(John 6: 1-15)
If you even know me just a little, you know I have a different kind of sense of humor, and I especially appreciate ironic humor. One of my favorite cartoonists is Gary Larson who used to do the Far Side comic strip. After one Sunday sermon when I attempted to do one of my lame magic tricks for the congregation Debbie Dodd, not knowing my appreciation for Larson, brought me one of his illustrations entitled: Acts of God which portrayed God on stage doing magic acts. It’s one of my favorite strips. I have another one that I’ve posted on our bulletin board to the right of the door when you come into the Administrative Wing of the church. It ran on August 13, 1988, and it shows a group of people wearing nametags with drinks in their hands milling around and socializing under a banner that says: WELCOME POTP. Under the cartoon it says: The 25th annual “Part of the Problem” convention. We’re coming up on the 58th annual convention and if history is any indicator, their ranks have swelled with chapters located in communities all around the country, and probably on every continent. And you also know how much I love acronyms. Well, this cartoon got my creative juices flowing which resulted in my coming up with another acronym for our church to compliment our current one; SODS: Somebody Oughta Do Something. The obvious choice was POTS: Part Of The Solution.
And being a part of the solution is the lesson Jesus was trying to teach his disciples in our scripture reading for this morning. The “feeding of the five thousand” is probably the best known of all the miracles Jesus performed and it has the distinction of appearing in all four of the Gospels, just in case you missed it the first three times in your reading of the New Testament. I believe it’s prominently mentioned in all four Gospels because the message is so powerful and important, and it would be well-worth your while to read all four and make comparisons between them regarding what one contains that the others do not.
Our reading starts out by saying: After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. After what? Well, Jesus had just learned of the violent death of his cousin John the Baptist who King Herod had beheaded, so he was seeking some solitude where he could grieve for John. Even in his human grief, people kept flocking to him as we are told that a large crowd kept following him because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Word had spread like wildfire and people were coming from all over to see this man called Jesus, to hear his words of comfort, and maybe get some relief from their suffering. We’re told that Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down with his disciples to assess the situation. The festival of Passover was approaching, and he saw this as a teachable moment. When he saw the large crowd coming towards them and swelling in numbers by the minute, he said to Philip: Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat? My Study Bible says that if anyone knew where to get food, it would have been Philip because he was from Bethsaida, a town about nine miles away. But Jesus was testing Philip to strengthen his faith as he already knew what he was going to do. Philip responded: Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little. Wanting to be helpful, one of the 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? That probably got some snickers and eye rolls from the other disciples. But by asking for a human solution, knowing there was none, Jesus was about to highlight the powerful and miraculous act he was about to perform. When he asked Philip where they could buy such a great amount of bread, Philip started assessing the probable costs. He was thinking in human terms, and why not? He had seen Christ perform other amazing miracles, although none on such a grand scale, and was probably flattered that Christ would ask him, and he didn’t want to disappoint. He was just putting it out there. One of the lessons that Jesus wanted to teach the disciples and us is that financial resources are not the most important ones. Sometimes throwing money at a problem doesn’t accomplish what you want and there are other more effective ways of getting the job done or resolving the issue. Jesus was about to show them how.
He then says: Make the people sit down. We’re told there was a great deal of grass in the place, so they sat down, about five thousand in all. At that time, when a head count was conducted it was only men who were counted, so we can assume the actual number was closer to fifteen thousand or more when you include all the women and children who also came to see this healer. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also with 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. The disciples 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 amazing thing he had done, they began to say: This is indeed the prophet who is come into the world, referencing Deuteronomy 18: 15, 18 where it says: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth and he will tell them everything I command him. The people were beginning to put it all together.
The disciples in this story are contrasted with the young boy who brought what he had which made all the difference. It’s a message to us that whatever it is we have to offer those who God sends to us for help makes a difference in their lives if given with a willing and loving heart. And as I was writing this sermon on Wednesday afternoon I got a call from a woman at the Tri-Area Community Center looking for a referral. She had a homeless woman at the center looking for help and we were the first ones she thought to call. The lady, age 75, came to the church and we talked. She’s living in her car and has no place to go. The owner of the place where she was living decided to move back in and evicted everyone. I took her information and called Bayside Housing and Services who told her to come over and put in an application. I then gave her a QFC card for gasoline and took her to our food pantry. I tried to find her a motel room but the two in our area were full. But she was grateful and felt encouraged that someone out there took the time to do what they could.
What Jesus is telling us is to use what we have and to trust God to take it from there. But if we offer nothing to God, he will have nothing to work with. He can take what little we have and turn it into something great, exceeding our wildest expectations. And in performing these modern-day miracles, these acts of love and mercy, Jesus usually prefers working through people, ordinary people like you and me. He took what a young child had to offer and used it to accomplish one of the most spectacular miracles recorded in the Gospels. And he showed that age is no barrier to Christ, so we must never think we are too young or, in our case, too old to be of service to him. And there is a lesson in the leftovers. God gives in abundance, and he takes whatever we can offer him in time, ability, or resources and multiplies its effectiveness beyond our wildest dreams. If you take the first step in making yourself available to God, he will show you how greatly you can be used to advance the work of his kingdom.
For people who are desperately hungry, or homeless, or unemployed there is no better way for us to show God’s love to them than to help provide for their physical needs. However, as we work to bring wholeness to people’s lives, we must never ignore the fact that in addition to their physical needs they also have spiritual needs. Therefore, we must remember that it is impossible to minister effectively to the spiritual needs without considering the physical as well. So, as we help to meet their physical needs, they will come to know God better through our selfless acts of kindness and generosity and know that God truly knows that they exist and will hopefully turn fully to him for guidance, peace and comfort.
I know this to be a fact as I have witnessed what God has done with our three mission rooms that started out with a few blankets and towels, a few pair of shoes, some coats and assorted clothing, and a small supply of donated food. God took what little we had to offer and performed one of his amazing miracles by multiplying it beyond our wildest imagination, and in the process showed us how to become part of the solution, part of the solution in Jesus’ name.
Let us pray.
Here I am, Lord. I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart. Gracious Lord, use what we have to offer as disciples of your Son Jesus Christ to transform the world of those around us who need to experience your forgiveness and to know of your unconditional love. Use us to perform the modern-day miracles of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, welcoming the stranger, and quenching the thirst of those who are seeking the living water of your truth. Move us through the guidance of your Holy Spirit to see the problems all around us and to be a part of the solution. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.