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The Gospel of Matthew Bible Studies
The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
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Time after Pentecost - Lectionary 18 (A) In the Name of the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. How do you define a MIRACLE? According to popular understanding, a miracle is an event that cannot be explained by normal means, and therefore must be an act of God. Or as Woody Allen once humorously put it: “If I could just see a miracle – just one miracle. If I could see a burning bush, or the seas part, or my uncle Sacha pick up a check!” Today’s gospel is one of the most famous miracles of all time – the so-called Feeding of the Five Thousand. In our reading we hear that Jesus fed about five thousand men, plus women and children (that is, about ten thousand in all – more than the entire population of Richland County!) (or to put it another way, far more people than who were at the Richland County Fair at its busiest time!) from just five loaves of bread and two fish. Not only that, there were enough leftovers to fill twelve baskets afterward! “What a miracle that must have been!” we may think. But what exactly was that miracle all about? What did it really mean for the people who experienced it? And would we recognize it if this was to happen today? To me, there is much more to this miracle than may first meet the eye. It was not just Jesus “magically” multiplying loaves and fish to feed a huge crowd. It was rather Jesus changing the hearts and minds of people, as well as putting food in their stomachs. It is only when we understand this that we can begin to comprehend the real significance of what was happening in today’s gospel reading. The first part of the miracle was that Jesus changed the thinking of his disciples. As we heard in our gospel: “When it was evening, the disciples came to (Jesus) and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” The disciples were thinking like we normally think. They were viewing things from a perspective of scarcity. They had done the math – that they had only five loaves of bread and two fish – and understood that this amount of food was not going to be nearly enough to feed about ten thousand people. So their solution was to send the seekers, the hungry, and the needy away to fend for themselves. It was not that the disciples were evil or hardhearted. They sincerely believed that they were out of resources, and that the only solution was for the hungry to own their own hunger and do something about it. But as long as they were thinking that way, a miracle was never going to happen! That is a problem that we still have today. We tend to be overwhelmed and discouraged when we see the needs among us and in our world – so much so that we give up before we even attempt to help meet them. “We can’t make a real difference,” we think. “The task is too big – it’s impossible!” Or in other words; “Send the crowds away.” One of the greatest obstacles to God’s being able to work a miracle is that kind of thinking – of saying and believing that nothing can be done. As long as we have that kind of “defeatism” in our outlook, nothing will change. Jesus, however, begins his miracle by first helping the disciples to re-evaluate their thinking. As he said: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” The five loaves of bread and two fish that they had may not have been much, but at least they were something. They were a start. When we begin to focus upon what we have rather than upon what we don’t have, THEN a miracle can begin! The second part of the miracle happened when the disciples gave what they had to Jesus. When they told him about the five loaves of bread and two fish, he said to them, “Bring them here to me.” In other words; “Don’t hoard the food for yourselves. Even if it doesn’t seem to be much, give and share what you have and let’s see what God can do.” The disciples were invited to put their changed thinking into real action! Think of what this means. If the disciples had not been willing to give their food to Jesus, nothing would have happened - Jesus' miracle would have been stopped dead in its tracks! The disciples' willingness to give and share was an absolutely essential part of the miracle! The same is still true today. In order to make miracles happen, Jesus still is depending upon all of us to do our parts. If we are not willing to give and share our time and talents and offerings, very little ministry will ever be accomplished. But when we do offer what we have – especially when we do this together – then Jesus can do miraculous things! (As a side point, we’ll be hearing more about this during our coming Capital Campaign for our building program this fall.) Yes, what we give – even if it seems small – is essential! Yes, Jesus uses us – and needs us – to accomplish his miracles. Getting back to our gospel, this is what happened with the disciples. They gave what they had (even if it didn’t seem like much) to Jesus. Jesus then took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. The third part of the miracle (perhaps the most important part) is what happened as the people shared and ate what Jesus gave to them. They experienced a lot more than just physically eating some bread and fish. It also became a holy meal through which they experienced the love of God in their midst. It was a holy communion – a sacramental moment that they would never forget for as long as they lived. Indeed, it made such an impression upon the people that this is the only miracle of Jesus that appears in all four gospels of the New Testament! The same is true for us. In a way that goes beyond words, we can experience God’s love as we share a meal together with Jesus. We do this each week in what we call the sacrament of Holy Communion. As we receive the bread and the wine, we are also receiving God’s heavenly food that can fill us with love and joy and peace. And people, THAT TOO IS A MIRACLE! It is truly a miracle! Yes, Jesus is still performing miracles even today just as he did when feeding the five to ten thousand people in our gospel. Jesus still performs miraculous wonders whenever we trust that he can use our talents and possessions, and we are willing to share them with him. And most of all, Jesus is still sharing God’s love with us and through us as we gather together in his name. Yes, miracles of Jesus are still happening right here and right now – satisfying us to the full with all that we need. May God help us to always recognize this, and give him our thanks and praise! Amen! -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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