Mark 6:30-44
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.
“Ordinary People, Extraordinary God”
We are continuing our reading through the Gospel of Mark. You will recall that Jesus had sent out his disciples to preach repentance and gave them authority to heal the sick and cast out demons. Now the disciples return and report to Him all that had happened. They preached repentance and had done miracles in his name. Which is why His name was so famous, that King Herod had heard of Him. And there is again a crowd around all of them, coming and going, so much so that they could not even find time to eat. So Jesus tells them it is time for rest.
They get in a boat and sail away. You can just imagine the relief. It’s so good to be in boat. It seems somehow that your troubles and worries stay on the bank. Fish or no fish, pole or no pole, there is peace and quiet and rest. The disciples were ordinary people, and Jesus gave them rest in an ordinary way.
They land a ways up of the coast. The crowd could see where they were going, the words spreads, and by the time they land, a crowd is already there. Yet instead of being frustrated, Jesus has compassion for them. And he begins to teach them. It’s getting on towards supper time. The disciples say to Jesus, “Hey, we’re out here in the middle of the countryside. It’s beautiful, but there’s nothing out here. Send these people away, so they can buy something to eat.” “You give them food to eat.” “What? Do you think we can just go to town and get bread for everybody, Like we have thousands of dollars on us?” “Go, look and see what bread you do have,” Jesus says. The disciples walk through the crowd. “Five loaves, and yeah, and these here two fish.”
“Have the people to sit down.” So the disciples have the people to sit on the fresh, green, grass. Jesus bless the food, and gives it to the disciples, and they give it to the people. They pass it out, up, down, around, and around some more. Everybody eats till they are full. They gather up the leftovers – 12 baskets full. And there were 5,000 people.
What happened? The disciples were ordinary people. And they were doing very ordinary thing – passing out food. Waiting tables. We eat every day. Several times. Hard to think of an activity that isn’t more ordinary. That’s one of the challenges of keeping a house, isn’t. Meals are so daily. You never get done.
What kind of food were they passing around. Bread. Plain old bread. Oh, some fish. But you can’t get more basic then bread. So what have we got? We got ordinary men, doing an ordinary task, with ordinary food. It’s hard to think of anything more ordinary, more run of the mill, than that.
But what happened? Jesus multiplied the bread. How did that happen? Where and when did that happen? The text does not say. And that’s the point. It’s not about how Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fish. It’s about how He feed them. Or did He?
"Now, vicar. What do you mean, or did he? Of course Jesus fed the people, weren’t you listening to your own sermon, to the story?" Well, let’s look at it again.
The disciples wanted to send the people away. They wanted the people to go and buy their own food. They people should go and feed themselves. That was their plan. “Buy for themselves something to eat.” What did Jesus say, what was His plan? “You feed them.” Listen again. “You feed them.” Jesus didn’t say, “I’ll feed them.” His plan was for the disciples to feed the people.
But the disciples didn’t get His plan. They actually mocked Jesus. "You want we should go to town and buy all this food? Like, with what? Are you crazy?" The disciples did not understand. By now, you think they would have. They had seen miracles before. In fact, they had just done miracles. He had just given them authority to cast out demons and heal the sick, and they, not He, but they had gone and done it. And come a-running back, and telling Him all about, and everything they had done. So now, He tells them, you feed them. But they don’t get it. Why? What’s the problem?
Unbelief. They did not believe Jesus’ word. They did not trust in His command. If they did, but had some questions about how, they would not have mocked Him. They would have said, “Jesus, we believe You. But we don’t know how. Please, tell us how.” But they were not operating in belief. They were still blinded by their own unbelief. So blinded they did not even see what they did have. Jesus has to tell them, Go. Look. See, what you have.
They bring Him the bread and the fish. He blesses it and gives it to them to hand out. Now, they operate in obedience. We don’t know from the text whether they are believing Jesus just yet. But they are at least willing to obey Him. And He has them to hand out the food to the people.
Do you see what is happening? Jesus is the one feeding the people. He is the provider. “The eyes of all look to You, O Lord, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” For He the bread of Life. And it is Jesus, not the disciples, but Jesus, who is doing an extraordinary thing. He is multiplying the bread and the fish, so that there is more than enough for all, so the need of all is met.
And yet how is Jesus doing it? He is doing this extraordinary thing through His disciples. He did not change His plan. His plan was for them to feed the people. And they are. They are the ones handing out the food. Jesus is the extraordinary God, doing an extraordinary thing through ordinary people. The disciple aren’t able to multiply this food on their own. But they are hand it out by the command and Word of Jesus. And in their doing the ordinary, the extraordinary is happening.
And that’s the way God works, isn’t it. The water is plain old water. But at the command and word of Christ, it becomes baptism and does extraordinary things, cleansing sins and giving faith. Simple wine. Ordinary bread. But at the command and word of Christ, it is the life giving meal of His body and blood, uniting us with Him and with each other, imparting forgiveness, life and salvation. “Our Father, who art in Heaven.” Words. Simple word. “Father,” what is more common than that? But at the command and word of Christ, the words are prayer, and bring us into the presence of the throne of grace. Just as there were more than enough bread, God keeps doing the extra-ordinary, from His extraordinary sacrifice on Calvary, in and through His Church. Forgiving us. Cleansing us. Giving us life.
You, Church, you are the disciples. You are. You are baptized. You are believers. You are followers of Christ. That’s what disciple means, one who follows his master of teaching. So you are the disciples. We cannot do the work of Christ on our own. But by the Word of Christ, He does the work in and through His Church. That is, in and through us.
We, you, me, are ordinary people. We are an ordinary church in an ordinary town. But our God is an extraordinary God who does extraordinary things through ordinary everyday means. We have been placed in ordinary vocations. We have been commanded to do ordinary things. “Husbands, love your wives.” “Children, honor your father and mother.” “Obey those in authority.” “Pay your taxes.” Everyday ordinary things. But when we do them at the command and word of Christ, the extraordinary happens. We are no longer ordinary people. We become living epistles read of all men. The light and love of Christ shines in and through us. And God’s work is done.
The disciples had their plan. Often we have ours. Shall we follow our plan, or His plan? God has done the extraordinary in you. He has called you, washed you, and made you His own. Having redeemed you, He is willing and able to do the extraordinary through you. He serves us and saves us, and calls us to serve one another and world in His name. By His name. We may be ordinary people, but we belong to an extraordinary God. For Christ has died. Christ is risen. And Christ shall come again. Amen.
S. D. G.
