Sermon – August 16, 2020 – Pentecost 11
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David R. Clark ~ Matthew 14:13-21 ~ August 16, 2020 ~ Pentecost 11
OUR CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO GREAT DIFFICULTIES
13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” 16Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18“Bring them here to me,” he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Perhaps Jesus was a little tired. He had taught crowds of people and healed many people with hopeless medical conditions. Perhaps he was sad. He had been rejected in his own home church. His cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod. You can call it time away or a vacation, but Jesus decided to sail across the Sea of Galilee with his disciples, who still had much to learn. And when he got to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, there was a crowd of people waiting for him.
Ever get a business call while hiking or fishing or on vacation? How’d that go?
- Show great compassion. (verses 13-17)
14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” 16Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
Jesus’ reaction is very interesting. He had compassion on them. The word describes a “churning in the pit of your stomach.” We might say, “His heart really went out to them,” or “It really touched him.” So Jesus healed and taught.
The disciples showed some compassion, too, or at least, they thought they were. As the day went on they urged Jesus to send people home so they could find something to eat! When Jesus told them they should feed them, their only solution was sharing a little boy’s lunch with thousands.
Please don’t feel that this is a suggestion to take business calls when you shouldn’t. Your family needs your time as much or more than your place of business does. But there is a legitimate question here. Do you have compassion? And when we say that, let’s not include the stranger scamming people on the corner with a homemade sign.
Do you have compassion for the people you know? Our lockdown focuses us on ourselves. What about showing compassion to your neighbors?
My mother taught me this lesson when I was young. We had older neighbors. I not only shoveled our snow, I shoveled theirs. I not only took down our garbage cans, I took down theirs. Despite the fact that we were poor, I was not allowed to receive money for this. I didn’t love doing this, but I learned compassion.
To do this today we need to know a little something about our neighbors. The shutdown of our society has done great damage to our economy and health. It has built even higher walls between us. We are living in a time when everyone needs encouragement and a helping hand. You are uniquely qualified to do this because you have received it yourself from Jesus. He was compassionate enough to pay for your sins, even when you didn’t ask for it or deserve it. Your neighbors won’t ask for it. You will need to offer it. But just like Jesus, we have a unique opportunity to stop focusing on deaths and infection rates, but instead, showing those who don’t know Jesus the kind of compassion we all enjoy and need in Jesus.
- Celebrate great solutions. (verses 18-21)
If there was ever people who should have known Jesus was the solution, it was the disciples. 18“Bring them here to me,” he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
This was so significant it is recorded in all four of the gospels. Jesus’ birth isn’t even recorded in all four gospels. A brown bag lunch fed thousands with basketfuls left over. A little compassion led to a great solution. What an event to celebrate!
Brothers and sisters, God has given us resources and wisdom to solve the most basic problems in life. He expects us to be good managers of such things. But when the problem is too big, sometimes we throw up our hands in frustration or fear or worry…or we can place it in Jesus’ hands. If it is his will, he could stamp out COVID in the next minute. The Creator of heaven and earth can do that. This trouble is no more a test for you and me than feeding thousands of hungry people was for the disciples.
So may I suggest two things: 1) With all of the confusing and contradictory information flooding into our lives, how about if we start relying on the sure thing and do what the disciples were too short-sighted to do – ask Jesus for help. And I don’t mean once. I mean pound on the door of heaven with both hands and ask him to shorten the time for his solution and thus shorten the lesson we need to learn, not only for COVID, but for all of our troubles. That replaces frustration and fear with confidence when it is in Jesus’ hands. 2) When the “all clear” sounds, let’s celebrate Christ’s solution. It’s much bigger than feeding thousands.
As long as Satan is in this world and we have a sinful nature, problems are going to frustrate us. We can react with hand-wringing, finger-pointing, denial, and doubt. Or…we can look to Jesus knowing it has always been in his hands. You and I are wrapped in God’s compassion like a cool drink of water on a stifling hot day. Until that celebration comes, let’s share that water with a few others. Amen.