the
story of the feeding of the 5000 appears in all four Gospels, and it is the
only one of the miracles of Jesus that all four gospel writers include, I
wonder why?
Even
people who never have been to church will probably have heard of the story of the
feeding of the 5000. In Matthews version there is no little boy, but there are
still five loaves and two fish. There are some traditional ways of looking at
this reading, one is that there were five loaves and two fish and somehow there
was a miracle and those five loaves and two fish fed the multitude. Another way
of looking at it is that everybody would have had some food with them, and
seeing someone willing to hand over their food to Jesus to share meant others
were also willing to share what they had. For Matthew the one who made the
world out of nothing was more than capable of multiplying some food, but
whether this was a miracle of supply or of sharing, the people who first heard
and read the story would have seen something different.
Let's
think about where this happens, where Matthew has placed this in his gospel.
The section just before this is about a birthday party for Herod; the daughter
of Herodias danced for him, earning his praise, and led to the death of John
the Baptist. Not only was John the Baptist killed, but his head was bought on a
platter into the party.
At
the time, people like Herod had lots of food, but for most people there was the daily
struggle to find enough to eat. Food inequality has been happening for
centuries, and food inequality continues to happen today.
The
feast of Herod brings about death; yet the fish and bread – subsistence food –
is a life giving feast for many.
So
beyond the bread and fish what might this story have to tell us?
The
miracles of Jesus tell us about the nature of God. [i]
remember
in chapter 1, Matthew names Jesus, Emmanuel – God is with us.
what
do we notice about God in this story?
In
verse 14 Matthew writes ‘when he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had
compassion for them and cured their sick.’ [NRSV] Jesus had gone off to find a
quiet place to grieve for his cousin, but the crowds followed. Jesus did not
send them away, but spent time with them and healed the sick. And then in the
evening he made sure they had something to eat.
One
thing we hear in this story is of the compassion of God for people. By contrast
in the two stories of feasting, the feast of the rich which is life denying,
and the food of Jesus which offers compassion, is healing and life-filled.
People
were used to the idea that the gods looked after the rich, or people who was
special in some way; but not ordinary people, not slaves, not the oppressed,
and not the hungry. Maybe one reason this miracle is in all four Gospels is to
remind people that the God of Jesus, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, is
not like the gods of Rome or Greece. The God of Jesus does not want human
sacrifice. The God of Jesus is not on the side of the rich and powerful, ignoring
the needs of the poor and oppressed.
In
a culture where the Roman Emperor was considered a god, in a time when it was
considered subversive not to bow down to the Roman Emperor, a time when gods
were seen as harsh and fickle; along comes Jesus, showing that God is
compassionate, compassionate to the sick and the poor, the God who is very
essence is compassion.
Jesus
provided food and healing to these people, we live in our society where we have
access to food and medical care, some people struggle, but I doubt anyone in
this room does not have enough food in a cupboard for a least the next day or
two.
I
wonder what we need from Jesus?
If
one of the things that we here in this story is about the compassion of God,
what's story would we need to tell today to get that same message across that
God is compassionate, not just to some people, but to all people.
…….
I
love this passage from Isaiah, and in thinking about the Matthew reading today
I wondered about the questions that are asked:
Why
do you spend your money on food that doesn’t nourish?
Why
do you spend your hard-earned wages on things that will never satisfy you?
what
is it that we spend our money on.? Not just food but in general, do we spend
our money on that which nourishes our own life, the lives of the people who
produce it, and the whole of creation?
Are
we like Herod, whose feasting and lifestyle meant death and hunger to other
people?
Another
thing we hear in the story from Matthew, is how Jesus uses the disciples even
when they thought they had nothing to give. The disciples saw only five loaves
and two fish and a large crowd, and said we can't do anything for all these
people send them away.
I
wonder when do we see scarcity,
when
do we hold on to that which we have, not being willing to share?
Sometimes
we are called on to give when we don't know if we have any to spare,
sometimes
we are called to act when we feel unequipped,
sometimes
we are called to speak out and we don't know the words to say. This miracle is
for those times. Sometimes we are like the disciples, we doubt our ability, we
are pre-occupied with our own concerns, and just like the disciples Jesus comes
and shows us that there is more to us and more to life than we ever imagined.
I
wonder what we need from Jesus?
Where
are we being called to live out a miracle?
