite a bit left over, 12 baskets-full, in fact. If God gives us something, it's there for a purpose, it's not there to be wasted. Again, our society needs to hear that, in this age of packaging, and where so much food is being thrown out because of its "used-by" date. And this "wastage" issue refers not just to God's material gifts, but His spiritual gifts as well. The theologians see significance in the fact that the story has "12" baskets-full left over. Twelve was the number of the complete tribes of Israel. The "spiritual" gifts of God are to be distributed to people beyond just one location.
4) and then finally, another contemporary message, which generalises the whole story: namely that God can work with what appears to be small and insignificant resources. Whenever we put into Jesus' hands what little we have, it becomes enough and more than enough. And that's a miracle that we should believe, and see demonstrated, in every aspect of our personal and church life.