Mark 6:30-44
July 21, 2024
Good morning saints of Holy Cross. It is good to be back with you. Let’s pray as we prepare to hear the message.
According to the Thompson Chain Reference Bible there are 37 different miracles of our Lord recorded in the Gospels. When we think of the Lord’s miracles, we think of the resurrection of Lazarus, the wedding at Cana, Jesus walking on the water and the great catch of fish when Jesus called his disciples.
When we think of the Lord’s miracles, we think of the man born blind, the various episodes when demons were cast out and the many healings, most of which are unnamed. There were actually more than 37 miracles performed by our Lord.
Thus, it is surprising to learn that of Jesus’ 37 known miracles only this one, the feeding of the 5,000, is recorded by all four Gospel writers, namely, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All four also record Jesus’ resurrection. But of his miracles done unto others, only this one was recorded by all four Gospel writers.
No matter how we peer into that oddity and try to discern “why this one?” and I wonder, “why not Lazarus?”, we think it is better to just say, “that was the choice of the Holy Spirit. Let it be so.”
Our focus today is on the feeding of the 5,000. In 380 AD a Spanish traveler named Egeria traveled to Palestine and found a small chapel built in remembrance of this miracle. This chapel is still there today.
On the floor of this chapel is a mosaic of five loaves and two fish. This mosaic dates back to around 450 AD. This mosaic is 1,600 years old. It is a beautiful, historical tribute to the work of our Lord described in the Gospel today.
The account tells us that as evening drew near the disciples told Jesus, “send the people away.”
Jesus countered their very human suggestion with his own suggestion and command, YOU FEED THEM!
That command of our Lord is my subject this morning: YOU FEED THEM!
Let’s walk through the text.
Verse 13 begins by saying, “when Jesus heard what had happened,” meaning the death of John the Baptist. John was the forerunner of Jesus. While we speak of Stephen as the first Christian martyr, you could make the case that that honor goes to John the Baptist. The death of John shifted the focus squarely on Jesus who would begin to tell his disciples the truth: “the Son of Man must suffer, be rejected and die.”
With the news of John’s death, Jesus took the disciples and withdrew across the Sea of Galilee to a private place. But the crowds followed him around the lake. Who would not follow a man who heals our sicknesses?
Verse 14 says, “When they landed, Jesus saw the large crowd and had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Mark adds, “and he began to teach them many things.”
Teaching and healing. Teaching and healing. He healed to get their attention. He taught to claim their hearts.
As evening drew near, the disciples realized that they had a problem. Darkness was coming. 5,000 men plus women and children were present, probably 10-15,000 people total. The crowd was so focused on Jesus that time flew by.
“Send them away Lord.” The only solution the disciples could see was to scatter the people and let them fend for themselves.
Jesus said, “YOU FEED THEM.” The disciples immediately stressed out over what appeared to be a ludicrous suggestion. They made a quick search for food.
Someone had been thinking ahead. Someone packed their dinner. They found five loaves and two fish. Dinner for two. Little did they know that dinner for two could be dinner for thousands.
Jesus did not expect the disciples to do a miracle. He did expect them to believe that he could provide. In spite of the overwhelming facts - five loaves, two fish and perhaps 10,000 people - Jesus tested the disciples to see if they believed he could provide.
The disciples didn’t see it because they still didn’t see Him.
Martin Luther has a great quote at this point: The great need of the disciples on this occasion was that, though they could think and figure, they did not believe or realize what kind of Lord they had in Christ. And that is the universal need even today, not only when we need food but also when we realize all sorts of necessities. We know how to figure and calculate carefully so that our needs might be filled. But when help does not come immediately as we would like it, we get nothing out of our careful figuring and calculating except sorrow and loss of spirit. It would be much better for us to commend the whole matter to God and not think so much about our needs. (Buls notes on Matthew 14: 13-21)
Well said Dr. Luther.
You know what happened next. The hills of Galilee became the restaurant of God. In the end, the disciples did literally feed the crowd. They became waiters and servants passing out the supper of Jesus.
The purpose of the miracle was this: the miracle pointed beyond the bread to the Bread of Life. The feeding of 5,000 people points to the eternal food offered in the Gospel that Jesus Christ is both Son of God and Savior of the world.
Which brings me back to my subject: YOU FEED THEM!
Share the Word with those who do not know the Bread of Life. You feed them. Our culture stumbles blindly down paths they do not know. You feed them. Your friends and coworkers need to know that there is food beyond our popular restaurants. You feed them.
This is the global truth: God so loved the world. He doesn’t only love those now in Christ. He certainly does not only love Lutherans. He loves them. He loves the people out there in Clayton and Johnson County and Wake County.
You feed them.
The sense of inadequacy and anxiety no doubt rises among you. “How can we? How can I?” Whether you are asked to feed 10,000 people or share the Gospel with just 10 people, overwhelmed is overwhelmed.
Luther had it right: don’t start calculating and figuring what you need or what you lack. Trust God and think not of your own inadequacy.
You feed them.
We feed the world by personally sharing this truth: life works best when built around Jesus not around me. Life works best when my thinking, my values, my goals, my time and my money are built around Jesus, not around me.
We feed the world by personally sharing the Gospel: God loves every human being and every human being can find what love really means in Jesus of Nazareth.
We need the world by showing the Gospel through our love and care not only inside the church walls but especially outside in the community. It is good to care for those within the congregation. Remember this, however. Jesus said, “I have come to seek and to save the lost.”
You feed them. You feed them. YOU FEED THEM!
I wonder if you realize the degree to which the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is struggling at this time? We hear much about the need for more pastors. There is a greater need than simply more pastors.
A few statistics to show you that the need of our church body is greater than simply “more pastors.”
The South Dakota District President of the LCMS reports that there are 108 LCMS congregations in that state. Of those 108 congregations, 75% (81) of the LCMS congregations in that state are two or three point parishes. That means that the vast majority of pastors in South Dakota serve two or three congregations simultaneously.
The reason is not because of too few pastors.
The reason is that the majority of congregations in South Dakota are too small to afford a pastor.
Closer to home, the Southeastern District reports that 50% of our congregations worship 50 people or less. Think about that. 50% of the Missouri Synod congregations between Delaware and South Carolina worship 50 people or less. It takes 100 people in worship to properly support a full-time pastor’s salary, benefits and the ministries to go along with a healthy congregation.
One of our struggles is the declining number of pastors to serve our congregations. We hear much about this.
We do not hear so much about a greater struggle in the LCMS: the aging of our congregations and declining size of congregations. The majority of our congregations are growing older and smaller to the degree that many can no longer afford a pastor.
Do you understand what that means? Even if we raise up more pastors a growing number of our congregations can’t afford a pastor because they are too small.
We make excuses, “All denominations have shrunk since Covid,” or “It’s the culture today, ” or “To me, faith is a private thing.” Excuses.
There is another reason our congregations and our denomination have shrunk that gets little notice: As Missouri Synod Lutherans we now focus on one form of Gospel conversion: infant baptism. With congregations that increasingly grow older, where does that leave us?
That leaves us with shrinking congregations because of the fact that older people and older congregations don’t have babies.
Here is a painful truth about the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod as a whole: we have neglected the Great Commission, “Go make disciples.” We have neglected Jesus’ word in the Gospel today: “You feed them.” In the majority of our congregations, the focus is on the people already here and the work that happens within the building.
Lutherans, it’s time for us to get back in the game of outreach to a community and world that desperately needs the Lord. It’s time to stop complaining about how many people have walked away from the church and step up our personal witness to Jesus.
It’s time for us to open our mouths regarding the One we call “My Lord”. It’s time for us to turn our attention not only to people inside our congregations but the people you know and run into in daily life.
I tell you a Lutheran Gospel story not of infant baptism but adult baptism.
I have two friends who retired in northern Michigan. Recently they went out to dinner together with their wives. It is the habit of one of my friends to always ask the waiter or waitress, “We are going to pray for our meal; is there anything you would like us to pray for?” Most of the time, the waiter or waitress will give some general need for prayer and then disappear back to the kitchen.
In this particular case the waitress thought a moment and then told them that she would like them to pray for her joy and knowing Jesus better. Then she actually stayed at the table while they prayed. The dinner went on and my friends enjoyed not only the dinner but the initial relationship with the waitress.
End of story.
Not quite. The waitress at some point during the dinner asked what church they attended. The two families attend the same Lutheran church. A few weeks later that waitress showed up for worship. Outstanding! On that Sunday, the pastor spoke about baptism. After the service, the waitress introduced herself to the pastor and said, “I haven’t been baptized.” Better than outstanding!
On the first Sunday in July, 2023, that Lutheran pastor baptized her in the clear cold waters of Lake Michigan.
Score one victory for Jesus over Satan among Lutherans.
You feed them.
Are you willing? You feed them. Are you whining at the very thought? You feed them. Feed them not just inside these walls at through preaching and Holy Communion but out there. You feed them.
Point people to Jesus. The Holy Spirit will be with you. You feed them. Listen to the troubles of your friends and neighbors. You feed them. Be a friend to people outside your normal circle. You feed them. By your words, by your actions, by your attitudes. Ask the Lord to guide you. You feed them. No greater honor. No greater thrill and satisfaction. You feed them.
Every day that God gives you breath, you are on a mission trip for the Lord. You feed them.
“Lord, open our eyes to see the people around us as people who need Your love. Open our mouths to share Your Name. Open our hands to show Your love and mercy. Open our minds to respond to Your Spirit in daily ministry to our broken world. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
