The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost - Sermon Text
Pentecost 10 (Proper 13)
Romans 9:1-5
Matthew 14:13-21
O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.
The feeding of the five thousand is found in all four of the gospels. (Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-14) Because the Holy Spirit allows the authors of the gospels to record their unique observations and memories, we are blessed with additional details that provide a richer, fuller picture of this miraculous event. For example, from the gospel of John we learn that because of what the people are hearing, seeing, and experiencing with Jesus, some are already wondering out loud if Jesus is indeed the prophet of God that Moses spoke of. In Deuteronomy 18:15-18, Moses declared “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers - it is to him you shall listen – just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ And the LORD spoke to me, “They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”
Many prophets followed Moses. The Lord blessed Israel with faithful people who spoke God’s word to them. However, the people interpreted Deuteronomy as referencing the coming Christ. When Martin Luther commented on this Deuteronomy text, he declares that Moses is talking about Jesus Christ. Martin Luther says, “This is the chief passage in this whole book and a clearly expressed prophecy of Christ as the new Teacher.”
Probably, because from time to time, I read about celebrities that feel like they are being constantly watched or criminally stalked and therefore leave home either in some kind of disguise or with a security detail, I could not help but notice that people were paying close attention to where Jesus went. He had just received the sad news of John the Baptist’s death. Matthew reports that “he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.” He just wanted to grieve in private and pray and simply “be” for a while. Because of his teaching, preaching, public disagreements with the Pharisees, and the healings, Jesus has gained significant public attention. People are watching him. They followed his boat with their eyes and took the long way around to be with Jesus.
Now, we believe that Jesus is fully God AND fully human simultaneously. The two natures of Christ reside within the one person of Jesus of Nazareth. A perfectly normal human response upon meeting the crowd he was trying to avoid would be to get back in the boat and leave. That is not what He did. The text says that He had compassion on them. The Greek word that is used has a fuller, richer connotation that is rife with empathy and emotion. It can also be translated as “filled with tenderness” or “his heart went out to them.” Yet another way of saying this is that Jesus looked into the eyes and hearts of the hurt and the sick who were before him and all their loved ones that brought them there, and he loved them. What do we do when we love others? When necessary, we set aside our own concerns and we attend to them. As Jesus says of himself, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve. And, so he does. He commences with his ministry of listening, speaking words of comfort, and healing. Before you know it, time has passed. It’s late. They need to eat. They are in the middle of somewhere but not close to anywhere. What are they to do?
Jesus tells us that everything he says and does is by the direction of our heavenly Father. He does not do or say anything on his own. He operates in obedience to the Father. It is the Father’s will that Jesus speak and do things that the Old Testament prophets of old did. The Gospel reading says that from five loaves of bread and two fish, 5000 men along with additional women and children ate until they were full. The leftovers filled 12 baskets. That is a miracle!
Who of the Old Testament prophets fed people in desolate places and hard times? Elijah promised the widow of Zarephath that she would have bread every day for herself, her son, and for Elijah during the three-year drought. (1 Kings 17) Elijah himself was fed food alongside a stream by angels. But, the only time there was a miracle on the magnitude of Jesus feeding the five thousand is with Moses. Moses announced the miracle of Manna six days a week. During their wilderness years, Israel received daily food. Moses was the prophet that led them during that period.
When we reflect on the miracle of the feeding of the 5000, with our biblically informed imagination we are supposed to remember the feeding of Israel in the wilderness. The Lord provided for their every need. So, for the 5000 plus gathered around Jesus in that desolate place, the Lord provides what is needed.
Because our biblically informed imagination leads us back to Moses, it is also beneficial for us to pay specific attention to Moses’ prophetic statement from Deuteronomy 18 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers - it is to him you shall listen.” Martin Luther is correct. Moses is speaking about Jesus. He is the Christ.
Jesus is moved by compassion for sinful humanity to become the incarnate Son of God. He dwells with us. He speaks prophetically to us that our heavenly Father’s desire for us is to turn from sin and to receive with faith the gift of salvation. Out of compassion he feeds the 5000. Out of compassion for us that we are unable to break free from the bondage of our sinful nature, Jesus takes up the cross. He dies for us. He receives the punishment that we deserve. He atones for our sin by substituting himself. On account of his sacrifice, we are declared forgiven.
Jesus continues to feed us. He sees the state of our souls. Even though we dwell in the promises of Holy Baptism, sin still afflicts us. Satan continues to harass us. Doubt assails us. Death threatens us. We trust in God’s promises. In faith we approach the Altar of God to receive Christ and his benefits. He feeds us. He gives us life. He gives us the unmerited grace of forgiveness.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment