You Give Them Something to Eat

Based on Matthew 14:13-21

First delivered August 2, 2020

Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr

            They were cousins, John and Jesus. We don’t know anything about what relationship they had. But we can guess that it would be like typical cousins. They must have played together when their mothers, Elizabeth and Mary, got together. Imagine the conversations John and Jesus had growing up. From the beginning they knew that their lives were intertwined in a special way, John as the greatest prophet ever, the forerunner, the one who would prepare the way of the Lord. And Jesus, the Son of God, the savior of the world. They had a relationship that no one else could have, a relationship that no one could fully grasp.

            When Jesus heard of John’s death, and how it happened, the circumstances behind it, you can imagine how that had to have hurt Jesus deeply. Like any of us, Jesus needed some time and space to grieve. As soon as he heard the news, he withdrew by boat to a deserted place so that he could be alone. He was compelled to get away from the demands of life so that he could be alone with God and process this difficult loss.

            For those of us who have gone through times of grief, we wish the world would stop. People are going on about their business, going to work, going to movies, going out to eat, and all we wish to do is stay in our grief while the world passes us by. The world doesn’t stop. And for Jesus, the demands for his attention didn’t let up. As soon as the crowds heard that Jesus had left them, they set out after him by foot. Whether they had heard why Jesus left, and it’s very likely they did know the reason, their needs compelled them to track him down. Surely they knew that Jesus needed some time to deal with his grief. But their desperation for healing overrode whatever sympathy they may have had for Jesus in his time of grief. They were hurting as well, and Jesus was the only one who could provide for them the healing they needed. So, the crowd tracked him down and met him at the shoreline as he got out of his boat.

            It would be completely understandable if Jesus had asked his disciples to run interference for him so that he could have some space. He just needed one night alone. Just a little space to breathe, to grieve, to tend to the hurt in his heart.

            But Jesus was driven by compassion. He saw that large crowd filled with desperate people. They had not walked all that way to pester him with questions. They were not interested in arguing with him. They weren’t even there to hear a good sermon or to learn something. No, they had gone all that way because someone they loved, or even themselves, were sick and needed cured. Jesus is the great physician and they needed healing. His compassionate heart compelled Jesus to override his need to be alone with God for a season. He was compelled to offer what only he could offer…a healing touch.

            The best way I can relate to Jesus’ compassion for those people is thinking about when Kim and I were raising our kids. When they were babies, it didn’t matter how tired we were. Their needs came first, whether that meant stopping what we were doing to change a diaper or rocking them to sleep at 3 in the morning, if they needed something we had to provide for them. Our boys depended on us to give them what they could not provide for themselves. We had time to tend to our needs, but their needs took priority.

            In the same way, Jesus provides for us what we cannot provide for ourselves. Living a life as a follower of Jesus is not easy. We are distracted by many things. We often forget that we represent Jesus in the world. We neglect to love God and love others as we love ourselves. We grow tired and weary. We need spiritual and emotional energy to stay on the narrow path. We need to be motivated and inspired to live our lives after the example of Jesus. That’s what Jesus does for us. Jesus provides for us that spark, that energy, that motivation, that grace to keep living a life of love that honors God. Just like what we read in the gospel of John, Jesus said, “I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” We depend on Jesus to do what is right and loving.

            Earlier this week was the home-going service for John Lewis. Several inspiring speeches were given that captured what his life was like and the legacy that he has left for us to draw inspiration from. Jenifer Holiday sang a few songs to break up the speeches. Just before Barack Obama spoke, she sang “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.” At one point in the song, Jenifer is pleading, “We need you now.” Sometimes we need Jesus to take us by the hand, to lift us up when we are weary and tired, to lift us up and lead us on the path set before us. That’s what only Jesus can do for us. With compassion that is unbowed, Jesus is there for us to lift us up and keep us going.

            As the evening drew on, the disciples began to feel some compassion of their own. They saw this large crowd of people, men, women and children, who had rushed out so quickly to meet Jesus by the lakeshore that they had brought little or nothing to eat. They saw children starting to get a little crabby, complaining about being hungry. It was probably time to wrap things up and send people away so they could go into the villages and get something to eat. Everyone can rest up and come back the next day for more healings and more teachings.

            But Jesus wanted his disciples to learn something about what Jesus can do that we can’t do for ourselves. He wanted the disciples to learn that sending people away to fend for themselves was not always the compassionate move. Yes, the need was great. We are told that there were about 5,000 men in the crowd. Let’s assume half of them were there with their wives. That gets you to 7,500. And let’s say that half of those couples brought a child with them. That gets you to 8,750. I think that’s a conservative number. There could have easily been 10,000 people in that crowd. What other options were there than to send the people away? The need was so great. But Jesus wanted the disciples to learn that with Jesus all things are possible, that in the economy of the kingdom of God there is always enough, if we trust in Jesus. They couldn’t help these people by themselves with their own resources. But with Jesus there will be enough.

            They brought all they had available, five loaves of bread and two fish to feed perhaps 10,000 people, and Jesus took it from there. He received all they had to meet the need, blessed it, gave it back to them, and they distributed it to the crowds. And it was more than enough. This is not just a miracle. It is a sign of what the kingdom of God is like, a community in which there is an abundance.

            Are we not tempted to send away those who are in need? Especially when we find ourselves with someone whose needs are great and our resources are few or not helpful, what else can we do but try to point them to agencies or other resources that can address their needs? I carry in my backpack papers that list all the different agencies in the Columbus area that address all kinds of needs. It’s called a Street Card. If someone is homeless, or has substance abuse issues, or needs clothes, or food, or healthcare, it’s on that sheet. I guess if you send someone away with that street card, that’s something. Still, that command from Jesus rings in our ears when we find ourselves confronted with someone who is in need. “You give them something to eat.” Don’t send them away to fend for themselves. Do something. Offer all you can.

            But remember that when Jesus met the needs of others, he did not do it from the place of duty. He certainly didn’t respond to feed his ego or feel better about himself. He responded to the needs of others from the place of compassion. Compassion is what stirs in us the drive to do what we can for those in need. We aren’t Jesus. We can’t meet all the needs of everyone. But compassion compels us to respond the best we know how. Compassion propels us to respond with what we have, trusting that Jesus will bless what we offer. Will it be enough? All we can do is offer what we have to those in need and trust Jesus to take it from there.

            The giving never ends. Compassionate response to those in need is a way of life. The needs of the world never end. We have our own needs, to say nothing of others. Let’s face it. To be human is to be in need. And we can’t always meet our own needs by ourselves. Sometimes we all need a little help from others. If you think about, we all have to depend on each other to meet our needs. Someone has to grow, harvest, and process the food and get it to market. Someone has to make the clothes. Someone has to build the cars and refine the oil. Meeting needs is a large part of what we do in life.

            Sometimes we need to get away from it all, to have some alone time with God where we can rest and even grieve. Jesus finally got his night alone on the mountain. After everyone was well fed and the leftovers were collected, the crowd was sent home. Then Jesus went up the mountain to grieve the violent murder of his cousin, John. The next day, Jesus came down the mountain and got back at it, fulfilling his purpose.

            It is ok for us to have some time alone with God, to take that time to be still and rest in God’s presence and even to grieve in the presence of God. We need to tend to our hearts, the pain and sorrow we carry. We need Jesus to heal us. But we can’t stay there. That voice of compassion stirs again in the face of the needs of the world. Again and again, we hear those words of Jesus, “You give them something to eat.”

            I hear that challenge in the face of so much need in our community today. In the battle to contain this virus, our economy has taken a hit such that I don’t think we yet have our minds wrapped around what the fallout can be. The prospect of virtual learning to start off the school year presents another huge set of challenges, especially for single parent households. How can a mother work at the Dollar Tree and know that her two kids will stay on task and do their school work? How can they do that if there is no wi-fi in the house? Just spending a few minutes reflecting on the great need in our community these days can stir up low grade panic. There are so many and the resources seem so puny. But where to send people away? Where can they go?

            In these challenging times when there is so much need, the compassionate voice of Jesus says to us, “You give them something to eat.” What can I give? What can you give? What can we collectively offer up to Jesus so that Jesus can do what only Jesus can do? These times require us to figuratively offer up to Jesus all we have, to bring to Jesus all the bread and fish we can find so that Jesus can bless the resources we have and then give those resources back to us so that we can then distribute them to all who are in need. This is the promise. If we act collectively, offer what we have, and trust Jesus to do what only Jesus can do, we will find that there will not only be enough, there will be an abundance. This is where we can find hope in these hard times.