Peace/Bethlehem 8-6-2023 A-Pentecost-11 Matthew 14:13-21

Favorite Stories

When a family gathers together, quite often someone will say, “Do you remember the time when . . . and then they share a favorite story from the past. Often it’s a funny story; and sometimes it’s an embarrassing story for someone in the family.

We tell these stories because they say something important and true about Mom or Dad, son or daughter, sister or brother. They say something about the relationships among the family members.

One favorite of mine . . . [share story of the birthday cake that had grit and cat hair]

The Gospel story for today is an old favorite story about Jesus and his disciples that likely was told over and over again. It is the only miracle story told in all four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This was a favorite story because it says something important and true about God, about the disciples, and also about us.

As I retell the story, try to figure out why it is such a favorite.

It was springtime in Israel. The rains of March and April had come and the land was coming to life: the flowers were blooming and the hills were green again.

Jesus was doing a lot of preaching and a lot of healing, and people started following him around from place to place. But there was a tragedy hanging in the air, as told in the preceding verses, Matthew 14:1-12. John the Baptist had just been killed.

John the Baptism was the greatest prophet the land of Israel had experienced for four hundred years. He was a powerful speaker that everyone looked to for inspiration and guidance.

But he had just been beheaded by King Herod. Everyone, including Jesus, was stunned by this enormous loss.

Jesus wanted to get away by himself to grieve, to pray, to remember. So he got into a boat to sail across Lake Galilee to a remote place that would be away from the crowds who were following him, The problem was, the people could see from the shore where he was sailing to. So the crowds followed along the shoreline, keeping an eye on his boat. When Jesus landed at his destination, there was this big crowd already gathered to hear him.

What was Jesus’ reaction to the thousands who had shown up? Was he disappointed? . . . irritated? . . . angry? No, when he looked out over the massive crowd, He had compassion on them. He felt their need in his gut. He didn’t chase them away, or demand that they give him a little space to grieve.

Instead, He patiently and compassionately waded into all that human need. He healed their sick. He blessed them. He taught them. For Jesus these hurting people were like sheep without a shepherd, and so He became their shepherd.

Could this be why this story was told in all four Gospels? Could this be why this was such a favorite story that was told over and over again? Because this story captures the essence of Jesus and therefore also the essence of God? Jesus is patient, loving, and compassionate; so God also must be patient, loving, and compassionate.

Do you ever wonder what God is really like? Do you ever wonder if God really knows about you? Does God really care? Is God really a God of love?

When we have questions like this it helps to tell the stories about Jesus. It helps when the stories about Jesus start making a difference in the stories of our lives.

The record of the Bible, the stories of God’s distinctive action in actual human history, are not meant to just remain stories and history. They are meant to impact our lives. They are meant to become our stories. We are meant to become a part of God’s story of loving outreach to His creation! What a high honor that is!

Jesus’ teaching has to do with you. Jesus’ miracles have to do with you. Jesus’ holy life has to do with you. Jesus’ sacrificial death and his resurrection have to do with you. So let’s examine this amazing story, one of the favorite stories about Jesus, and see what it tells us about who God is and who we are because of who God is.

Matthew 14:15 “As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Well, the disciples are simply stating the obvious: “It’s late, the people need food, let’s wrap things up. Send the people on their way.”

But Jesus surprises them by saying, “They do not need to go away.” And then Jesus surprises them even more by saying, “You give them something to eat.”

“You give them something to eat.” Jesus here has a message for those of us today who are able to share our food. We live in a world where one-third of the people suffer from malnutrition. Hundreds of thousands die every year from starvation. Is God only concerned about people’s souls and not also their physical welfare? Does God not care about the suffering of His creatures?

In this story we see Jesus having compassion on people in their physical needs. So he tells his disciples: “You give them something to eat.” Here Jesus invites his followers to participate in his mission of mercy.

As modern-day disciples, we need to consider just what it our role in meeting the overwhelming needs in our world. How often have you viewed the horror of starvation and the misery of the world and thought, “Why doesn’t God do something?” Here Jesus turns the question around to us: “Why don’t you do something?

The disciples’ response to Jesus is predictable: “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. We would have said the same thing. “What do you expect Lord, we don’t have much to offer. Sorry, Lord, mission impossible!

Now just as every miracle begins with a negative situation, so every miracle begins with an impossible problem. “We can't do it, Lord, the situation is hopeless.” It is precisely in those negative situations, in those impossible problems, that God words his miracles.

It is precisely when we come face to face with our own inadequacies and deficiencies, when we admit that we are powerless to do anything about the situation, that we are open to God’s help. He is able and willing. He is sufficient to the need!

He is our own Father in Jesus Christ by the blood of the cross, that blood that forgives redeems and restores. What a negative situation they crucifixion was, wat an impossible problem! Yet God used it to work wonders! God still words wonders today. God is still in the miracle business.

“Bring them here to me.” Jesus tells the disciples to bring to him the five loaves of bread and the two fish. Jesus tells them to bring it all, bring all they have! It isn’t much, but that’s what the disciples do, they bring all they have.

It doesn’t matter if you have a multimillion dollar fortune or just a couple pennies, bring all you have. Bring it through your first fruits giving, bring it in the spirit of your heart, bring it to the Lord to do with as He will.

So often we say, “I don’t have much, Lord. I’m sure you can't use what little I have to give.

I don’t have much talent. I don’t have much time. I don’t have much money. I don’t have much energy. Surely you don’t expect me to give what little I have. Thereby we show our lack of faith in God. Is God unable to use what little we have?

The few minutes it takes to write a letter to a lonely person, the small amount it takes to run an errand for a new mother. So much good is done in small acts of love and service—a quiet conversation, a phone call, a prayer, a visit to a neighbor, a visit to the sick and shut-in, attentive listening, words of encouragement. Is God unable to use these things?

Is this why this story is such a favorite? What does it say about God that He takes the little things of our lives and makes big things happen? Surely the God who created the entire universe does not need us little human beings and what little we have to offer.

But this story of what God does with the five loaves and the two fish shows us something different. It shows us the truth about God: that as small as we are, we are precious to Him. He treasures us. This favorite story shows us how God honors us: that he takes what is small and makes it important. We give what little we have to God and God uses it to make a big impact in the lives of others.

We’re dealing today with a favorite story in the Bible, a story that we like to tell over and over. It reminds us that God is love and compassion. It reminds us that God not only did miracles in the past; God invites us to participate in new miracles today.

God grant it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Sermon Written by, Pastor Jack Flachsbart.