August 2, 2020 Matthew 14.13-21 “Jesus Said, ‘Give Them
Something to Eat’ ” Pastor Jacqueline Hines
After 18 weeks of the pandemic, surely we have
heard God’s voice in small and great ways, reminding us of God’s love for us,
reminding us of the blessing of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Whether we have had more time to do certain things or less time to do certain
things, because God is God, we can be a walking praise, a neon sign that says
God is good, and God’s mercy endures forever.
Let’s look to the gospel of Matthew chapter 14
for the telling of Jesus feeding 5,000 people.
Matthew tells us that Jesus went away to a
deserted place after hearing that John the Baptist had died. He took a boat
ride to a deserted place perhaps to mourn. Verse 13 tells us 13Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a
deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on
foot from the towns.
Sounds like Jesus was taking time to have the
peace and quiet which is a blessing that we all need from time to time!
On his way back to shore, Jesus could see that
a crowd was waiting for him. Verse 14 says 14When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion
for them and cured their sick.
Perhaps you have looked up and seen a crowd
waiting for you. Once I planned a meeting with a group of clergy women. It was
in the days before cell phones. I was waylaid with an urgency with one of my
Germantown parishioners and by the time I arrived, I expected that they would
all be gone. What a nice surprise it was to see them sitting on the floor in
front of my apartment door, waiting patiently for me.
Another time, on a rainy day, my tires were
getting bald and as I was attempting to stop at a four way intersection, my car
continued through the red light. No one blew their horn or screamed obscenities
out of their window or gave me the sparrow…All those strangers in their cars
waited patiently as I backed up out of their way.
Jesus saw a crowd waiting for him. One can
imagine that it was a crowd that cared, a crowd that was waiting patiently,
waiting knowing that God is good and something good is always happening and
something good is always coming our way and something good is always worth
waiting for.
The crowd had found Jesus and was waiting for
him. Matthew reminds us that there are times when we must go where Jesus is. We
must find him and wait for him.
Even today there are large crowds that look
for Jesus. We may have seen such a crowd in a stadium listening to Joyce Meyer
teach in Missouri or listening to Rick Warren at Saddleback church, the sixth
largest megachurch in the US.
Scholars
tell us that every crowd is not the same. We have seen most every type of crowd
in the last few months with various types of purposes. Crowds can be conventional,
casual, and passive like an audience at a concert, a church service or sidewalk
dining. Others crowds are expressive, gathering to demonstrate and make a
particular point. Other crowds form during a time of panic to escape a fire or
a mass shooter. Some crowds are acquisitive when resources are limited. They may
become emotionally intense, growing into mobs. We know there are all kinds of
crowds and all kinds of people in each crowd.
There
had to be all types of people in that crowd waiting for Jesus. No matter what
type of crowd it was, at some point, it is safe to say that some in the crowd
were hungry, some were tired, frustrated or angry. There were those in the
crowd who were hopeful and optimistic and some who were hurting with enough heartache,
aches, pains and ailments that needed healing and help.
How did
Jesus feel about this crowd? Did he want to run the other way and not be
bothered? Did he feel more important than they were? No. He felt compassion for
them.
Are you like Jesus? Is there a certain
person in a particular situation that stirs your feelings of compassion? Do you
feel compassion when you see those Covenant House commercials of homeless
teenagers telling how they slept on park benches, or those St. Jude commercials
of children with terminal diseases, or those ads on milk cartons of missing
toddlers, or those documentaries of families starving in third world or widows
weeping behind the still iron curtain? Perhaps there is a family member or
neighbor that breaks your heart every time you think of them and you tear up
and find every way you can think of to take away their suffering and make them
smile.
Jesus felt compassion for the crowd. His
heart was stirred to be kind, to show mercy, and tenderness. We are like Jesus
when we feel feelings of compassion.
Still, as Christians, we may, from time
to time, find ourselves praying that Jesus would fill our hearts with feelings
of compassion because we feel so empty. We may pray to be purged of our craving
for vengeance, of our hate, hard heartedness, and ferociousness. There is
enough in every life for which to praise God every hour and repent every day.
Jesus had compassion. We are like Jesus.
We pray to be more and more like Jesus.
Jesus not only had compassion on the
crowd that day, but he cured the sick. We think about our health a lot. We
often need healing for one situation or another. We worry about our health a
lot, and we are so very grateful when our health and the health of our loved
ones is restored. Jesus has compassion on those who are in need of healing.
When was the last time you went to Jesus
about your health? Do it today! Do it today! Jesus loves us, feels compassion
for us. Jesus is for us, not against us. Nothing is impossible and when things
are not yet what we want them to be, just know that God has a purpose and a
plan and everything is going to be alright!
The crowd waited for Jesus. They were sick, they were tired, they were happy,
and they were sad. Whatever they were, Jesus had compassion on them, healed
them – to one degree or another – as he does today, and when it was getting
late and the disciples wanted to send the crowd away so they could get
something to eat, Jesus said, they do not need to go away, you give them
something to eat. Verse 15 says 15When it was evening, the
disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now
late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food
for themselves.” 16Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them
something to eat.” 17They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two
fish.”
Isn’t that our call to feed one another,
to nurture one another, to help share something so that others can taste and
see that the Lord is good… to contribute to one another’s wellbeing, even to
cure and heal each other in one degree or another?
Isn’t that our call to
receive the compassion that Jesus has and share it as the Spirit leads us?
Isn’t Jesus calling us to be human toward those in front of us, when they are
hungry, tired, sick, angry, optimistic, or pessimistic? Isn’t it our calling to
trust that little becomes much when we put it in the hands of Jesus?
Think of that person or situation for
which you feel the least compassion. Does that image appear on the evening news?
Is he or she among your family or friends? Who is it? Where do they live? What
do they think of you? How do they feel about you? What do you think of them?
How do you feel about them?
Are you willing to receive from Jesus any
compassion so that you can show that person that you care? Are you willing to
give Jesus your hand and your heart so he can guide you to follow instructions
that will help you to be more like him, blessing others – learning to care for
those in spite of yourself.
Verse 8 tells us that he gave them
specific directions.
19Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the
five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the
loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the
crowds.
20And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over
of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.
21And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women
and children.
Yes, we are called to do great things…to
feed hungry souls who are hurting rather than send them away to fend for
themselves, rather than be overwhelmed – thinking there is nothing God can do
with us. It is our call to do our part to heal souls in need of healing and being
treated like a human being.
At the very least we are called to pray
for each other. It is not the easiest thing to pray for someone that you don’t
care about, or someone you think does not deserve to be blessed, or someone who
owes you. It is not easy to pray.
One thing that will help is for you to picture
Jesus with his arms compassionately around you and that person every day. A
picture is worth a thousand words. Picturing Jesus loving each of us is a
prayer in itself. Prayer can make pain and many problems go away. May it be so
for each of us today and always.
Let us pray: Merciful and compassionate
God, use us as healing agents today. Thank you for the sympathy and tenderness
you have shown us, for the way you have filled our life with abundant
blessings. Help us not to withhold the good you have given us, but help us to
be a blessing to everyone you guide us to, especially to those we need to show
more care and compassion. We pray as you taught us to pray: Our father who art
in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth
as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.
Next week we go to the
14th chapter of Matthew and the topic, “Jesus said, ‘Be
encouraged’”
If you would like to make your contribution to
the ministry and mission of Bethel, the website is Bethelumchurch.com
Or you can send to 952 Bethel Church Road,
Spring City, Pa. 19475. God bless you!
We are closing with Donna’s rendition of “What A Fellowship”
song – Donna Upson - What A Fellowship - available on youtube version of this message.
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