Big trees. Deep lakes. Rushing waters. Mountains. I drank in the beauty of God’s creation on a recent trip to Holden Village in the Cascade mountains and marveled in the abundance of life in the lush rainforest of Olympic National Park. It lifts my spirits to be nature – especially in the mountains – and to be at Holden Village with a group from here and First Lutheran where we ended each day with worship in community and ice cream after feasting on a day of full of some combination of hiking, learning, creating, eating, resting, reading, playing and and sharing stories together. Of course, there are challenges there too – but if I were to draw a picture of what God’s kingdom is like, this would come close. Maybe you have an image like that – perhaps of a cabin up North or fishing on the lake, a walk by a creek or river, a flower garden or summer picnic or a community of family and friends coming together to enjoy one another’s company and good food together. This is what I imagine when I think of God’s abundance.
In today’s Gospel story, Jesus feeds the whole crowd of 5,000 plus women and children with a mere five loaves of bread and two fish – and ends up with twelve huge baskets of leftovers. This miracle story is well known – in part because this is the only story that shows up in every Gospel. There are a few differences. There’s no little boy sharing his lunch in Matthew’s account. And, Matthew and Mark have not one but two stories of Jesus feeding the crowd. So, since it shows up 6 times, clearly this is an important story for the Gospel writers. It’s also an important story for us to hear again –even though it is well known-- because it not only illustrates the surprising abundance of God, especially when we are anticipating scarcity but it also invites the disciples and us to be an integral part of God’s abundant, loving, grace-filled kingdom.
This miracle story is reminiscent of God feeding God’s people in the wilderness. After leaving Egypt, they were hungry and complained to Moses that even though they were slaves, they were better off in Egypt because at least they had food to eat there. Moses prayed to God – and God rained quail and manna on them – and they were filled. Another miracle of abundance when the people assumed that food was in scarce supply.
Food was also scarce for the people of God when they returned to Jerusalem after exile. To a people in distress, Isaiah prophecies that God’s kingdom is coming. He cries out: “Ho!” Pay attention! You who are thirsty – Come and drink! You who are hungry – come and eat. Don’t worry about the cost – no money is needed. Come and delight in good food and listen so that you may live.” Isaiah 55
Listen so that you may live. This was the word of hope for the people of Isaiah’s day. A word of hope and assurance that God had not abandoned them, that the Kingdom of God was coming… and it was coming for them. The people listened and were blessed… but they were still waiting for Isaiah’s prophecy to come true.
When Jesus fed the people with God’s word and then, miraculously, turned five little loaves of bread and two small fish into an abundance of food for all – this prophecy began to come to life. As Jesus fed the people’s hearts, minds and bodies, Jesus begins to reveal the way of the kingdom of God.
Taken by itself, the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 sounds like a happy picnic on a grassy hill outside the city. But right before this event, Jesus received some very disturbing news. King Herod had thrown a lavish dinner party full of rich food and drink for the rich and powerful people he invited. His step-daughter had danced. But there was a price for her dance: the head of John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, on a platter. Hearing the news of John’s death, it is no wonder that Jesus retreated outside the city to the mountainside –perhaps seeking time to be refreshed by the beauty of God’s creation, to mourn the loss of his cousin and to take time for rest and renewal.
No one could blame Jesus for wanting a little R&R. But the word was out. Up to this point in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus has been primarily teaching and healing people. And people were in desperate need for both. People followed him out to the mountainside. People came who were hungry for God’s word and people came who were hurting and needing healing. And, unlike Herod and his kingdom who acted with power and might and did not provide for the poor, the sick and the hungry of heart, Jesus shows compassion for the people and begins teaching, healing, and caring for their minds, hearts and bodies.
Maybe they were getting hungry – or even hangry – either way, the disciples notice it is getting late – and they have very little food – and there are a lot of people. They counted noses and they counted fish and bread and came up very, very, short. They get worried. They don’t have enough.
I have some compassion for the disciples. When hosting a party, it’s a common concern: do you have enough food? Looking at their food and the crowd before them, the disciples were in a bit of a predicament. They didn’t invite anyone. These people – lots of people - just showed up. And now it is late. And they were getting hungry. All the disciples can see is scarcity - they don’t have enough and don’t see any way of getting enough. So they suggests to Jesus that he send the people away.
But scarcity is not a part of God’s kingdom. Scarcity is a part of the kingdom of Herod that hoards, wastes and refuses to care for the neighbor. The kingdom of Herod with all its abuse of power and people and misuse, waste and destruction of God’s gifts exemplifies the opposite of God’s abundant life-giving, loving kingdom. The kingdom of Herod is death. The kingdom of God brings life. Jesus wasn’t buying into the kingdom of scarcity. Instead he said, “you give them something to eat.”
The disciples – and we – live in a culture that sees, breathes and operates under the principle of scarcity, supply and demand. The disciples weren’t trying to be rude. They just couldn’t figure out a way a way to solve their problem. Sometimes we fall into the same predicament.
The other day I heard on the news that the United States was chairing the United Nations this quarter and making “Food Scarcity” a focus. There are people all over the world who experience “food scarcity” – which means that they don’t have a reliable source of food. This includes people in Africa, South America, and in Minnesota. Loaves and Fishes – which because of the pandemic now offers to-go meals – serves people at Brunswick Methodist in Crystal and Mt. Olivet in Plymouth. Our neighborhood food shelves – both NEAR and PRISM-- are busy. Food scarcity is problem here and it remains a world-wide problem. I am glad that the UN is working to address it. But according to experts, the problem isn’t that the world doesn’t produce enough food. The problem is distribution, access, waste, hoarding and greed. For example, Ukraine’s grain is stuck in the elevators because Russia refuses to let the shipments of food out of the harbor. The problem for countries that do have food is that we waste it in lots of ways - tons of food is thrown out because it doesn’t meet grocery standards or because restaurants who can’t serve it or because it goes bad during shipments or in our refrigerators. The list goes on.
The problem of food scarcity can be overwhelming. Like the disciples, it is tempting to simply throw up our hands and try to send the hungry people away – not our problem. Or, we sometimes we feel guilty but become overwhelmed and don’t feel as if we can make a difference. Or, maybe we repeat the line some of us heard as kids: clean your plate because children are starving in China – that one never made sense to me. But all of these responses are in response to the kingdom of Herod, the kingdom of scarcity.
It was only after Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and broke it that the miracle happened. Then Jesus took the bread and gave it to the disciples who then gave it to the people – and all were fed and there were leftovers! Even the leftovers were not wasted – they were carefully saved so that those who were yet to come could also eat.
In a sermon on this passage, pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber writes, “When I rely only on my strengths which, trust me, are few, when I think I have only my small stingy little heart from which to draw love for those I serve, when the waters are rough and storms are real and I am scared – filled with fear of what is happening or not happening in the church…filled with fear that everyone will see nothing in me but my inadequacies, I have forgotten about Jesus- my Jesus who’s making something out of my nothing and walking towards me in the storm. That’s our guy. The Man of sorrows familiar with suffering, friend of scoundrels and thieves, forgiver of his own executioners, resurrected on the 3rdday, the lamb who was slain, the great defeater of death and griller of fish and savior of sinners.”1
Like Pastor Nadia, when we are overwhelmed with scarcity, we need to remember that it is Jesus who is bringing in the kingdom of God. Our role, like that of the disciples, is to first receive the bread and all of God’s gifts with thankful hearts and then, like the disciples, share that gift with our neighbors – not fearing scarcity but trusting God to produce more than enough.
Pastor Nadia writes, “I wonder if, like the disciples, we too make the mistake of not always realizing how different God is from us and what a good thing that is. That we have a God who can actually feed so many on so little. A God who created the universe out of nothing, that can put flesh on dry bones of nothing, that can put life in a dry womb of nothing, NOTHING is God’s favorite material to work with. Perhaps God looks upon that which we dismiss as “nothing” “Insignificant” “worthless” and says “Ha! Now that I can do something with”. 1
How often do we do that to ourselves – dismiss what we have to offer as “nothing” or “insignificant.” And yet we can turn to God, the one who makes something out of nothing. For God’s kingdom is a world of abundance, with more than enough to share. It is not here yet but Jesus began ushering in God’s kingdom, the kingdom that Isaiah prophesied saying, “Come and delight in good food and listen so that you may live.” Isaiah 55
God’s kingdom is still on the way. But it is coming and you are a part of it. So, listen that you may live. Take heart. Eat and drink in the abundance God has provided – and, like the disciples, let us learn to share the bread and fish and wine and resources that God has entrusted to us so that, trusting in God and acting in the way of Jesus, all may be fed. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran + August 6, 2023 + Pastor Pamela Stalheim Lane
1Nadia BolzWeber https://www.patheos.com/blogs/nadiabolzweber/2015/07/sermon-on-the-feeding-of-the-5000-preached-for-pastors-musicians-and-church-leaders/