Matthew 14:13-21
So, here is the story. Jesus came town and we all gathered to hear him over at the Frederick Keys’ stadium (seating capacity 5,400). The gathering started early in the morning; Jesus took his place on the pitcher’s mound and the crowd settled into the seats. Now, it just so happened that Jesus called us, Linganore Church, to be with him on the field. We had, front row seats if you will. As the day progressed it was easy to see that Jesus was a master teacher and speaker. His message ranged from what it means to worship and serve God to how to love our neighbor to how to persevere in faith in an uncertain world. And the crowd was totally absorbed, they were hanging on his every word. But, as morning turned to afternoon and afternoon turned to early evening one problem became apparent – the concession stands were not operating that day. There was no food in the entire stadium. Then, just as the lights were coming on, Jesus took a short break while the crowds sang a few hymns. So, a few of us took advantage of the break, walked over to Jesus, and pointed out the obvious, it was getting late and no one had had anything to eat all day. Perhaps it was time to wrap things up so everyone could go home and get some food. But, instead of agreeing, Jesus looked at us and said, “There is no need to send them away. You give them something to eat.” Well, we scrambled and discovered that someone had thought to bring a cooler and inside there were four hot dogs, a pint of macaroni salad and a bag of potato chips. Jesus took the cooler, said a prayer, blessed the food and then told us to start feeding the people. Somehow, it worked! All 5,400 people were able to get a good meal and there were leftovers!
I hope you will forgive my modern adaptation of the story from today’s gospel. But, I think it is important to get an idea of the scale of the miracle Jesus offered that day as the crowds gathered around him. I find it hard to visualize numbers once they get beyond a handful. But, imagine the logistics required to feed the crowd at a sold-out Keys’ game; imagine how many people it would take to prepare the food; imagine how much food they need to have on hand every time the gates open. That is the challenge Jesus’ disciples faced when he looked at them and said, “You give them something to eat.”
I think we can also imagine how Jesus’ disciples felt when they heard Jesus telling them, “You give them something to eat.” I think if I was faced with a similar task my first response would be paralysis; and my second response would be panic – you want me to do what? Perhaps after that, I might try and get a handle on the task. You know, start counting heads, figuring costs, making a quick call to Costco to see how many hot dogs they had in the freezer case; you know, practical stuff. But, I think I would quickly realize that the task was too big and my resources were too small. One small cooler of food was not going very far; there is no earthly way I could provide food for everyone at the Stadium, especially on such short notice.
This scenario may seem a bit farfetched, but is it really any different from what we face every day. Refugees are fleeing war and oppression and we say we do not have the resources to shelter them. Opioids are killing hundreds of people every day and we say we do not have the resources to save them. Homeless people wander the streets of our cities and we say we do not have the resources to feed and house them. In these, and many other crises we feel overwhelmed. Yet, Jesus looks at us and says, “You give them something to eat.” And, we respond, the task is too great and our resources are too small.
So, is there a way forward? Can we tackle and solve the challenges we face? Or, are they really beyond our abilities?
If we look closely at how the disciples responded I believe we can find ways to meet challenges we see all around us. Their first step was to take an inventory; actually see what resources they had. In their case they had five loaves and two fish. Now, that may not seem like much, but it was something. I believe that too often we fail to take inventory of our resources before tackling a problem. Do we have the physical resources and money to address the challenges we face? Well, have we put it all on the table and counted to see what we have? We may find we have a lot of money or maybe just a very little bit. But, the first step is taking an inventory – what do we have? Do we have the talent and skills necessary to address the challenges we face. Again, have we taken an inventory to see what we actually have? Jesus’ disciples may not have been wealthy by the standards of their day, but they did have resources, they had something that began to meet the needs of the people. So, our first step when Jesus calls us to “Give them something to eat” is to see what we have to offer.
The next thing to notice is that the disciples brought all of their resources and gave them to Jesus. They could have said, “we found a few fish and some bread. You can have half, but we are keeping the rest for ourselves.” No, they gave everything they had to Jesus. I suspect that it was hard for the disciples to give everything over to Jesus. After all, they had been with Jesus the whole day and they were hungry. Those few loaves and fishes might have been their dinner. And, if we are honest, giving everything to Jesus can be hard for us as well. We might wonder if there will be enough for us if we give everything to Jesus.
I think another reason we are reluctant to give everything to Jesus is that we feel we do not have very much to offer. I can imagine the disciples approaching Jesus somewhat sheepishly with their small offering. After all, their few loaves and fishes would be meager fare for five people, let alone five thousand. I understand the disciples’ reluctance to come forward; we look at the problems we face and see price-tags in the millions or even billions of dollars. We ask, what good is so little in the face of such great need?
I believe the disciples were well aware of the challenge Jesus put before them. They knew they were facing an impossible task. Yes, they were willing to take an inventory of their resources; but, what they had was much too little in the face of such a great need. But, they took one final step; probably their most important step, they gave all they had to Jesus. And then they participated in a miracle. They could have thrown up their hand and walked away, but they stayed with Jesus. And notice what happened. After he blessed the loaves and fishes Jesus “gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.” Can you imagine the disciples’ joy and wonder as they walked among the people and gave everyone as much as they wanted. Yet, no matter how much they gave away, they seemed to always have enough to give to the next person.
I believe that when Jesus calls us to address the challenges we face that he is calling us to participate in a miracle. Just like you I read the headlines and know that we face more challenges than we can name. We live in a world where too many live in hunger, fear, and despair. And, I hear Jesus calling us to “give them something to eat.” I have done the math and the needs are staggering. I have taken inventory of what we have and it seems so small compared to what is needed. But, I believe we need to give all we have to Jesus. Even if it seems too little, I believe we must offer what we have to Jesus. And, I believe that Jesus is ready to take what we give and then use us to perform a miracle. How will that work? Well, to be honest, I am not sure; just as I am not sure how Jesus fed over 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. But, I believe that it can happen; I believe it will happen when we put all our resources at Jesus’ command and allow him to use us to perform a miracle.
Today, I believe Jesus is calling us – the people gathered in this room – to give something to eat to those who have nothing. I believe Jesus is calling us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the refugee, and comfort the sick and dying. I know the challenges are great; I know our resources seem small; but I believe that Jesus is ready to perform a miracle. I believe we need to take stock of all we have – the blessing God has showered on us. And, know that when we give him all we have and when we allow his power to flow through us Jesus will work a miracle and use us to meet the world’s needs.