John 6:1-15
July 26th, 2009
"Loaves and Fishes or Hearts and Lives?"
Today we are looking at the miracle of the feeding of the 5000. This story follows last week’s gospel lesson from Mark. All four of the Gospels contain this story.
Jesus and his disciples got into a boat and crossed the Sea of Galilee and on land a large crowd followed them. Across the water it was only about a 4 mile sail. On land it was a 9 mile hike to where they wound up in the region of Bethsaida.
The place where Jesus stopped and addressed the crowd was a hill that had a large grassy area on which the people eventually sat. It again could be described as a “deserted place” or “wilderness”.
Verse 4 lets us know it was near the Passover time, which meant there were many Jews on pilgrimage to Jerusalem that would have joined those walking on the shore to see Jesus.
In those days because of the Jewish dietary laws the Jews on pilgrimage would have been carrying their food with them in baskets like the baskets that were mentioned later on within which the leftovers where collected. Jews were known and identified in Jesus’ day by these baskets that they carried as they traveled.
And those who followed Jesus on the shore line probably took food with them. Again they would have had their baskets for that purpose. If any had any inkling they possibly could have been walking 9 miles in order to catch up with Jesus, they would have brought food with them, because for those of you who hike, you know 9 miles is half a day’s walking.
Well Jesus actions taken as a whole were a sign to the people indicating who he was. He was the new Moses for the New Israel that had again gathered in the wilderness. I mentioned this last week.
And like Moses who prayed to God to provide bread and meat in the wilderness and got Manna and Quail, this time Jesus himself provided the bread, and meat in the form of fish.
In that Jesus provided the bread and meat it was a sign that he was more than a New Moses, He was God. Most did not see his actions that way that day; they just ate their fill of bread and did not see the sign.
Now traditionally there have been three interpretations of the miracle that Jesus did that day. I will explore briefly two of them and concentrate on the third.
The first interpretation of the miracle is that Jesus Christ multiplied the loaves and fish. It is as simple that-- a miracle of multiplication.
The loaves and fish were actually a poor offering to give to Jesus. Barley bread was the bread of the poor. It was even socially despised. And the fish, they were the size of sardines. The Sea of Galilee was full of these sardine sized fish that were caught and pickled and then used as a spread on the bread.
A small and meager gift it was, but it was used to feed 5000 + people. Now the problem some have with this miracle, which is why some people reject this interpretation of scripture, is that in Jesus temptation he refused to turn stones into bread and here he is multiplying loaves and fish.
Jesus in refusing to turn stones into bread was resisting the temptation to be the welfare King. And here you can see why. In verse 15 it says the crowd was going to take him by force and make him King.
Jesus read their hearts correctly for later in verse 6:26 that we did not read today he says, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”
Now the second interpretation of this sign is that it was a sacramental meal. ‘Each person got a little bit and it was enough to richly nourish their hearts and minds.’ Barclay
This is what happens when we share in Holy Communion. In the Gospel of John there isn’t a last supper. There is foot washing, so some think that here is the sacramental meal of Jesus to which all are invited: disciples, believers, the curious and those just passing by.
This is similar to what we do as United Methodists in that our Communion Table is an open table to all who would come.
Now the third interpretation is that the real miracle that Jesus did that day was to change hearts and minds: the very human nature of those who were before him that day. This fits in very well with Jesus’ call to be born again. When we are born again our hearts and minds and lives are changed by Christ.
Now I personally believe that there was a miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish, but what if it happened this way?
That Jesus changed the hearts and minds of his hearers from selfish self-interest to sharing of their resources with others. To change our human nature in that way is often in this world a greater miracle.
As babies, we are born into this world as selfish self-centered creatures. The dark side of human nature is selfishness, and we are just born that way. We are a mixture of light and darkness, but one of the most prominent features of the dark side of being human is our selfishness.
Dennis Prager points this out. He writes, “Pay attention to the order of words first spoken by a child, and you will probably notice what I did with my youngest. His first word was Mama. Then came Dadda. And his third word was more. These words of a baby accurately represent our deepest urges—first for love and security and then for more—of everything.” Happiness is a Serious Problem p. 16
A joke is told of “A mom who was driving her five year old son to McDonald’s one day and they passed a car accident. Whenever the Mom saw something terrible like that, she would always say a prayer for those who might be hurt, so she pointed and said to her son, “We should pray.”
From the back seat she heard his earnest request: “Please, God, don’t let those cars block the entrance to McDonald’s.” Mickey’s Funnies
This is funny but it reveals the self-centered nature of human beings and we all laugh because we have seen this and know that it is true.
Growth in humanity, in our human nature, in our life as Christians comes as we overcome our selfish human nature. It is a miracle when it comes in individual lives as well as in the lives of communities and nations.
It is a miracle of God when we begin to look out for others as much as we look out for ourselves, and if that is what happened that day in the sharing of bread and fish than it truly was a miracle made by God.
The 10 Commandments are a means of us overcoming and controlling our selfish human nature. Most speak against actions and attitudes that are self-centered and destroy lives and relationships. It is when we begin living, truly living out of the giving side of our human nature, rather than the taking and hording side do we reach maturity as human beings and as Christians.
Maybe that was the greater miracle that day! Jesus’ preaching and the meager gift of an unnamed boy overcame people’s natural self-centeredness and they shared with one another what they had with them.
Ezekiel prophesized such a time at the giving of the Holy Spirit. Ez. 36:26-27 say, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”
The promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit is that we will have the laws of God within our heart. They will be written on our heart. Our hearts and minds will be changed. We will be born again.
Now surely some had brought food with them, as much as many had not, because when they set out they did not know how far Jesus would sail. And the pilgrims to the Passover in Jerusalem would have had food with them and maybe the biggest and best miracle that day was that Jesus and the boy’s offering inspired them to overcome their natural self-centeredness and they shared.
Two attitudes towards want were shown that day. Philip when asked by Jesus, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” he despaired. Philip had answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”
His reply might be summarized as “There’s just not enough!” He was from that area. He knew it and in his mind he thought it was hopeless.
We hear that attitude whenever we repeat it and say there is not enough time, money or talent to do something. We repeat that hopelessness whenever we say we cannot change for “we’ve always done it that way.” And we don’t have the resources to change.
Andrew on the other hand was hopeful. He brought just a boy with just a little food: 5 barley loaves and 5 sardines to Jesus. You can almost hear him saying. It is a little but maybe it is enough! And Jesus said through his actions it is enough!
Andrew brought a boy who would not have counted that day. When they said about 5000 where there they only counted the men. Women and children didn’t count, but to Jesus they did.
We need to bring our children to Jesus. We need to speak to them of God at home and bring them to church to meet God in worship and Sunday School, Choir, Camps, VBS and more.
We never know who may dwell in our home or attend our church. ‘A story is told of a German School Master who each day when he came into the class room would take off his cap and bow to his students. When asked why he did that he replied, “You never know what one of these boys might become someday.” One of his students was eventually known as Martin Luther the founder of the Reformation.’ Barclay p. 239
Whatever we bring to Jesus counts. “Jesus needs what we can bring him. It may not be much but he needs it. We need to lay ourselves on the altar of service. We may not have much to bring and feel sorry and embarrassed we can’t bring more….but that is not reason for failing to bring what we have. Little is much in the hands of God.” Barclay p. 239
It is said that “one talent people are most likely to fail God. These are the ones who think that whatever they have to offer would make no appreciable difference. And if they don’t do whatever they are capable of doing it will never be missed.” Interpreters Bible Luke/John
Thank God Andrew and this boy did not think this way and thank God for the unnamed mother of this boy. This boy brought his lunch to Jesus, but I bet it was his mother who packed it for him! An unnamed mom who probably never thought much of much of making her son a lunch for the day; but her small service was invaluable to Jesus and 5000 others that day.
I think of and want to say thanks to those who work in the background literally in the kitchen at VBS, Music Camp, Wednesday night suppers, Walk to Emmaus events and more. Your offering of time and talent blesses so many others and God bless the person who washes the pots and pans.
Give what you can to others and the church in terms of time service, gifts and prayers and God will do the rest.
“The questions, which Christ assures us, are to be asked of us at the Judgment Seat have nothing to do directly with prayer, doctrine and spiritual things at all, but only with the helpfulness and the unselfishness that ought to flow from them.” Interpreters Bible Luke/John
Think the parable of the “Separation of the Sheep from the Goats”. Our faith, our loyalty to God is shown in our works. As James says, “Faith without works is dead.”
Does our faith lead us to sharing of our time, and resources? If not what good is it? The real miracle that Jesus needs to do in our lives is not to provide bread for us, but to change our hearts and minds so that we share the bread we have with others.
The most generous givers of themselves and their resources on the whole are the poor. Study after study has shown this with one recent study being published in the paper. Oh that we all would bring what we have to God. Oh that we would let Jesus into our hearts and minds and change them.
We would go from the despair of Philip that “there is not enough” to the hope of Andrew “it’s a little, but in the hands of Jesus it’s enough!”
In the end do not get tied up in the material. Don’t try to make Jesus into a welfare King, or a Santa Claus. That is my problem with what is called the “Gospel of Prosperity”. Sometimes we get from God 12 leftover baskets of food like in our story, and sometimes God asks us to pick up a cross and die on it.
The Crowd tried to make Jesus something he was not and that was an earthly King. They intended to do it by force. They did not want to follow Jesus because they loved him; they wanted to follow him because he gave them bread. They wanted to force him to make more.
In the end may we not try to force Jesus to be what we want him to be. May we submit our hearts and minds to his care to change us to become more like him. May this be the miracle of the loaves and fishes we see in our lives.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen!
If you feel a calling to have your heart, mind and life changed by Jesus, I ask you to make such a commitment during the singing of our last song.
