Countless Fed the Bread of Life

August 3, 2014


Matthew 14:13–21 [Feeding of the five thousand.]
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

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From only five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus fed a crowd of 5000 men plus women and children: maybe 5000 families. There are two things to see here: the compassion of Jesus and the power of Jesus.

When Jesus saw the great crowd that followed him, he had compassion on them; he healed their sick and spoke words of God’s love. In the evening, he knew the people would be hungry and they needed to eat before taking the long walk home. And so he fed them. Compassion is love. Compassion sees the distress and the helplessness of people. And so in this same compassion God sent Jesus to save the distressed sinners of this world who were helpless to save themselves. As John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that whoever believes in him shall not parish but have everlasting life.” This is this compassion that led Jesus to the cross. It is this love which forgave our sins.

The second thing to see is the power of Jesus. Now there are people who do not believe in miracles. They deny this miracle and all the others. But let me tell you how I think. If God is god, then he is almighty god and can do anything. If Jesus is god, then he has almighty power to do anything. He can change water into wine, he can walk on the water, he can heal the sick, he can feed the 5000, he can take the sin of the world upon himself, he can forgive that sin, he can defeat the power of the devil, he can rise on the third day, he can return to judge the living and the dead. So I have no trouble with miracles. And when Jesus does a miracle, he does it well. There were six barrels of delicious wine at Cana, twelve baskets of leftovers from the five loaves and two fish, and unlimited forgiveness of sins for all believers. In this miracle we see the power of Jesus, and it strengthens our faith.

I want to look at another time when Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it and distributed it. This is what Jesus did at the Last Supper. He did not give it to 5000 people, and not only to the twelve disciples, but to millions and millions of believers throughout the ages. This is indeed a miracle that exceeds the feeding of the 5000. Again we see here the compassion of Jesus and the power of Jesus.

The Words of Institution 　　　　　　　　　　

In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: “Take and eat; this is my body  given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood  shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.”

We see the compassion of Jesus in the words, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.” This is the Gospel. God is making a new covenant, a “New Testament” with us. With love and compassion for us sinners, God sent his Son to die on the cross as a sacrifice to forgive our sins. Christ gave his body over to death and his blood was shed under the whip and on the cross, for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. When we take it and eat and drink it, we do it for the remembrance of Jesus. This does not mean that we simply remember the historical Bible story. It means that we remember the meaning and the purpose and benefit of Christ’s death. To remember Christ and to receive the sacrament means that in faith we confess our sin and rejoice in forgiveness and salvation.

Remembrance is not just thinking about history. Let me give a couple of examples that this congregation might understand. When a Marine remembers Iojima, it is a rededication of service to the Corps. When a Japanese visits Hiroshima or the Okinawa Peace Park, it is a rededication to pray for world peace. When we Christians remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, it is a rededication to the covenant of God’s Grace and our gratitude. [That is why only baptized believers receive the sacrament, because it is a public proclamation of our faith, and a proclamation of God’s love and compassion to us.]

Also in the Lord’s Supper we see the power of Jesus. Jesus said, “This is my Body” and “This is my Blood.” In this we see a miracle greater than the feeding of 5000. In the Sacrament, Jesus gives us his real body and blood. This miracle is different than changing water into wine or feeding 5000 with only 5 loaves of bread. In those miracles people could see with their eyes and taste with their tongues the result of the miracles. In the Sacrament of the Altar, we see and taste bread and wine, we do not see or taste the flesh and blood of Christ. But does that mean that it is not there?

But let me tell you how I think. If God is god, then he is almighty god and can do anything. If Jesus is god, then he has almighty power to do anything. Can Jesus become bread and wine? Can the Holy Spirit become a dove or wind or flame as on Pentecost? Can the Son of God be born a Baby in Bethlehem? Can God die on the cross? When people looked at Jesus of Nazareth, they did not see Jesus as God. Yet Jesus of Nazareth was God. That is the miracle of the Incarnation, the miracle of God becoming human flesh and blood. Jesus became one of us, in order to redeem us, to save us. And so when it comes to the Lord’s Supper, Jesus comes to us in a wonderful way. Just as bread nourishes our bodies, so Christ nourishes our souls. It reminds us that Christ is not far removed from us in heaven somewhere, rather he is with us in a way that is very intimate, personal, tangible, touchable, tasteable.

Human minds cannot fully understand miracles without faith. But with faith, it is easy to accept miracles, because every miracle of Jesus shows his power and compassion and love.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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