“5 Loaves for 5K”

As we continue to experience the Word of the Lord together, Let us Pray. Gracious God, You have cared for our needs in ways we do not know, nor can we understand. Help us as we strive to be part of your caring for the world through the mission of your Church. Use this time to further your purpose. Speak Lord, your servants are listening. If these words are not Your Word, may they be forgotten and come to naught. But if they be Thy Word, may they adhere to our hearts, forever transforming us from glory into glory, into the creatures you would have us be, Thou who art our Rock and Redeemer, Amen.

This is one of the most understood, most read, most talked about, most preached about portion of literature ever written and read. This is not a section of the Bible read, that upon hearing it, people say, “I hadn’t heard that one in a while.” It is the only thing that all four gospels all write about, except the crucifixion and resurrection. It is Biblical staple, like milk or bread, stuff that you regularly re-read and re-hear. You have yourselves heard this story, albeit the Matthew version, very ably preached this calendar year by Claude George Tatro, our snappy intern.

Once could wonder, why do we do that, why do we go back again and again to the same stories, to this story. Well, there are several reasons, not the least of which is that this story is obviously important, since it is the lone story from Jesus’ ministry that is covered in all four gospels. And, since it is such a popular story, it has just as many interpretations as it has folks who read it. So, like the others, I want you to add to your full list of what this passage might mean, or what it means for us today, or just what might have happened, this interpretation. Which is the long way of me saying, though you have heard this before, keep your minds open.

Open your ears and your hearts, and hear The Word of the Lord. John 6.1-14:

1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" 10 Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." 13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."

The Grass withers, the Flower falls, but the Word of the Lord endures forever…Thanks be to God.

We always picture it as a warm, possibly Spring kind of day. Folks are following Jesus, and they have been doing so for quite some time. So Jesus decides that it has been a long enough day, let’s all sit down and eat together. Disciples, huddle up here, this is what I want to do, you all use your resources and get enough food for these people to eat. When the disciples object, because of the potential cost, we find that one young boy has food and is willing to share. And then Jesus performs a miracle.

So much of Biblical scholarship is focused on what really happened, almost like a detective, “Just the facts mam.” The miracles have been especially scrutinized, put under the microscope for feasibility, for accuracy. Some people are willing to take the miracles and especially the traditional interpretation, at face value, “If we’ve always understood it that way, that must be the way it was,” and “if it was good enough for my parents that way, it’s good enough for me.” Other folks go the other direction. “If it didn’t happen the way we’ve always understood it, it probably didn’t happen at all.” You can see why often folks will loose faith this way. I say all of that to say this, I think this miracle happened in a different manner than we have traditionally understood it. So, if you want to hold on to your view unchallenged, you might do best to leave the room now, or at least go to sleep.

We have always seemed to understand this miracle as Jesus getting 5 loaves and 2 fish, lifting his eyes to heaven, and then all of a sudden, poof, out of nowhere, the baskets that get passed around are filled, and everyone has more than enough. Maybe that is what happened, I don’t know, I wasn’t there. And unfortunately, the video feed from that day seems to be lacking in its ability to show us what really happened. You know, insufficient evidence because the angle of the camera was blocked by a disciple or two. What if that isn’t what happened, though.

On Tuesday’s, we have staff meetings. Jeremy, Melissa, Judy and I are usually joined by Ken. Ken obviously isn’t a staff member, but he does a lot of web work, as you all know, and it is good for him to be there, saves everybody some time. Plus, afterwards, he and Jeremy practice for the upcoming Sunday’s music, so he’s here anyway. After they finish practicing, Melissa is back downstairs at work, Judy is in her office, and I’m doing whatever it is that I do, and I have the time, so Jeremy, Ken and I go out for lunch. It’s always fun. That’s most every Tuesday. Other than Tuesday, however, I pretty much bring my lunch to work. Leftovers, or turkey sandwiches are usually my fare. Judy hardly ever brings her lunch, cause she doesn’t eat lunch, gets too full for dinner if she does. Not me, if I don’t eat lunch, I notice it by 3.00. So, I always have a plan. Either I’ve got a lunch meeting, or it’s Tuesday, or I bring my lunch with me. I’m no dummy, I know if I’m going to be gone from home for a while, I’d better bring some food with me.

We have friends who don’t travel anywhere without food. She has a very mild case of hypo-glycemia, which manifests itself in that she will get a headache, and get excessively cranky, if she hasn’t had anything to ear for a while. So they always travel with food. What if, just humor me for a little bit, what if folks other than just our friends carried food with them. What if, and stick with me here, what if folks other than myself have historically taken lunches with them when they suspect they will be gone for a little while. I mean, I know it’s a stretch. More likely is that our friends and I are the first people in history to do that, but what if we aren’t.

Imagine that warm day, possibly in Springtime as we always have. Jesus and his disciples cross the water and find the throng has gone home, and still has managed to come back the next morning and found them. It is a long day of teaching and talking, and it is a deserted place. Jesus says to the disciples, “You know what, my stomach is turning, and I can hear yours too, Peter. These people must be hungry, let’s sit down and eat together.” The disciples don’t have any food, and like most humans, tend to be a little self-absorbed. If they don’t have food, certainly no one else could, is their first thought. Kind of familiar maybe, don’t we all tend to be a little like that. Kayla is convinced that everyone likes Strawberries, cause she does. Recently someone told her about their allergy to Strawberries. “But try one, they are good, they’re strawberries.” The disciples didn’t bring food, so they figured no one did, and food would have to be bought. But the passage tells us that the disciples were wrong. Andrew, Peter’s brother, points to a boy who was smart enough to bring something, or at least whose mother wouldn’t let him leave the house without something.

Here’s what I think happened. I think many people, not just one out of 5,000, had the foresight to bring along some food, or at least had someone at home who said, “What, you think you are going to go out without any food?” Not everybody, mind you, but out of 5,000, it is hard for me to believe that only one had some food with them. And you know people, don’t you? If most folks are going to a gathering of people where they aren’t serving food, and you have some, you’ve got it hidden in a pocket, or in a backpack, or somewhere out of view. And won’t you hold it for you and yours, so that you can make sure you have enough? This is as old as elementary school, when you hide your chewing gum from the teacher, so you don’t have to be asked, “Did you bring enough for everyone?” Because on your own, you didn’t.

So, I think many of the people did have food, and Jesus brings forth this boy, who is willing to share his, then Jesus prays over the loaves and fish, and then passes them out. I wonder what was in that prayer. We don’t know, it wasn’t written down for us. Could it be that there were words in praise of those who, like this boy, are willing to share? Could it be that there were words to God asking that those present would all have such a wonderful spirit? See, I think that is precisely what happened. And after being moved by such wonderful words, and by such a wonderful act from the aforementioned boy, maybe the folks in the front row reached into their supply of food, and decided to share. And the folks in the second row saw, and having some fish, grabbed some bread, and then put their excess fish in the basket. And those in the third row, they had more bread, so they grabbed some fish from the basket, and put in their extra bread. The folks in the fourth row didn’t have any food, but look how much is in the basket now. And the folks in the fifth row, they had both bread and fish, so they shared from their supply. And on and on, until there were overflowing baskets of leftovers, enough for everyone with plenty to spare.

Is it okay if we talk about this miracle like that? Or did I just ruin it for you? If I did, tell me this. Which is the better miracle, the more useful, and quite honestly for Jesus, the more difficult: is it better to create bread from nowhere, and fish ex-nihilo (the theological term for out of nothing) or is it better to open hearts and move people from accumulating to sharing? Make no mistake, I think what happened was a miracle that only God through Jesus Christ can accomplish, but I don’t think it was the creation of bread and fish. I think it was the creation of willingness to let go of that which people believe is rightfully owned by them, and give it over to the common good, for the sake of God.

One more thing I’d like to note. The boy, whose food sparks the whole softening of hearts and sharing of material goods, it doesn’t say that he had 8 loaves and 4 fish, and this is what he could spare, does it? He gave what he had in full trust. And with Jesus, that is enough to accomplish world changing, life changing miracles. Amen.