July 29, 2012 9th Sunday After Pentecost

John 6:1-21

   1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”   6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.  7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”  8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”  10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.  12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.   14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles,[b] they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.



It is impossible to feed 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish unless a miracle happens.
Either the miracle of multiplication or the miracle of sharing - or both - and both are signs of  the Kingdom of God in our midst.
However it happened, it is a sign that indeed the Kingdom of God has broken into our world.  God is for us not against us - always!

The food given is not the main point.  The presence of God’s love and grace is.  Bread alone is never enough.

Jewish proverb:  “When you have too much something is missing.”

The human spirit is too great to be satisfied by trinkets - even expensive trinkets.  It can only be satisfied by love.  When there is love we can never be poor again.  This is why Jesus fed the 5000 - as a sign of that love which will not let us go; which will not let us down; which will not let us off.  As we have been loved we are to let God work through us, “upbuilding our world in love.”



Jesus was trying to get away because he was exhausted.  Dare we believe he was that human?  Exhausted by their demands on Him and exhausted by their continual failure to see and believe who He really was - “The Prophet who is to come into the world.”

They were following him for the wrong reason.  He will make life easy for them - just snap His fingers and say His magic words and all will be provided, all will be well.  What an illusion!

We want this of God too!  We want God to be a co-dependent, taking care of us so we won’t have to take care of ourselves.  By repeating the miracles of Jesus.

This is not want the miracles are about - to be repeated.  In fact, a miracle is probably most clearly a miracle when it never happens again.  And the point of the miracles is to spark the miracle of faith which dares to believe that God is for us - no matter what!

The boy with the loaves and fish - Jesus needed him to perform the miracle of feeding 5000.  God needs a human vessel to do God’s thing in this world.  It is the miracle of Christmas repeated over and over and over again as God comes “ in under and with” the actions of our lives.

And remember, it doesn’t have to be big. Whatsoever we do for the least, we do for God!