J. J.
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be acceptable in Thy sight,
O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
“Real Food for Real People”
Our Gospel for today is the account of Jesus feeding the 5,000. He was in Galilee. Jesus had been in a boat. He had gone away to pray. When He came ashore, the crowd was there. He felt sorrow for them. And He healed those among them who were sick. It was the end of the day. The disciples said to Jesus, “Send these people away, that they can buy supper for themselves.” Jesus said, “They don’t need to go away. You feed them.” “But all we have is 5 small loaves and 2 fish.” Jesus said, “Give them to me.” He took the bread and the fish, and gave thanks to God. Then He brought the bread, and gave it to the disciples, to give to the people.
There was enough bread and fish to feed everybody, and there were 12 baskets leftover. And there were more than 5, 000 people there.
Now today, there are some people who claim this did not happen. They say that it is, of course, impossible to feed 5,000 people and more from 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish. They claim this was all made up by the apostles. It didn’t really happen, they say. But no, they are wrong. This is true, it is real. It was real food for real people.
Five thousand people: that’s a lot of people. I don’t know how many people were at the County Fair, but there were lots of people there. There were also a lot of fish sandwiches at the fair. Really good fish. There may have been more fish there than there were people! So, is that what this gospel is about – Jesus making fish sandwiches – bread and fish—for a crowd? If that’s all it were, it wouldn’t do any good for you or me, because we weren’t there. No, this gospel is about more than fish sandwiches.
So then, what is it about? Well, how does it start? “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.” “This?” What is the “this” that Jesus heard? John the Baptist had been executed, beheaded, by King Herod. His disciples had been there. They had the funeral for John. In the verses before our text, it reads, “And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.”
So the disciples told Jesus about the death of John the Baptist, and Jesus went out in the boat, to be alone. Now, what about the people? Where did this big crowd of people come from? Matthew tells us, “But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.” So the people also heard of the death of John the Baptist, and they walked to follow after Jesus. Why are they following after Jesus?
The Bible doesn’t say exactly why. But it gives us some good clues. Remember how, when he was preaching and baptizing, the priests and Pharisees asked John if he were Elijah, or the Prophet, or the Christ? He told them no, and when he saw Jesus coming, said “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Yet the people did not understand.
And later, after this miracle, in chapter 16, when Jesus asks “Who do people say that I am,” Peter answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist,” meaning that some people thought Jesus was John the Baptist come back to life, or that He had somehow receive the spirit of John. This confirms to us how fixed the people were on John the Baptist as a leader, a prophet, and perhaps the Messiah.
So, it is not surprising then, on hearing about the death of John the Baptist, that the people would turn to Jesus. Whether or not they yet knew or were ready to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, we do not know. But we must also remember to see the scene from their perspective. You and I – We know that Jesus is the Christ, the Lord and Savior. But at that time He had not yet been crucified and risen again. Nor had the Holy Spirit been sent. So they are in a different time, a different situation, and see things from a different point of view. It would be natural for them to turn to Jesus, who they knew was another teacher, for an explanation about what had happened to John. So in light of this tragic news, they are following after Jesus's boat.
Jesus arrived at shore, and there they are. He has compassion on them. And he heals the sick among them. How long Jesus was with them, we do not know, but we know that it is getting on in the day, the day is drawing to a close, and the people need to eat.
The disciples have a plan. Their plan is to send the people away, and let them find food on their own. Have you noticed that the disciples’ plans always make logical sense, that they are quite practical and rational, but that their plan is never the Lord’s way? Now, God is neither illogical nor irrational. He is not crazy. But His ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. We should use our sense and intellect in everyday life. These are gifts from God. But when we put our faith and trust in our reason and rationality, we should pause, as our faith belongs in Christ, and we are likely going astray from God’s will and God’s ways. He calls us to see with faith, to see the unseen, to see as He sees.
What does Jesus say about feeding the people? First, He makes it clear that the people are not to be sent away. Jesus does not send us away. He does not reject us, sinners though we are. “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” Then what does He do next, does He feed the people? No, first He tells the disciples to feed the people. “You give them something to eat.” Why is Jesus telling the disciples to give the people something to eat? Is it because they are able to do so? No, it is so that they will know that they cannot do it, and that they – and we – are dependent on Him.
So the disciples find some bread and some fish. Clearly this is not enough. What does Jesus do? Does He say to the people, “Look, here is some bread and some fish. It can remind you of the meal you had before. Think about that, and that will fix your hunger.” No. What does He do? He multiplies the food, so that there will be real food for real people.
Having done that, does He multiply it so that everyone has only a taste, but not enough to feed them? Does He say, “Eat this bite of bread, and a smidgen of fish, for it represents the meal you can have later, when you get home?” No, He multiples the food, the disciples hand it out, and there is plenty, plenty, for everyone. Everyone eats, everyone is full. And to prove that everyone is full, and want no more, Jesus makes enough so there are leftovers – 12 baskets.
In doing this, Jesus shows the people, and you and me, that He is the Lord. For the One who made the everything out of nothing, it is nothing to make much out of little. If Christ can create bread and fish, and He did, He surely can multiply bread and fish. This is something more than a teacher, a rabbi, can do. He is at least a prophet, like Moses, who brought manna in the wilderness, or Elijah, who multiplied the meal and the oil for the widow, so that it did not run out.
It would have been great to have been there, but we are here. But still, is this only about feeding 5,000 people? Is it only about fish sandwiches? It was real food for real people, but what about us?
Look carefully at what Jesus does. First, He has compassion on the people, even as He has compassion on you and me. Then, He provides for the people, in a real and tangible way. Listen to the text, “he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples.” That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? And it should. For on the night when He was betrayed, our Lord took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them.
Our Savior Christ, in this miraculous feeding, is making a picture of the Great High Feast that He will give to His Church in the upper room. And what, Church, is the greater miracle? Making a fish supper for 5,000? Or giving a meal of Himself, one that gives life because it is He who is Life, and which has multiplied for 2,000 years, feeding millions of saints, and continues to do so?
See, our Savior, who became a human being, just as you and me, knows that we need real food. We don’t need just a reminder of what He did on Calvary. Nor is it enough to give us a meal which only represents the feast we will have in the world to come, something for then, but not really for now. No, Christ gives us real food for real people, now, today, in His holy supper. He does not send us away to buy food, for He knows we cannot buy it. As Isaiah wrote, so invites our Savior, “He who has no money, come and eat.” And he does not expect us to feed ourselves, for He know that we are dependent on Him, for He is Life!
So it is, that he gives us His body and blood to eat and to drink. Why? Because He came to redeem us, our whole person, body and soul. He doesn’t give us just a spiritual form of His body and blood. For it is not that only our souls will be with Him in heaven someday. No, our whole person – all of you and all of me – is redeemed by His mercy, grace, and love.
Although He Himself was sinless, He took all sin into His body on the cross. He knows how is it, how it feels, when our feet have walked where they should not go, our hands done things they must not do, our tongues said things they ought not see, our eyes have soaked in what they best not see. He knows that we don’t just need our sins forgiven, our spirits renewed. We need our whole bodies cleansed and redeemed. So He gives us His real body and His real blood: Real food for real people.
We were not there for the miracle of fish and loaves, but we are here for this miraculous meal. And in it we see that Jesus is Lord. As did the Emmaus disciples on that first Easter evening, we recognize Him in the breaking of the bread. And our hearts burn within us.
He feeds us because He loves us. He loves us, church. He does not give us only a reminder of His death and resurrection. He does not give us only a representation, a spiritual meal. No, He gives us Himself. That being joined to Him, Who died, rose, and lives, we will also die, rise, and live with Him.
He does not send us away. He satisfies our deepest needs. He fills us so we want no more. He is here with us, in His supper, and we are with Him. The Lord’s Supper – it’s real food for real people.
Amen.
S. D. G.
