May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
(This Sermon is based on Sermon: PN13-16A)
SEASON: Pentecost 14
PROPER: 16A
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: August 25, 2002
TEXT: Matthew 16:13-20 - Confession of Peter
He (Jesus) said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven . . . . ."
ISSUE: New identities are given. Through relationship and divine inspiration, Peter declares that Jesus is no longer the carpenter's son from godforsaken Nazareth, but Messiah and son of the living God. Peter is no longer just a fisherman but one who holds the authoritative keys that unlock doors for entry into the Kingdom of God's domain. Matthew is describing the formation of a new institution. The issue for us is how we ourselves identify Christ in our own lives and use that knowledge as his disciples. What does Jesus Christ mean and how do we live into that identification?
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Arriving in Caesarea Philippi, a place that was supposed to have a wide variety of shrines to pagan gods, Jesus asks the question of Simon bar (son) of Jonah: Who do the people say that the Son of Man is? Peter replies that some say that the Son of Man is like John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah. These three were men of great courage who stood up against great powers to proclaim what they felt the truth of God to be and what they felt was God's justice. Then Jesus asks Peter more specifically, "Who do you say that I am?" And Peter boldly replies, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
More than likely most people today see this questioning of Jesus to his beloved disciple Simon as a kind of theological test. As if Jesus is saying, Simon, do you really know who I am, according to the Nicene Creed? It is in our thinking as if Jesus was completely clear about his identity and mission, and was testing his disciples. Americans would think this because we are very individualistic and have relatively clearly defined identities. We all have our Social Security number. And we pretty much define who we are and what we are going to be. This kind of clear identification was not so certain in the time of Jesus, the first century Middle Eastern culture. These people were not so individualistic, and identity came from other sources, primarily family, and then from stereotyping. Essentially, Jesus was son of Joseph. Jesus was then expected to be a carpenter following in his father's footsteps. He was also a Nazarene, coming from the town of Nazareth. Jesus' enemies of course would say he was Jesus, son of Joseph, a mere carpenter of no stature, because artisans had no property or honor. Some referred to him as Son of Mary, which may well have been insulting, since he was being defined as not having a father, and therefore a bastard. "Isn't he just the son of Mary and brother of James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where did Jesus get all this? And they took offense at him." Matt. 13:55-57) He is stereotyped as a Nazarene, and nothing good comes from Nazareth. Nazarenes are good-for-nothings. At this point, Jesus is not in Nazareth, and no longer a carpenter. He's become something of a deviant character without identity. So he asks Simon bar Jonah, a disciple: "Who do you say that I am?" It is to say, How is my identity be reshaped and redefined. For Jesus to make such a claim on his own would have been presumptuous and dishonoring. Who you were, your identity came from the community. Simon replies with those awesome titles, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Having accompanied Jesus and developed a close relationship, Simon is inspired. You are a deliver, messiah-like as was Jeremiah, Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist. But you are also in close union with God. To know you Jesus is to be able to approach God the Father. You Jesus are the son who reveals the Father. Jesus saw Peter as clearly inspired, and a new clear identification is made of who Jesus is. It is a new dawning.
(It is also an identity that is not yet to be revealed to the larger community. A premature pronouncement like this would likely have met with great opposition as a yet a claim to honor of which Jesus was not yet considered to be worthy, nor understood in it proper context.)
Something is happening here in this account. Matthew seems to have set up this situation of Jesus being in a place of great religious diversity. Jesus is in a world where he is severely criticized and dishonored, and he receives a clearer inspired identity by his discipleship.
At the same time Jesus turns to Simon who has just had this diving inspiration and gives Simon a new identity as well. He is no longer a fisherman. "You are Petros (Peter)," says Jesus. At this time 'Peter' was not a name, it simply meant 'rock.' Jesus gives Simon a nickname which is literally "Rocky." There are, of course, many scriptural references to God being like a rock, a fortress, a stronghold. (Ps.71, etc.) Jesus sees something of a godly strength in Peter as well. Jesus goes on to give Peter, Rocky, keys to the kingdom of God's domain. This gesture is to give Peter a real share in the rabbinic-like ministry of Jesus who was the one who came to liberate those who were oppressed. (This authority is also given to all the rest of the disciples in Matt. 18:18.) The keys were given in order that they would with Jesus unlock, open-up the way of to the love and truth of God, and of God's justice. It was truly an important responsibility. The keys open up a greater understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures as well.
Later in Matthew's account of the Gospel (Matt 23: 5ff), Jesus rigorously condemns some of the teachers, rabbis, and especially the Pharisees of this time. Their teachings about all the laws, says Jesus, seems to tie heavy burdens on people's backs that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren't willing to help them carry those loads. "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock the door to the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces, but you yourselves don't go it, nor do you allow in those who are trying to enter!" says Jesus. (Matt. 23:13f) If Peter and the other disciples are to be rocks with Jesus, and to join in that calling to teach and to open, to unlock, to make accessible the way to God, they must be truly knowledgeable of who Jesus really is, and what his ministry is truly all about. The keys to the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Domain of God are for the purpose of unlocking those things that prevent people from easy access to the justice and the love of a compassionate and merciful God. If you stand around doing the same old stuff, nothing happens. Misery, Hades, continues to prevail. But to turn the keys to unlock the way to God is to allow greater access for all people to step into the Kingdom of God.
What's going on here? Matthew is establishing a new clear identity of Jesus in a skeptical world, where many saw him as mere carpenter's son, from that place, Nazareth, from which no good can come. Matthew is giving clout to the disciples as the community with the keys for opening the way to the presence of God from which so many people have felt alienated through some of the previous teaching. Let me insert here that calling Peter, Rocky, has an element of humor for us. Peter was not always that rock like character. He is the one who walks on water but sinks. He's the one who betrays. He's the one who challenges Jesus. But he survives it all, and in that sense he is the prevailing rock. In this Caesarea Philippi, this place of many religions, and among the hostilities leveled at Jesus, Matthew establishes his identity and the firmness of his followers to be the gatekeepers, those with the keys to unlocking the way to God. This passage expresses the foundation of the church and purpose of its work.
I believe that the impact of this passage for us today is to keep in mind that it is still a valid question for us to prayerfully seek the meaning of Jesus' identity for us today. That identity influences us in how we carry out our discipleship and the church's mission. We too live in a kind of Caesarea Philippi. We live among a pluralistic variety of religions some of which are pagan. Keeping our identity and appreciation of whom we are and who Jesus Christ is for us in our world is still quite important.
For some people Jesus Christ is little more than a swear word.
For others the meaning of Jesus is something of a magical superman. He is like God who sits on a throne in the heavens somewhere and does or does not answer prayers. The problem with Jesus as a superman, or super human is that he is beyond our reach and ineffective. Jesus who becomes so grand becomes out of touch with our human condition. In his ultimate perfection he is beyond being the savior of the human condition.
For some Jesus is a moralist. He is the statement or measure of all that is good and bad. It makes Jesus appear to be a judge and the person who selects who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. Life then becomes reduced to being a system of reward and punishment. We become judges of one another, and our place in life is always uncertain based on whether from day to day we are good enough. St. Peter then stands at the gate to decide whether people get let in or locked out. And we stand to question the standards of one another to condemn some, and to welcome those who think and do things our way. This way of seeing Jesus is inclined to lock people out of the Kingdom.
For some Jesus was extraordinarily human. He was of the earth. He suffered with people. He felt outrage over the injustices by the political powers. He hated to see the masses impoverished and used by a very small minority of the rich. He hated the exclusion of people from the Temple by virtue of status, and their health.
By and large we think of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. That could mean that Jesus is distant and militant. It could mean that he is the accessibility to the love of God, and a servant. He is the broker that opens the way for people to find peace and consolation from God. It could mean that Jesus is a suffering servant who is not at all distant but who in true outreach embraced the poor, the least, and the last, seeing them as worthy of God's redeeming love in spite of themselves.
How we see Jesus as Lord, and how we define him effects who we are. If Jesus is the great superhuman character then we see ourselves as struggling to be something that we cannot attain, or deluding ourselves into thinking we are superhuman hotshots. If Jesus is moralist than we stand to become judgmental people. If Jesus is human, accessible, holy and an expression of a profound love and forgiveness of God, our motivations are then to be servants with him. It does make a significant difference in us as we seek to be the body of Christ in the world as to how we perceive and identify the meaning of Christ in our lives.
Peter saw something of Jesus that was more than, or at least different from John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah. He saw him as deliverer, messianic servant. He saw him as attached in some wonderful way with the loveliness of God, truly a holy man with divine attributes.
Jesus saw in Peter in all of his wavering a rock of faithfulness. And he shared with him the servanthood ministry and the keys that open the Domain of God to all those who search and want and need the redeeming love of God.
It's so important to be prayerful, to be knowledgeable of scripture, to keep our focus on Jesus as Lord of God's love so that we can be the instruments of faithfulness that keep the channels of grace open to those who seek for God that live around and among us. It is not enough to merely accept ancient doctrines. As cleverly worked out as they may be, they don't always speak to the present age. We must reclaim not dogma alone, but what is heart felt. Jesus is my Lord, the love of my life. He challenges, and gives hope. He makes me what I am, a child of God, and partner in the bearing the keys that open up heavens gates, that opens up new understandings of being in the domain of acceptance, forgiveness and love.
Sunday, August 25, 2002
Thursday, August 15, 2002
Pentecost 13
May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
SEASON: Pentecost 13
PROPER: 15A
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: August 15, 2002
TEXT: Matthew 15:21-28 - She (The Syro-Phoenician woman) said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table
ISSUE: This passage is one of the most unique events in Matthew, if not in all of the gospel accounts. Jesus is seen as successfully challenged by the Syro-Phoenician woman, who causes Jesus to make the change between a ministry exclusively for the lost sheep of Israel, and a ministry for all people. It reflects the struggle of the early church to become more inclusive in its mission and ministry.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This passage from the Gospel account of Matthew is probably one of the most unique and fascinating events in all of Matthew. When Jesus selected his twelve disciples he directed them not to enter any Gentile territories or any Samaritan towns. “Instead,” he said, “You are to go to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. Go and preach, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is near!’ Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, heal those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases, and drive out demons.” It was a very clear command to carry their ministry to the Jewish community without entering Canaanite or Gentile territories. (Matthew 10:6) The church leadership at its earliest beginnings appears to have set its sights on an exclusive ministry to the first Jewish-Christians, at least within Matthew’s largely Jewish community. The Gentile woman comes to Jesus requesting mercy for a demon-possessed daughter. At first Jesus ignores her. Then, he responds, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” That is, it is not appropriate to take what belongs to the Chosen People of God, give it to Gentile dogs.” The response seems incredibly out of character.
It is helpful to understand the culture of the time, to set this story in perspective. Apparently there may have been an immediate concern for bringing the Gospel message of Jesus to the Jewish people first. After all, Jesus himself was Jewish. It seemed somewhat appropriate to keep the mission limited to Judaism until after his death and resurrection so that the message of Jesus as the Christ could be more effectively proclaimed. In this story, however, Jesus is the one who crosses over the border into Tyre and Sidon, major Gentile coastal cities. His reputation for healing must have preceded him.
A Syro-phoenician woman, a Gentile, woman chases after Jesus saying most respectfully to him, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon. Keep in mind this was a public place, and woman did not normally address strange men in public and vice versa. Thus, Jesus ignores her. The woman persists in her efforts to get Jesus’ attention. The disciples demand Jesus to send her away, because of her persistence. So Jesus turns to the woman and finally says: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” Still the woman persists, “Have mercy on me.” Jesus responds with the terrible response, calling the woman a dog, which was the way in which Jews referred to Gentile woman, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” This response is hardly a kind one, and it is very hard to think of Jesus or even his disciples as making this kind of a remark.
The woman has honored Jesus giving him an honorable title, Lord and Son of David. She has been persistent is asking for mercy, and healing for the daughter. Jesus dishonors her and puts her in her dishonorable place by referring to her as a dog. But the woman make the more powerful retort still maintaining a respectful response: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the masters’ table.” Jesus has absolutely no come back. It is the only place in the Gospels where Jesus is challenged that he does not have a come back, or an appropriate riposte. She got him! She wins the challenge! Jesus has been stumped . . . . . . by a Gentile dog woman! ‘Even us gentile woman dogs (bitches) are willing to accept the crumbs of love, mercy, and compassion that drop from the Lord’s table.’ Jesus praises the woman for her faith. He praises her actually for her loyalty, her persistence. In spite of his cultural reluctance, the woman continues to maintain the assurance that Jesus is a man of God, Lord, and will eventually grant her request.
Strange as the story may seem to us, What might it mean? I suggest that the person of Jesus in this story is himself seen as the early Jewish-Christian community surrounded by a closely knit group that is still operating with fairly strict boundaries. But the time has come for the early church to break free and move beyond its secure territories to a wider ministry where there is great need for restoration and hope. Jesus, the early church has to begin breaking down barriers. Jesus, the early church must now change its mind and tactics and see the greater wider human need. The old purity rules need to be set aside, and the comfortable boundaries of familiarity need to be challenged. In the churches early exclusive mission, the time has come to reclaim what the coming of the savior, and the coming of human deliverance would mean.
The Hebrew Scripture from Isaiah read this morning makes it very clear. (Isaiah 56:1-7) “Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely separate me from his people.’ And do not let the eunuch say, ‘I am just a dry tree.’”
“For thus says the Lord to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, ‘I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. . . . . . for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.’”
In this story Jesus and the early church is shamed. The church must now cross boundaries into new territories and with new attitudes. Their old prejudices and purity laws need revising. All the left over crumbs that fell from the five loaves and two need now to be distributed! God’s domain has been greatly expanded. It tells us that Jesus was terribly human himself, and that he had to change. It reveals once again the imperative that the church of God is a mission to human need and a way to God’s redeeming love, healing, and consolation.
If Jesus could be changed then we too may well need some changing. We need to hear the cries of those on the other side of the stained glass windows that are often security against the outside world and human need. We have to embrace all human beings as brothers and sisters and as the children of God, and what’s more we sometimes have new things to learn from others. As the Episcopal Church begins a companion relationship with the Lutheran church, and as we explore even new relations with the Methodist Church, we are all going to be both expanded and changed. It is not just our relationship with other Christian denominations, but we are going to have to develop better relations with Judaism and Islam. They may not see everything the way we do, but they do have a relationship with God the Father as we do.
These are very troubled times on the world scene. And all the understanding and respect that we can achieve between the people of God will be to a worldwide advantage of understanding, justice, and peace. May God spare us from going back to war with Iraq! We have too much to gain from seeking peaceful ways to resolve differences and finding ways to convert and challenge terror and dictatorship without creating suffering for the innocent masses, who need healing and restoration from the evil spiritedness of the world, and the demon possessed.
We have much to gain from relationships with all other people, African Americans, Asian peoples, Native Americans, Islamic folk. We might also learn something from gays and lesbians, from the poor, the lonely, and the oppressed. Arrogance has no place in Christianity, only the openness respecting the dignity of every human being. Crossing the boundaries with openness may open for us a whole new world of understanding and peace. Entering into the pain and suffering of others may encourage us to be more courageous about our missions as people of Jesus Christ. It seems rather clear that if Jesus could be changed, if the brand of early Christianity could be changed, then so might our prejudices be changed in our time.
SEASON: Pentecost 13
PROPER: 15A
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: August 15, 2002
TEXT: Matthew 15:21-28 - She (The Syro-Phoenician woman) said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table
ISSUE: This passage is one of the most unique events in Matthew, if not in all of the gospel accounts. Jesus is seen as successfully challenged by the Syro-Phoenician woman, who causes Jesus to make the change between a ministry exclusively for the lost sheep of Israel, and a ministry for all people. It reflects the struggle of the early church to become more inclusive in its mission and ministry.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This passage from the Gospel account of Matthew is probably one of the most unique and fascinating events in all of Matthew. When Jesus selected his twelve disciples he directed them not to enter any Gentile territories or any Samaritan towns. “Instead,” he said, “You are to go to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. Go and preach, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is near!’ Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, heal those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases, and drive out demons.” It was a very clear command to carry their ministry to the Jewish community without entering Canaanite or Gentile territories. (Matthew 10:6) The church leadership at its earliest beginnings appears to have set its sights on an exclusive ministry to the first Jewish-Christians, at least within Matthew’s largely Jewish community. The Gentile woman comes to Jesus requesting mercy for a demon-possessed daughter. At first Jesus ignores her. Then, he responds, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” That is, it is not appropriate to take what belongs to the Chosen People of God, give it to Gentile dogs.” The response seems incredibly out of character.
It is helpful to understand the culture of the time, to set this story in perspective. Apparently there may have been an immediate concern for bringing the Gospel message of Jesus to the Jewish people first. After all, Jesus himself was Jewish. It seemed somewhat appropriate to keep the mission limited to Judaism until after his death and resurrection so that the message of Jesus as the Christ could be more effectively proclaimed. In this story, however, Jesus is the one who crosses over the border into Tyre and Sidon, major Gentile coastal cities. His reputation for healing must have preceded him.
A Syro-phoenician woman, a Gentile, woman chases after Jesus saying most respectfully to him, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon. Keep in mind this was a public place, and woman did not normally address strange men in public and vice versa. Thus, Jesus ignores her. The woman persists in her efforts to get Jesus’ attention. The disciples demand Jesus to send her away, because of her persistence. So Jesus turns to the woman and finally says: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” Still the woman persists, “Have mercy on me.” Jesus responds with the terrible response, calling the woman a dog, which was the way in which Jews referred to Gentile woman, “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” This response is hardly a kind one, and it is very hard to think of Jesus or even his disciples as making this kind of a remark.
The woman has honored Jesus giving him an honorable title, Lord and Son of David. She has been persistent is asking for mercy, and healing for the daughter. Jesus dishonors her and puts her in her dishonorable place by referring to her as a dog. But the woman make the more powerful retort still maintaining a respectful response: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the masters’ table.” Jesus has absolutely no come back. It is the only place in the Gospels where Jesus is challenged that he does not have a come back, or an appropriate riposte. She got him! She wins the challenge! Jesus has been stumped . . . . . . by a Gentile dog woman! ‘Even us gentile woman dogs (bitches) are willing to accept the crumbs of love, mercy, and compassion that drop from the Lord’s table.’ Jesus praises the woman for her faith. He praises her actually for her loyalty, her persistence. In spite of his cultural reluctance, the woman continues to maintain the assurance that Jesus is a man of God, Lord, and will eventually grant her request.
Strange as the story may seem to us, What might it mean? I suggest that the person of Jesus in this story is himself seen as the early Jewish-Christian community surrounded by a closely knit group that is still operating with fairly strict boundaries. But the time has come for the early church to break free and move beyond its secure territories to a wider ministry where there is great need for restoration and hope. Jesus, the early church has to begin breaking down barriers. Jesus, the early church must now change its mind and tactics and see the greater wider human need. The old purity rules need to be set aside, and the comfortable boundaries of familiarity need to be challenged. In the churches early exclusive mission, the time has come to reclaim what the coming of the savior, and the coming of human deliverance would mean.
The Hebrew Scripture from Isaiah read this morning makes it very clear. (Isaiah 56:1-7) “Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely separate me from his people.’ And do not let the eunuch say, ‘I am just a dry tree.’”
“For thus says the Lord to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, ‘I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. . . . . . for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.’”
In this story Jesus and the early church is shamed. The church must now cross boundaries into new territories and with new attitudes. Their old prejudices and purity laws need revising. All the left over crumbs that fell from the five loaves and two need now to be distributed! God’s domain has been greatly expanded. It tells us that Jesus was terribly human himself, and that he had to change. It reveals once again the imperative that the church of God is a mission to human need and a way to God’s redeeming love, healing, and consolation.
If Jesus could be changed then we too may well need some changing. We need to hear the cries of those on the other side of the stained glass windows that are often security against the outside world and human need. We have to embrace all human beings as brothers and sisters and as the children of God, and what’s more we sometimes have new things to learn from others. As the Episcopal Church begins a companion relationship with the Lutheran church, and as we explore even new relations with the Methodist Church, we are all going to be both expanded and changed. It is not just our relationship with other Christian denominations, but we are going to have to develop better relations with Judaism and Islam. They may not see everything the way we do, but they do have a relationship with God the Father as we do.
These are very troubled times on the world scene. And all the understanding and respect that we can achieve between the people of God will be to a worldwide advantage of understanding, justice, and peace. May God spare us from going back to war with Iraq! We have too much to gain from seeking peaceful ways to resolve differences and finding ways to convert and challenge terror and dictatorship without creating suffering for the innocent masses, who need healing and restoration from the evil spiritedness of the world, and the demon possessed.
We have much to gain from relationships with all other people, African Americans, Asian peoples, Native Americans, Islamic folk. We might also learn something from gays and lesbians, from the poor, the lonely, and the oppressed. Arrogance has no place in Christianity, only the openness respecting the dignity of every human being. Crossing the boundaries with openness may open for us a whole new world of understanding and peace. Entering into the pain and suffering of others may encourage us to be more courageous about our missions as people of Jesus Christ. It seems rather clear that if Jesus could be changed, if the brand of early Christianity could be changed, then so might our prejudices be changed in our time.
Sunday, August 11, 2002
Pentecost 12
May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
SEASON: Pentecost 12
PROPER: 14A
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: August 11, 2002
TEXT: Matthew 14:22-33 – Jesus & Peter Walk on Water
“So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’”
ISSUE: The story of Jesus walking on the water has great meaning for a world facing very difficult times. In spite of the storminess and the overwhelming problems of our age, the story tells us to keep focused on Jesus Christ. Keep looking at him, and dare to step out on turbulent waters and walk with him. This daring call is in contrast to our merely trying to hold on in the boat and hoping for the best, and letting the chaos and evil spirits have their way. It is also again a story calling us to loyalty and faith, and responding to the loving call and grace of God.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The story of Jesus walking on water has surely been one of the challenging stories of the Christian Scriptures for many people. In a sophisticated, technological, and scientific world, the story often lends itself to jokes, and sarcasm. It is often used in derogatory way about aggressive or proud people, i.e. “He thinks he can walk on water.” When I was in seminary, our professor of New Testament Studies dismissed the story of Jesus walking on the water as just that, a folk story about Jesus that had developed from folklore, with no other significant meaning.
The appearance of Jesus in this ghost like way, walking in a storm on the Lake, and thought to be a ghost by the distraught disciples was thought to be by some, a misplaced Resurrection Story. It gives to the person of Jesus more than human quality. It can easily be seen as a very mystic presentation of Jesus.
But with a more careful consideration, the story of Jesus walking on the water can and does have some very significant meaning for our time, and it fits extremely well where it is in Matthew’s narrative. Let me say up front that I don’t mean that the story is to be understood literally. Actually, if you do take the story literally, it loses meaning. Jesus literally walked on the water, so hip-hip hooray for Jesus! He is seen as something of a magician. But if the story is understood metaphorically, or as a poetic statement about the Lord, the story becomes rich in meaning.
First, let’s understand the story in the Matthew’s context. Just prior to the walking on water, Jesus had withdrawn to the wilderness to pray, after the horrendous death of John the Baptist. The wilderness, a place of evil spirits, and the cruel demise of John the Baptist by Herod told much about the world of that time. Many people followed Jesus, and he orders his disciples to feed them, They bring to Jesus what little they have to offer, two fish and five little barley loaves and the multitude is fed. It is a story reminiscent of Moses’ feeding the his people in the wilderness with manna, and of Elijah feeding prophets, with food left over. And now with Jesus, God has not abandoned his world to the impoverishment and evil spiritedness of the world.
Once again, in the walking on water story, Jesus remains alone to pray, while his disciples have left him, and attempt the crossing back across the Sea of Galilee. Not at all unlike the wilderness, the sea was also a place of what could be evil spiritedness. The wind was for these people a spirit. Storms came up very quickly and often with great force on the Sea of Galilee, and boats and their crews were lost. They easily lost control of their lives. Fishermen had little control of their lives as it was. In order to fish on Lake Galilee, you had to have a license from the Roman Government, which you bought through a tax collector at an exorbitant cost. Your catches varied; sometimes fish was good; sometimes bad. In order to survive you needed help from something or someone stronger. You needed a more powerful spirit.
This storm on the sea as Matthew presents it is very reminiscent of Hebrew Scripture writings. Moses with the help of God led his people across the Red Sea to their eventual new home in the Promised Land. In one of Job’s speeches of faith in which he praises the power of God, he says: [God] alone stretched out the heavens, and trampled the waves of the sea, (or trampled back the sea dragon.) (Job 9:8) The great old story of Jonah, part of which we read today, Jonah 2:1-9, tells of his loss of control and the horror of his drowning: “The waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots of the mountains. As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to you . . . Deliverance belongs to the Lord!” Job is spit up on the beach from the belly of the great fish.
Listen to Psalm 107:23f –
Some went down to the sea in ships and plied their trade in deep waters;
They beheld the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep.
Then he spoke, and a strong wind arose, which tossed high the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to the heavens and fell back to the depths; their hearts melted because of their peril.
They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper and quieted the waves of the sea.
Then were they glad because of the calm, and he brought them to the harbor they were bound for.
Notice how Matthew’s gospel crafts these stories and verses. Without their even asking, Jesus calls to them in the boat, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” (“It is I.” carries with it the meaning of God’s name, “I AM.”) Again grace comes to these men in their fear and in their distress. Jesus who has been again praying in the wilderness comes to his community with saving grace. He comes as the stronger spirit, the Spirit of God in the wind and storm. He comes as the presence of God for his people. God comes through Jesus Christ. Again Jesus stands with the greatest, with Moses, Job, Jonah. He is truly at one with God, and is Son of God.
In the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus commands his disciples to take responsibility in feeding the multitude. Look what happens in this story. Peter says, “Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” This statement is another way of saying, “Let me also overcome the evil spiritedness of the world.” Jesus gives the command: “Come!” Peter steps out of the boat and begins to walk to Jesus, but he becomes distracted by the strong wind and the waves, and begins to sink. Turning back to Jesus, Peter says, “Save me.” And he is.
Consider what this means. We know that as profound as our faith and loyalty to Christ is, we are not going to be able to walk on water. Such and act defies the laws of nature. But metaphorically, when we keep focused and aimed for Christ, and do not allow ourselves to be distracted and fearful of the evil spiritedness of the world we will find our place, our rescue, our place with Christ. Without our focus and aim on God, who is revealed in Jesus Christ, we cannot overcome the evil spiritedness of the world. But rather than be blown away by the safety and comfort of the boat, Peter dares to walk with Christ on the sea.
This story was a story of hope and strength for the early Christian Church in greatly troubled times. This story assured them of the presence of God in Jesus Christ. It called them to walk loyally, faithfully, and courageously with Christ, and not let the world destroy them. As surely as the disciples could feed the multitude with what little they had. They could also walk with Christ in troubled, frightening and evil spirited times.
These too are very troubled times for the church of God, and for us as God’s people. All around us we can find evil spiritedness. We have the great fear and uncertainty of terrorism. We are now living with the threat of still another very costly war with Saddam Hussein in Iraq, when there are important issues of drug abuse, prescription drugs for the elderly, and a failing school system, and human suffering and starvation in the world. We live with all the indignities of the security checks and our being under suspicion. We live with the uncertainty of the market place, which can have a profound effect upon the elder population. We live with incivility, anger, and rage around us everywhere. We are often torn by what our loyalties really are in a world that demands so much of our attention, and can seem so overwhelming.
There are choices we have to make. We can stay hanging on in the boat seeking some kind of comfort only eventually to go down with the ship. We can feel so powerless as to surrender to the world in hopelessness and despair. Or we can choose to get out of the sinking ship and walk with Christ focused on him, focused on his love, focused on forgiveness, focused on the hope of renewal and resurrection in the middle of the turmoil and distresses of our lives. We can dare to live focused on Christ in hope as we walk through the darkness and the evil waves to the shore of a new dawning day of new life, love and hope.
AFTERTHOUGHT: Notice also the Baptismal implications of the story. Peter is raised up, i.e. resurrected to new life and the dawning of a new day.
SEASON: Pentecost 12
PROPER: 14A
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: August 11, 2002
TEXT: Matthew 14:22-33 – Jesus & Peter Walk on Water
“So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’”
ISSUE: The story of Jesus walking on the water has great meaning for a world facing very difficult times. In spite of the storminess and the overwhelming problems of our age, the story tells us to keep focused on Jesus Christ. Keep looking at him, and dare to step out on turbulent waters and walk with him. This daring call is in contrast to our merely trying to hold on in the boat and hoping for the best, and letting the chaos and evil spirits have their way. It is also again a story calling us to loyalty and faith, and responding to the loving call and grace of God.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The story of Jesus walking on water has surely been one of the challenging stories of the Christian Scriptures for many people. In a sophisticated, technological, and scientific world, the story often lends itself to jokes, and sarcasm. It is often used in derogatory way about aggressive or proud people, i.e. “He thinks he can walk on water.” When I was in seminary, our professor of New Testament Studies dismissed the story of Jesus walking on the water as just that, a folk story about Jesus that had developed from folklore, with no other significant meaning.
The appearance of Jesus in this ghost like way, walking in a storm on the Lake, and thought to be a ghost by the distraught disciples was thought to be by some, a misplaced Resurrection Story. It gives to the person of Jesus more than human quality. It can easily be seen as a very mystic presentation of Jesus.
But with a more careful consideration, the story of Jesus walking on the water can and does have some very significant meaning for our time, and it fits extremely well where it is in Matthew’s narrative. Let me say up front that I don’t mean that the story is to be understood literally. Actually, if you do take the story literally, it loses meaning. Jesus literally walked on the water, so hip-hip hooray for Jesus! He is seen as something of a magician. But if the story is understood metaphorically, or as a poetic statement about the Lord, the story becomes rich in meaning.
First, let’s understand the story in the Matthew’s context. Just prior to the walking on water, Jesus had withdrawn to the wilderness to pray, after the horrendous death of John the Baptist. The wilderness, a place of evil spirits, and the cruel demise of John the Baptist by Herod told much about the world of that time. Many people followed Jesus, and he orders his disciples to feed them, They bring to Jesus what little they have to offer, two fish and five little barley loaves and the multitude is fed. It is a story reminiscent of Moses’ feeding the his people in the wilderness with manna, and of Elijah feeding prophets, with food left over. And now with Jesus, God has not abandoned his world to the impoverishment and evil spiritedness of the world.
Once again, in the walking on water story, Jesus remains alone to pray, while his disciples have left him, and attempt the crossing back across the Sea of Galilee. Not at all unlike the wilderness, the sea was also a place of what could be evil spiritedness. The wind was for these people a spirit. Storms came up very quickly and often with great force on the Sea of Galilee, and boats and their crews were lost. They easily lost control of their lives. Fishermen had little control of their lives as it was. In order to fish on Lake Galilee, you had to have a license from the Roman Government, which you bought through a tax collector at an exorbitant cost. Your catches varied; sometimes fish was good; sometimes bad. In order to survive you needed help from something or someone stronger. You needed a more powerful spirit.
This storm on the sea as Matthew presents it is very reminiscent of Hebrew Scripture writings. Moses with the help of God led his people across the Red Sea to their eventual new home in the Promised Land. In one of Job’s speeches of faith in which he praises the power of God, he says: [God] alone stretched out the heavens, and trampled the waves of the sea, (or trampled back the sea dragon.) (Job 9:8) The great old story of Jonah, part of which we read today, Jonah 2:1-9, tells of his loss of control and the horror of his drowning: “The waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots of the mountains. As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to you . . . Deliverance belongs to the Lord!” Job is spit up on the beach from the belly of the great fish.
Listen to Psalm 107:23f –
Some went down to the sea in ships and plied their trade in deep waters;
They beheld the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep.
Then he spoke, and a strong wind arose, which tossed high the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to the heavens and fell back to the depths; their hearts melted because of their peril.
They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper and quieted the waves of the sea.
Then were they glad because of the calm, and he brought them to the harbor they were bound for.
Notice how Matthew’s gospel crafts these stories and verses. Without their even asking, Jesus calls to them in the boat, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” (“It is I.” carries with it the meaning of God’s name, “I AM.”) Again grace comes to these men in their fear and in their distress. Jesus who has been again praying in the wilderness comes to his community with saving grace. He comes as the stronger spirit, the Spirit of God in the wind and storm. He comes as the presence of God for his people. God comes through Jesus Christ. Again Jesus stands with the greatest, with Moses, Job, Jonah. He is truly at one with God, and is Son of God.
In the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus commands his disciples to take responsibility in feeding the multitude. Look what happens in this story. Peter says, “Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” This statement is another way of saying, “Let me also overcome the evil spiritedness of the world.” Jesus gives the command: “Come!” Peter steps out of the boat and begins to walk to Jesus, but he becomes distracted by the strong wind and the waves, and begins to sink. Turning back to Jesus, Peter says, “Save me.” And he is.
Consider what this means. We know that as profound as our faith and loyalty to Christ is, we are not going to be able to walk on water. Such and act defies the laws of nature. But metaphorically, when we keep focused and aimed for Christ, and do not allow ourselves to be distracted and fearful of the evil spiritedness of the world we will find our place, our rescue, our place with Christ. Without our focus and aim on God, who is revealed in Jesus Christ, we cannot overcome the evil spiritedness of the world. But rather than be blown away by the safety and comfort of the boat, Peter dares to walk with Christ on the sea.
This story was a story of hope and strength for the early Christian Church in greatly troubled times. This story assured them of the presence of God in Jesus Christ. It called them to walk loyally, faithfully, and courageously with Christ, and not let the world destroy them. As surely as the disciples could feed the multitude with what little they had. They could also walk with Christ in troubled, frightening and evil spirited times.
These too are very troubled times for the church of God, and for us as God’s people. All around us we can find evil spiritedness. We have the great fear and uncertainty of terrorism. We are now living with the threat of still another very costly war with Saddam Hussein in Iraq, when there are important issues of drug abuse, prescription drugs for the elderly, and a failing school system, and human suffering and starvation in the world. We live with all the indignities of the security checks and our being under suspicion. We live with the uncertainty of the market place, which can have a profound effect upon the elder population. We live with incivility, anger, and rage around us everywhere. We are often torn by what our loyalties really are in a world that demands so much of our attention, and can seem so overwhelming.
There are choices we have to make. We can stay hanging on in the boat seeking some kind of comfort only eventually to go down with the ship. We can feel so powerless as to surrender to the world in hopelessness and despair. Or we can choose to get out of the sinking ship and walk with Christ focused on him, focused on his love, focused on forgiveness, focused on the hope of renewal and resurrection in the middle of the turmoil and distresses of our lives. We can dare to live focused on Christ in hope as we walk through the darkness and the evil waves to the shore of a new dawning day of new life, love and hope.
AFTERTHOUGHT: Notice also the Baptismal implications of the story. Peter is raised up, i.e. resurrected to new life and the dawning of a new day.
Sunday, August 4, 2002
Pentecost 11
May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
SEASON: Pentecost 11
PROPER: 13A
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: August 4, 2002
TEXT: Matthew 14:13-21 - Suggest reading Matthew 14:1-21, for the contrast of the Herod’s Banquet & Jesus’ Banquet of the 5,000.
“And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides woman and children.”
ISSUE: There is a contrast here between Herod’s banquet and the banquet of Jesus. Herod’s is based on intrigue, shame, murder, and violence. Jesus’ banquet is based on love and compassion. These events dramatize the difference between the world that rejects God, and the world with God’s abiding presence and the importance of feeding upon God through Jesus Christ. The story also emphasizes the importance of our feeding one another with Christ, and our call to be in the service of the Lord.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand is one of the most important miracle stories of the Christian Scripture. It appears in all four accounts of the Gospel: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Counting two similar stories of the feeding of four thousand, the basic story of a miraculous distribution of bread and fish appears six times. It was obviously a story and miracle of great importance to the early Christian Community and has had a great influence upon the church down through the centuries.
It is thought that one of the important aspects of the story is how it associates Jesus with Moses and Elisha from the Hebrew Scriptures. During the Exodus, when Moses is leading the Hebrews out of Egypt, the people complain for lack of food. Moses with God’s help provides for them the manna from heaven, the quail for meat, and even water flows from a rock. There is a miracle that Elisha the prophet performs (2 Kings 4:42-44) where Elisha feeds a 100 hundred prophets with just twenty small barley loaves, “and they all ate, and there was still some left over.” The story highlights the Jesus as truly a prophet of God like the greatest prophets and leaders, Moses and Elisha. Jesus is able to feed a multitude with 5,000 and more with just five small barley loaves and two small fish. The story heightens the importance of Jesus’ ministry.
There is also the thought that Jesus was able to accomplish this miracle, because all the people there may well have had some of their own food in baskets they carried with them, and that it was a great moment of sharing. Maybe so? But keep in mind that the people of this time would have naturally shared their food with one another because of the poverty. Only we individualistic Americans see great sharing as unusual. The story of Jesus’ miraculous feeding was more than just sharing for the impact it had for the early church. It provided something more bountiful.
One of the interesting aspects of this story is how it is set in a position of contrast in the Gospel accounts of Mark, and Luke with the Banquet of King Herod. Herod has a grand banquet for a selected group of worthy friends in the court. It is a sumptuous banquet and Herod drinks too much. His step-daughter dances for the crowd, which would have been considered to be shameful behavior in the common ranks of the people. So taken by her loveliness and dancing, Herod offers her half of his Kingdom. Instead, in consultation with her mother Herodias, she asks for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Herod, unable to renege on his offer to save his honor, beheads John the Baptist, and has his head delivered on a platter.
Jesus, on hearing of John’s death, withdraws by boat to the wilderness across the lake. The crowds of people follow him. Now notice the great contrast of the banquets. The multitude of 5,000 may well be a Middle Eastern cultural exaggeration. In all of Palestine there were only 250,000 people. Five thousand people would have been an enormous crowd of at least half the population of the larger cities. Mathew also says that it was 5,000 men not counting the women and children. They sit in groups, men separated from women. The sick are healed, and they must have been nourished with the teachings of God’s love and hope. When the disciples suggest sending the people to buy food, Jesus determines that they shall feed them. Taking their only available supply of a modest five small barley loaves and two fish, the enormous crowd of 5,000 men and an uncounted number of women and children. Twelve baskets are left over of the gathered up crumbs.
Notice the contrast: The banquet of Herod, a symbol of power and of the political oppression and evil of the world has a banquet where there is scheming, debauchery, and murder. What is served up in the end is death. The banquet of Jesus, modest as it is, brings healing, nourishment and hope to a multitude of destitute people in an oppressive crushing world. What is more is that Jesus says to the disciples when they are ready to send the people away. “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” Bringing their very small offering to Jesus, 5 little barley loaves and two sardines, to Jesus, together they feed a multitude with food left over, when Jesus takes the offering, blesses and breaks it, and gives it back to the disciples for distribution.
People today often get disturbed over the Bible’s miracles. How did Jesus do such a thing? The issue is not how Jesus did it; it is more what does it mean that Jesus did this? We have contrasted the way of the world with the mission of the church and hope of the church. In the world there is often scheming, mischievousness, murder, lack of respect for human life, incivility. It is a world where we often try to kill our rivals: gangs, politics, governments, and even the prophets of our time are condemned. Even when the church and its clergy and members lose their focus as to what the task of the church is, the church becomes as distorted as the rest of the world. The recent scandals of the wider church attest to that fact.
However, we have also seen in the modest giving that took place in our parish over the past few weeks, how quickly and entire apartment could be furnished for a Sudanese family taking flight from political oppression and persecution could begin a new life with hope in this country.
Jesus intended to provide for this people a banquet where people would find great compassion, sensitivity to their need, and mercy. Jesus gathers with not a select few, but with a multitude of all kinds of people. He calls his closest followers to be the servants of the gathering, and to bring into being a great servant community, where in the giving of their modest talents and abilities, broken, blessed, and shared, they bring nourishment and hope to the disenfranchised and the chaos of the world. The wilderness where Jesus performed this great miracle was a symbol of chaos, a place of evil spirits, and yet it becomes in Christ a place of peace, healing, nourishment and hope.
The miracle and the event are cherished by the church, and are regularly re-enacted by our worship. Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we are called to bring our offerings, small though they may be, to Christ. He takes our offering, breaks and blesses them and they are given back to us that we may be strengthened for service, and partners in that ministry. The offering of our bread and wine represents the offering of all our human industry. It is broken and blessed and returned to us time and again. The bounty of Christ’s mercy and nourishment continue and has never, and will never run out.
SEASON: Pentecost 11
PROPER: 13A
PLACE: St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kingsville
DATE: August 4, 2002
TEXT: Matthew 14:13-21 - Suggest reading Matthew 14:1-21, for the contrast of the Herod’s Banquet & Jesus’ Banquet of the 5,000.
“And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides woman and children.”
ISSUE: There is a contrast here between Herod’s banquet and the banquet of Jesus. Herod’s is based on intrigue, shame, murder, and violence. Jesus’ banquet is based on love and compassion. These events dramatize the difference between the world that rejects God, and the world with God’s abiding presence and the importance of feeding upon God through Jesus Christ. The story also emphasizes the importance of our feeding one another with Christ, and our call to be in the service of the Lord.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand is one of the most important miracle stories of the Christian Scripture. It appears in all four accounts of the Gospel: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Counting two similar stories of the feeding of four thousand, the basic story of a miraculous distribution of bread and fish appears six times. It was obviously a story and miracle of great importance to the early Christian Community and has had a great influence upon the church down through the centuries.
It is thought that one of the important aspects of the story is how it associates Jesus with Moses and Elisha from the Hebrew Scriptures. During the Exodus, when Moses is leading the Hebrews out of Egypt, the people complain for lack of food. Moses with God’s help provides for them the manna from heaven, the quail for meat, and even water flows from a rock. There is a miracle that Elisha the prophet performs (2 Kings 4:42-44) where Elisha feeds a 100 hundred prophets with just twenty small barley loaves, “and they all ate, and there was still some left over.” The story highlights the Jesus as truly a prophet of God like the greatest prophets and leaders, Moses and Elisha. Jesus is able to feed a multitude with 5,000 and more with just five small barley loaves and two small fish. The story heightens the importance of Jesus’ ministry.
There is also the thought that Jesus was able to accomplish this miracle, because all the people there may well have had some of their own food in baskets they carried with them, and that it was a great moment of sharing. Maybe so? But keep in mind that the people of this time would have naturally shared their food with one another because of the poverty. Only we individualistic Americans see great sharing as unusual. The story of Jesus’ miraculous feeding was more than just sharing for the impact it had for the early church. It provided something more bountiful.
One of the interesting aspects of this story is how it is set in a position of contrast in the Gospel accounts of Mark, and Luke with the Banquet of King Herod. Herod has a grand banquet for a selected group of worthy friends in the court. It is a sumptuous banquet and Herod drinks too much. His step-daughter dances for the crowd, which would have been considered to be shameful behavior in the common ranks of the people. So taken by her loveliness and dancing, Herod offers her half of his Kingdom. Instead, in consultation with her mother Herodias, she asks for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Herod, unable to renege on his offer to save his honor, beheads John the Baptist, and has his head delivered on a platter.
Jesus, on hearing of John’s death, withdraws by boat to the wilderness across the lake. The crowds of people follow him. Now notice the great contrast of the banquets. The multitude of 5,000 may well be a Middle Eastern cultural exaggeration. In all of Palestine there were only 250,000 people. Five thousand people would have been an enormous crowd of at least half the population of the larger cities. Mathew also says that it was 5,000 men not counting the women and children. They sit in groups, men separated from women. The sick are healed, and they must have been nourished with the teachings of God’s love and hope. When the disciples suggest sending the people to buy food, Jesus determines that they shall feed them. Taking their only available supply of a modest five small barley loaves and two fish, the enormous crowd of 5,000 men and an uncounted number of women and children. Twelve baskets are left over of the gathered up crumbs.
Notice the contrast: The banquet of Herod, a symbol of power and of the political oppression and evil of the world has a banquet where there is scheming, debauchery, and murder. What is served up in the end is death. The banquet of Jesus, modest as it is, brings healing, nourishment and hope to a multitude of destitute people in an oppressive crushing world. What is more is that Jesus says to the disciples when they are ready to send the people away. “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” Bringing their very small offering to Jesus, 5 little barley loaves and two sardines, to Jesus, together they feed a multitude with food left over, when Jesus takes the offering, blesses and breaks it, and gives it back to the disciples for distribution.
People today often get disturbed over the Bible’s miracles. How did Jesus do such a thing? The issue is not how Jesus did it; it is more what does it mean that Jesus did this? We have contrasted the way of the world with the mission of the church and hope of the church. In the world there is often scheming, mischievousness, murder, lack of respect for human life, incivility. It is a world where we often try to kill our rivals: gangs, politics, governments, and even the prophets of our time are condemned. Even when the church and its clergy and members lose their focus as to what the task of the church is, the church becomes as distorted as the rest of the world. The recent scandals of the wider church attest to that fact.
However, we have also seen in the modest giving that took place in our parish over the past few weeks, how quickly and entire apartment could be furnished for a Sudanese family taking flight from political oppression and persecution could begin a new life with hope in this country.
Jesus intended to provide for this people a banquet where people would find great compassion, sensitivity to their need, and mercy. Jesus gathers with not a select few, but with a multitude of all kinds of people. He calls his closest followers to be the servants of the gathering, and to bring into being a great servant community, where in the giving of their modest talents and abilities, broken, blessed, and shared, they bring nourishment and hope to the disenfranchised and the chaos of the world. The wilderness where Jesus performed this great miracle was a symbol of chaos, a place of evil spirits, and yet it becomes in Christ a place of peace, healing, nourishment and hope.
The miracle and the event are cherished by the church, and are regularly re-enacted by our worship. Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we are called to bring our offerings, small though they may be, to Christ. He takes our offering, breaks and blesses them and they are given back to us that we may be strengthened for service, and partners in that ministry. The offering of our bread and wine represents the offering of all our human industry. It is broken and blessed and returned to us time and again. The bounty of Christ’s mercy and nourishment continue and has never, and will never run out.
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