When we find ourselves in such spaces like that it's good to remember Jesus calls us together in unity and peace. And often does so using to the table of fellowship and the bridge there.
Jesus invites us to bring what we have, knowing we all have something to offer. And that’s God’s love. Today as we look at another question Jesus asks, we will see what is possible when people come together to share what our Lord our God has given to us, and what Christ himself has blessed. Read: Mark 6:33-44 When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.” . . . Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men. Mark 6:33-44
It’s been said that the first Christians remembered Jesus, not in death, but with food.
In the early church every meal was sacred and holy because of stories like this one, which is the only miracle story besides the resurrection to appear in all four gospels. Which means there’s probably more to than what meets the eye. Although Mark doesn’t say it, we assume the people who come to see Jesus are hungry because the disciples have some concerns - primarily, how are they going to feed everyone? I have seen many of church potlucks and dinner parties where that seemed to be an issue. And yet, it wasn’t. With some simple math, there’s always enough to go around. But they are in the middle of nowhere, it’s late, and time is running out to help. When the disciples mention this to Jesus, he simply says, “You feed them.” As they comically rummage through their pockets looking for anything to help, they tell Jesus, “We don’t have much” Looking at them sternly, Jesus asks, “What do you have?” It is a quick count. Five loaves. Two fish. Not nearly enough to satiate their own hunger, muchless a crowd this big. The Twelve stare at their teacher. Jesus knows the look on their faces, and what they’re trying to convey. It was the same look his mom gave him at a wedding in Cana, when the disciples watched Jesus turn giant vats of ordinary water into the most extraordinary wine. They also witnessed him heal the blind, cast out demons, and even raise a guy from the dead. To feed this amount of people, on what little they had, would take a miracle like that. If anyone could make a meal fall from the sky, at this place … and that hour, it would be this guy. Isn’t that what the people were there for? To see Jesus do something amazing? But I don’t think this story is so much about what Jesus can do. I think it’s about what we can do. How a little bit of God’s love can make ordinary people like us, do extraordinary things like this. At Anamesa we affirm God is love. We believe Jesus is the perfect definition of what God’s love is and looks like. To follow the Way of Jesus, is less about watching what he can do, and more about doing what he does. Jesus opens the eyes of our heart so that we can see others the God sees us. And make the extraordinary happen in all the ways Jesus did - loving God, loving others, and serving both. This is the way of Jesus. The way of love. The way of giving of oneself for one another. Notice Jesus sees this crowd and has compassion for them. He stops what he’s doing to be with them, and to care for their needs knowing they are hungry. And not just for food. They’re hungry for love. They’re hungry for justice. They’re hungry for peace and reconciliation. They are hungry for God. If you look closely at this story, you will notice no one is demanding to be fed. They didn’t come for actual bread. They came for the one who said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again” (John 6:35). Jesus gives us what we cannot give ourselves. He feeds our spiritual hunger. And nourishes our souls. Yet, Jesus doesn’t feed our physical hunger. Instead, he entrusts his followers to do that for him. Jesus tells his disciples to put their faith to work. He knows what we have, and what we can do. He tells the guys, “Don’t look at me like that. You go and give them something to eat.” I think that’s the point of this story. We are called to go and be the miracles in the world that reveal God’s glory. How does knowing that Jesus has called you to do the work, change the way you hear his question? “What do you have?” What’s in your heart, in your life, in your faith, or wallet, that you can give to help others? You might believe you don’t have much. That’s what the disciples thought. They saw what little resources they had and believed it was impossible to meet the needs of all those people. But Jesus gave them the imperative, “go and see.” I invite you to do the same. Go and see within yourself and you’ll discover how Jesus can take whatever you have, and in blessing it can turn it into something greater than what you started with. Jesus can bless the smallest amount of love, and multiply it so there is enough for everyone, and then some. Following Jesus is about following the One of Blessed Abundance. “Wherever Jesus is,” wrote Henri Nouwen, “there is not only life, but life to the full.” Jesus always gives us more than we ask for. And he wants us to do the same. To give away our love as liberally and extravagantly as he has given to us. The things we hold onto will always diminish. But what we give away will always multiply. (Nouwen) Love begets love, which begets more love. God’s kingdom is one of abundance. A kingdom where everyone is blessed. Everyone is love. Everyone is forgiven. In abundance. There is more than enough of God’s grace for everyone. No one will never be left without. Jesus says, go and see what God has put in your heart. Take inventory and you will discover you have more than enough to forgive those who have hurt you or betrayed your trust. With God’s love inside you, you have more than you need to reconcile and repair a friendship. Or stand for what you believe in without diminishing or harming others. When we allow God’s love to be made manifest in us, we become not just miracle workers but the miracles itself. In this story the real miracle happens when the crowd sees what the disciples do. They watch them offer all that they have. I think this inspires others to share whatever they brought. A little bread, a few fish, some olives, figs, and wine. Those who had something, shared with those who had nothing. The early church brought this miracle story to life every time they gathered. They trusted God’s abundant love in such a way that they could pool all their resources so “no one was without.” Talk about faith in action. Here’s what we should remember as we go out in the world today. Jesus takes what we have and blesses it with his own flesh and blood. And he sends us to do the same, knowing whenever we share God’s love miracles will happen. Love will grow. Lives will change. Souls will be fed. Ordinary things will become extraordinary. Whether it’s a little or a lot, it will always be enough for God to bless the world with abundance. Work Cited: Bartlett, David L and Barbara Brown Taylor, eds. Feasting on the Word, Year A, vol. 3 (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2011) pp. 308-313. Claiborne, Shane. The Irresistible Revolution. Living As An Ordinary Radical. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006) pp. 154-167. Held-Evens, Rachel. Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving and Finding the Church. (Nashville: Nelson Books, 2015) pp. 125-133. Nouwen, Henri J. Following Jesus: Finding our way home in an age of anxiety. (New York: Image, Trade, 2019) pp. 40-42.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Copyright © 2011