Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
July 26, 2009
The Gospel: John 6:1-21
Sermon: "Feeding the 5000"
The Rev. Dr. Vicki L. Smith, Rector
The Gospel: Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.
John 6:1-21
Feeding the 5000 Jesus took a small boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish and with it he fed 5000 people. And there were 12 baskets full of leftovers.
That story, the feeding of the 5000, is the only miracle story that appears in all 4 gospels. It has been the source of much interpretation, some of it quite fanciful, some of it most prosaic. We love the story, but it seems that we’re not quite sure what to do with it.
I think that there are three things to be learned from this miracle story. The first and most obvious is that Jesus is not an ordinary human being. Ordinary people cannot do what he did. Emeril or Paula Deen, they can’t do it. The smartest, most talented, most spectacular person in the world could not take 5 loaves and 2 fish and feed 5000 people. Part of the purpose of this miracle was to convince the people who were there, and us their descendants, of Jesus’ divinity. Only the son of God could do the miraculous things he did—to convince us of that is part of the reason that he did them.
But the feeding of the 5000 teaches us more than that. Jesus and his disciples faced a tremendous problem. They had a huge, hungry crowd in front of them, no money and no McDonalds nearby. They had two fish, and five bits of bread—food enough only for one, perhaps two if they’re light eaters. And yet, with Jesus, what they had was enough. He was able to take what they offered, and do something amazing with it.
We live in a world of incredible problems. We live in a world where addictions are rampant and violence is a way of life for too many; we live in a country where sexuality is too often a commodity and human beings seem of little value. We live in a country where, despite our first world riches, there continue to be hungry and homeless people all around. Too often it seems that we live in a world that is out of control and plagued with overwhelming problems. If there were only 5000 hungry people to deal with in our world, or even in our state, we’d be grateful!
The story of Jesus’ miracle of the loaves and fishes is a story of hope and encouragement; a story we must hear and cling to in our current world situation.
It seems like we don’t have much to offer in the face of all our problems. We are like the disciples, facing some big problems with not very much in our hands. But with Jesus, what we have to give will be enough. Compared to the magnitude of the need, our gifts are indeed small, but they will be enough. The one who made 5 loaves and 2 fish feed 5000 people will take what we offer and multiply it. He will take what we give and make it more.
The challenge for us is to be like that little boy and offer what we have for Jesus’ use. Let us offer our love, our care and our attention. Let us offer our money, our time, our strength and our concern. By themselves, our gifts are simply a drop in the bucket, but Jesus will make them more. He’s a pro at making a little bit go a very long way. This miracle story of feeding 5000 people is for us a gift of hope and a caution against despair. If we will but offer what we have, Jesus will make it enough, and more. That’s the second learning from this story.
And the third is like unto it, as they say. The third learning from this story is that everyone has something to offer, something to give. The primary giver in this story is not a wealthy land owner; it isn’t a king, it isn’t even an adult. The primary giver in this story is a small boy who probably was barely visible in the crowd. That young man didn’t have a lot to offer, only his lunch, but his gift was crucial and without it, 5000 people would have gone hungry that day.
It’s easy to think that we don’t have anything to give, or what we could give is so insignificant as to not be worth bothering with. But if one little boy’s gift of bread and fish made so much difference, certainly what we have to offer can make a difference too. We have money, at least some, that we could give. We have talent, we have food, we have energy, we have commitment and we have a willingness to work. Everyone has something they can give. It is our task to discern our loaves and fishes, to learn what we have and then share it.
There is, in this story, a clear condemnation of selfishness. Without the little boy’s lunch, nothing happens. Without our gifts, our resources and ourselves, nothing happens. If we refuse to give, out of selfishness or feelings of inadequacy, out of fear or willful ignorance, if, for whatever reason, we don’t give and share of who we are and what we have, nothing happens. But if we give whatever we can; if we share, even just a little, if we give our loaves and fishes, Jesus will multiply what we offer and he will make it be more than enough.