“You Give Them Something To Eat”
Text: Matthew 14:13-21
8-6-2023
In the name of Him who feeds our hungry souls, dear friends in Christ. Like me, most of you have heard numerous sermons on Jesus feeding the 5,000. I’m sure they were good sermons. And I suspect that many of them focused on the actual miracle of Christ taking a tiny amount of food and multiplying it to feed this large crowd. That’s not wrong. In fact, I myself have preached on this aspect of the Gospel lesson. At the very least, it reveals once again that Jesus was truly God in the flesh. It also shows us how God showers abundant blessings upon us.
However, we’re missing something if we only focus on the miracle itself. I’m not saying it wasn’t spectacular. But there’s more going on here. And yet, as we search for that deeper meaning we mustn’t fall into the temptation to dream up impossible and trivial questions about this miracle. My Grandpa Meyer had a knack for doing that. When I was a boy, he visited our church and the sermon was on this text. True to form, on the way out Grandpa said to my Pastor, “Nice sermon, Reverend! But I’ve got a question. It says the disciples gathered up 12 baskets full of leftovers. Where’d they get the baskets from?” My Pastor gave a polite smile and said something like, “Why, that’s a good question Herman!” But I bet he was secretly looking for a wall to bang his head against!
Anyway, there’s a valuable lesson waiting for us to discover here. We’ll find it by asking, “Why did Jesus do this miracle?” Trust me, it wasn’t just a razzle dazzle to prove that He was the Son of God. No, it was meant to teach His followers about what it really means to be a disciple of Christ.
First, you need to know what transpired before this miracle. Jesus was on a nonstop evangelism crusade with His disciples. He was preaching and teaching here, there, and everywhere that He was the Christ, the promised Savior. He called people to repentance. And He told them of God’s love and mercy. To highlight that, He also healed the sick and demon-possessed. Not long before this, Jesus sent His 12 Disciples out on an evangelism tour of their own to the do the same things in His name. His popularity was growing by leaps and bounds. As a result, wherever He went crowds came to hear Him teach and to be healed.
Keep in mind, in the midst of those crowds were the pesky Pharisees and Sadducees who were constantly sniping at Jesus. They questioned and criticized everything He did. Even His miracles! They scrutinized His every word and action, looking for a reason to bring Him up on charges so they could kill Him. Right before our text, Jesus received news that His cousin, John the Baptist, had been murdered by King Herod. Surely that saddened Him, but it was a stark reminder of how dangerous it was getting for Jesus too! And it didn’t escape the notice of the Disciples either.
All this was really weighing on them. Physically, they were drained. At one point we’re told that they didn’t even have time to eat due to the constant crowds around them. The threats on Jesus’ life were also heavy on their hearts and minds. Mentally, they were trying to absorb all that Jesus was teaching. Along with that their faith was being stretched to new and unbelievable limits. They were certainly exhilarated by it all. But it was like an emotional roller coaster ride. Jesus knew they needed a break to get away and rest. But He also needed time alone with them to prepare them for what was about to transpire in Jerusalem. There, He would be arrested and crucified for the sins of the world. They also needed to know that He would rise again. And they needed all this instruction because it wouldn’t be long before Jesus would ascend into heaven, leaving them with the awesome commission of spreading the good news of the Gospel.
So, the Lord had them get into a boat and sail to a desolate place on the west side of Lake Galilee where they could be alone. You can just about imagine their excitement and relief. Unfortunately for them, the crowds caught on and followed them on foot along the shore. Their hearts must have sunk as they saw the stream of people heading towards them. Their mini-vacation was ruined. If I was there with Him, I would’ve said, “Quick Jesus! Let’s get back into the boat and escape!” I have no doubt that’s what the Disciples were thinking. Don’t forget that Jesus was dead-dog-tired also. But rather than run away, He had compassion on those needy people. He healed them and taught them. As always, Christ put their needs first. Which in itself was a lesson for the Disciples.
But then it all comes to a head when the Disciples also seem to show some compassion. At the end of a long day, they ask Jesus to send the folks away to get themselves food to eat. Actually, I think they saw it as an opportunity to get rid of them and reclaim a little bit of down time. Whatever their motive may have been, Jesus turns to them and says, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” It sounded like a ridiculous proposition. They only had a tiny lunch of borrowed food and there was no way that they had sufficient money to buy enough for over 5,000 people. This was the teachable moment for the Disciples. In it is the climax of the lesson Jesus was trying to get across. So, He has the crowd sit down, He blesses the food, and miraculously it multiplies as it is distributed. Not only that, but Jesus supplies an overabundance due to His supernatural touch.
The lesson that was intended for the 12 Disciples was also meant for the rest of us disciples of Jesus. The compassion of Jesus is the key to this whole lesson. That’s why He came here to earth in the first place. He came to show compassion. Looking down from heaven at the sinful mess we had made, He could have easily turned away and left us to suffer in our self-inflicted crisis. But God is love. And His love compelled Him to have compassion by sending His only Son, who came to die the death that we deserved for our sinfulness. On the cross He won forgiveness for us. In an act of self-sacrificing compassion, He put our needs first. Now, through His Word and Sacraments, He graciously feeds our hungry souls with His forgiveness. And we are the unworthy recipients of that divine compassion.
Friends, there are still hungry souls out there who Christ wishes to show compassion to. Their souls are starving for God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness. And so, Jesus turns to us, His modern-day disciples, and says, “You give them something to eat.” The problem is that we’re too much like those 12 Disciples. We look at the crowds and in our hearts we say, “Jesus, I’m already swamped with stuff to do. I’m tired and I need a break. Besides, I don’t think I have anything to feed them with. Send them away. Or at least have somebody else take care of them.” With those thoughts, we betray our lack of compassion. And we also show our lack of faith and understanding.
That was the whole point of Jesus feeding the 5,000 the way that He did. By it, He showed His self-sacrificing compassion. He took what appeared to be a small and insignificant amount of food and in His hands it became an abundant feast. He does likewise with His Word which He has given to us. It may not look like much, but in the hands of Jesus it’s an abundant feast for hungry souls. Not just for your soul. He looks at the spiritually starving people around us and says, “You give them something to eat.” He uses us to distribute this heavenly bread of life which He supplies. It won’t cost you a thing – just a bit of your time and the courage to open your mouth and share God’s Word with others who are hungry.
Now maybe you’re thinking, “Yeah, but I wouldn’t know what to say.” Hey, it isn’t rocket science! It’s the Gospel. You don’t have to serve an elaborate seven-course theological feast for the heart and mind. Just choose a Bible passage that you know, preferably one that’s in some way related to the issues that person is facing. Now put it in the hands of Jesus and ask him to bless it. That is, pray about it and ask, “What do these verses reveal about God’s work to save people through Jesus His Son?” Do this and you will be amazed at the abundance of spiritual nourishment that is readily available at your fingertips. Like those loaves of bread, Jesus will multiply the blessings that come from it. All that’s required of us as disciples is to have the compassion and willingness to serve.
But we face a problem, don’t we? Not everybody out there is receptive to God’s gifts of grace which are offered here in Christ’s Church. Their souls are starving and they don’t even know it. That’s why you frequently hear me pray in our services for our inactives and the unchurched in our community. And I ask the Lord to “Create a hunger in them for {His} Word and Sacraments, which are received here in worship.” As fellow disciples of Christ, I invite you to join me in that prayer every day. It is an act of compassion from the hearts of believers.
And don’t forget, you also need to be fed regularly by Christ in order to have the strength to continue following Him and do this loving work. Don’t get lackadaisical about coming to worship, because it is here that Christ promises to feed you with His miraculous food for your soul. He calls you to come to this quiet place, away from the stress and burdens of your day-to-day world. And here, He multiplies His divine food and nourishes your soul every time you come to be fed by His Word. He multiplies it as we receive His grace through His precious body and blood in Holy Communion. By it, may God fill us with the knowledge and assurance of our own salvation. And by it, may we also be filled with compassion as we obey His call to give hungry souls something to eat from His abundant, life-giving Word. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!