August 2, 2020
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois
Matthew 14:13-21
I was hiking with my parents in the
I wonder if that is what it was like for the crowd in our
scripture today. They gathered around Jesus, and as evening approached, they
shared a meal. It wasn’t the food that made the occasion memorable – just fish
and bread – but it was the circumstances.
Jesus had withdrawn to a deserted place, hoping to be alone.
What had he heard that had caused him pain? John the Baptist, who had baptized
Jesus in the
The hour grew late, and the crowd showed no sign of
dispersing. The disciples, concerned for the people, come to Jesus to talk
about the food situation. People are getting hungry. You should probably tell
them it’s time to go. But Jesus, who knows the people are not yet ready to get
on with their lives, didn’t send them away. Instead, he took what little food
they had, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. “And all ate and were
filled.”
It must have been one of those moments of epiphany for the
people, when suddenly the talking stops and everyone takes notice that
something is happening. The image of
one person giving food to a great crowd would have brought to mind their
history. Some would have recalled the miracle of Elisha, in the book of Second
Kings, who gave food to a hundred people.[1]
Others might have thought of Moses and the tribes of Israel, wandering the
wilderness, who were fed with manna from heaven.[2]
Some may only have seen and been touched by the generosity and faith of Jesus, offering
so little to so many, yet trusting that God would provide. And they likely
thought about what had happened to John, and perhaps worried about the future.
Whatever came to their minds, they sat, and they ate, and they remembered this
meal.
Is there some meal that you remember that has special
significance? Maybe it was a time when the whole family was together, or you
had a special guest. Perhaps you recall a wedding feast or the funeral of a
loved one as stories were shared around the table. You may not remember the taste
of the food, but the event stands out in your mind. The Last Supper Jesus had
with his disciples had that quality, and the same sense of happening. As they sat at that table with Jesus, I’m sure their
memories went back to that day in the deserted place, when Jesus took, blessed,
broke, gave. And they ate and were filled.
“And they took up what was left over of the broken pieces,
twelve baskets full.” This image of abundance recalls to us the generosity of
God, the greatness of God, the power of God to bring a feast in the desert. So
little to share, so many people, and there were leftovers. Where did it all
come from?
There are many less-than-satisfactory explanations. Maybe
they all just took a little piece, like the little squares of communion bread
we eat at church. That doesn’t explain how they all were filled, unless you
take that phrase to mean a spiritual fullness. Maybe they all had brought food
with them, and, when Jesus asked, shared with one another. That is certainly logical,
but less than inspirational. Maybe Jesus did some magic, presto, and look at
all the bread now! He was Jesus, after all. But that just seems hokey, and
doesn’t feel real.
An explanation that I favor points out a key blindness of
the person telling the story. The theologian, Rosemary Radford Reuther, writes:
“The reason there was so much food was that all the women, as women are wont to
do, brought picnic baskets, food enough for themselves, their children and one
or two neighbors. So of course, there was more than enough for all. But since
the women and children were not counted, the gospel writer did not know where
the food came from and presumed it was a miracle performed by Jesus.”[3]
In other words, Matthew just didn’t see the whole picture – he missed
something.
Matthew records “five thousand men, besides women and
children.” Adding in the women and children, there may have been upwards of
thirty-thousand people there! This huge crowd had not spontaneously assembled;
news had passed from person to person and household to household. The women,
knowing they might miss dinner, brought food for their families, and a little
extra to share if a neighbor had brought nothing. In those days, women did not
“count” as people, and so were overlooked. Their contribution to the meal was
overlooked as well.
Christian charity has its roots in the Jewish understanding
of hospitality. Care for the poor, the widow, and the orphan was an ancient
directive, almost on the level of a commandment. Hospitality, love of neighbor,
caring for the poor, the sick, “the least of these”; this part of the ministry
of Jesus was already being lived out by the women of the community who made
sure that “all ate and were filled.”
There may have been many more baskets of leftovers than the twelve
collected by the disciples of Jesus. Perhaps the women kept some to feed those
left at home. The leftovers may be the real story. God works through us,
through people, to accomplish what is good, and true, and miraculous. As the
food was brought back home to the sick and the shut-ins, the story was told,
the blessing was shared, and word of the compassion and faith of Jesus spread.
The miracle wasn’t the food itself; it was the circumstances – it was the
people, serving as the hands of God.
I encourage all of us to think about what to do with our
leftovers. The biblical text says only that they took up what was left over. Reuther
suggests that the women took what was left back home to share with others. What
in our lives is left over, extra, more than we need, and what can we do with it?
I’m not just talking about sharing free veggies in front of the church, or giving
to the food pantry, though those acts are important. What is the extra stuff
that fills our barns, and how can we use it to make a difference in the lives
of others? Is the rummage sale an opportunity for grand generosity? What about
the free time we have, time in which we could help those in need? Each of us
may only be able to offer a little, but what can we accomplish when we do it
together?
God is ready to make miracles – but we need to help make
them happen. Jesus said “You give them something to eat.” Another theologian,
Barbara Brown Taylor, sees this as a call to action: “Not me but you; not my
bread but yours; not sometime or somewhere else but right here and now. Stop
looking for someone else to solve the problem and solve it yourselves. Stop
waiting for food to fall from the sky and share what you have. Stop waiting for
a miracle and participate in one instead.”[4]
The disciples have little, but Jesus will show them how it’s done: “Bring them
here to me.” Have some faith, ask God for help, and start passing the food!
God is ready to make miracles. All that is needed are
willing hands, compassionate hearts, and a community where love is shared. Bring
what little you have to God, and be ready to share the leftovers. This is the
place; the time is now. Let’s make something happen. Let’s be miracle workers.
[1] 2
Kings 4:42-44.
[2]
Exodus 16.
[3] Rosemary
Radford Reuther, "Miracle of the loaves and picnic baskets: uncounted women
make world food go round" (National Catholic Reporter, Sept 6, 1996).
FindArticles.com. 02 Aug. 2008. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_n38_v32/ai_18676179.
[4] Barbara Brown Taylor, The Seeds of Heaven: Sermons on the Gospel of Matthew (Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), p. 53.
