Bible Readings: Matthew 14:13-21, Romans 9:1-5
The story of when Jesus fed over 5,000 people is one of the most dramatic events in history. It is one of the greatest, and certainly one of the best-known miracles, performed by Jesus, the Son of God. No ordinary tale, it is recorded in all four gospels. In it we see something of the wonder of God’s care for his children. It is easy for us to be blasé about such a familiar passage, so I want to remind us of how amazing this event was.
Jesus initially went to a place to rest on his own (verse 13). He had heard about the beheading of John the Baptist and had gone to lie low for a while and probably to grieve. He wanted some personal time out. He was also no doubt glad of a rest, which was something he wouldn’t have experienced too often with 12 disciples and crowds around him. However, when he saw that a crowd had followed him, he had compassion on them. As he always did, he put their needs before his own. Most people in Jesus’ position would have told them to leave him in peace, as many do today, requesting the media for privacy. Not Jesus. He’s more of a “I can wait; these people can’t.” kind of person. Even though he was putting himself at risk (given what had happened to John) he chose to help and heal. Not because of any obligation – he simply wanted to.
This miracle shows Jesus’ compassion and generosity. We don’t know how much time he gave to healing the sick in this huge crowd but he seemed to be intending to go all night if necessary. When evening was approaching the disciples advised Jesus to tell everyone to go home. After all, the crowd had come to him for healing, not for dinner! Jesus did not have to feed them. But again, he chose to do so.
This miracle also shows the power of Jesus. Jesus could have thought ‘Oh I see. Let’s forget the whole food thing’, when he discovered that only five loaves and two fish were at his disposal. But he doesn’t even flinch. He gets on with the job, and everyone in the crowd eats and eats until they are stuffed! Nothing is impossible for God. His will cannot be stifled by circumstance, and his will is to bless his children.
None of the gospels says anything about how this miracle was accomplished. No descriptions of empty baskets suddenly full of food, nor of people pulling packed lunches out of their pockets. There are people who lack so much in faith in the power of God that they have postulated that the people in the crowd actually had food with them and Jesus merely inspired them to share it. I’m sceptical of that notion for at lest two reasons. The decision to follow Jesus around the lake was made on the spur of the moment and acted on immediately. There really was no time for food preparation. Maybe the five loves and two fish were left over from lunch or were being kept for tea.
More importantly, this is not the first time God has made something out of nothing. That’s how he created the universe. He provided manna in the desert daily for 40 years (see Exodus). He provided Elijah and a widow and her son with oil and flour right through a famine. As the Bible says, the flour jar and oil jug were never empty until the rain came and there was food again (see 1 Kings 17). I think you’d have to say that God is into creative catering!
One of the greatest themes of Scripture is God’s special choice (election) of a people to be his own, to worship and obey him and to receive his blessing, provision and protection for ever. He chose the people of Israel not because they were the biggest and best but simply because that was his sovereign decision; he had made a promise to their ancestors and he loved them (Deuteronomy 7:7-11). Fundamental to this theme is that he is an unfailingly generous and loving God (Deuteronomy 8:1-20). The people of Israel were encouraged by God to expect that, if they kept his commandments, they would be blessed, both spiritually and materially, way beyond what they could have hoped for.
At the time of Jesus it was expected that when the Messiah came he would inaugurate a time of incredible blessing on all levels. The feeding of the 5,000 is a fantastic miracle and clearly made a great impact on Jesus’ followers simply at the level of miraculously providing food. However, there is more to it than that. Most Jews knew their ancestral history very well and would have detected the resonances with how God had miraculously fed them in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:3,16). John 6 brings out this deeper meaning very well as the author describes how Jesus moved on to talk about himself as the Bread of Life. The twelve baskets left over recall in a strange way the twelve tribes of Israel who constituted the people of God.
This miracle was performed for Jews, but even this could not bring the people of Israel to reconciliation with God. Romans 9:1-5 (written years later) tells of Paul’s frustration with Israel’s disobedience towards God. In his letter to the Romans, one of Paul’s main aims is to explain how God, while not rejecting his people Israel, has made it possible for the Gentiles to share in their blessing. At the beginning of chapter 9 Paul celebrates the fantastic privileges accorded to Israel – adoption, divine glory, covenants, Law, temple, promises and patriarchs. His deepest grief is that so few of them seemed prepared to acknowledge the Messiah now that he had come.
Jesus was a Jew and preached to Jews and engaged with the Jewish authorities. But they did not all respond positively to him. It shows how easy it is for believers, both Jews and non-Jews, to forget what God has done for them. It is important for us to focus continuously on God’s blessings upon our lives. Which is one application.
The most obvious application is for us to share our food with those who are hungry. The idea that the miracle was accomplished by the people sharing the food they’d brought is very convenient for this application. We just don’t need to detract from God’s power in that way. Believing this provision of food was a creative act of God doesn’t change the application. We are God’s means of action in the world so, yes, we are to share the abundance he has given us. New Zealand’s Rich List was announced this week. To many kiwis these people seem unnecessarily wealthy. Remember the figure beside each name is not their personal annual income, it is the total of what they own or control. It’s what they might have in the bank if they sold everything they own. The list does not tell us their personal income nor what they do with it – though we think they generally get more than we’d know what to do with. There’s also been talk recently that the very rich are not sharing as much as they could. Bill Hybells describes such people as afflicted with affluence. But don’t envy their money. Whatever income level we’re dealing with the message is the same for us as it is for them: You can’t take it with you; but you can send it on ahead. In other words, it’s no use to any of us once we’re dead, but it is very useful now and God remembers the good things we do with what we have.
We aren’t in a position to throw money around – we need to be careful and sensible. So take your cue from Jesus. Follow his example of putting others’ needs ahead of your own. I’ve memorised Philippians 2:3,4 to keep me mindful of this one: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” It is not a good idea to drain oneself; one needs to live sustainably. Look after yourself so that you can look after others. Jesus took time out and we also need to. Get your sleep. Relax; don’t stress. Some stress gets us active; too much stress makes us sick. Keep balanced. Eat all your meals and make them good-for-you meals preferring quality over quantity.
And when God’s Spirit leads you, follow. Put all you’ve got into what the Spirit leads you to do, but don’t exhaust yourself trying to do what only God can do. Leave that to Him. Trust God to use his power so that his will is accomplished. And be prepared to do something different or the same thing differently, just as Jesus did when he fed 5,000+ people from virtually nothing.