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Morning Message Text: Matthew 14: 13-21
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
13 When 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.
14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 As 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.”
16 Jesus 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.
19 And 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.
20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Morning Message:
The more I read God’s Word the more little hidden treasures I find which many times go unnoticed. I believe at times we look at God’s Word, and we try to find the big messages, the ones that make us feel good, the ones that show us the power of God when He moves in a big way. We have to look closer and examine God’s Word in a way that shows us His heart and the wisdom that never grows old, even in this day and age if we follow the wisdom of God, we can find a much better way of life and direction to lead us through these confusing times. God’s Word is relevant in our world, and in our nation today.
There are things that we can learn from the very actions of our Savior. Our scripture reading seems to start in the middle of something important, so we need to go back and look at what transpired right before. Jesus hears the news about John the Baptist being beheaded by Herod. This was His beloved cousin, and the Jewish leaders were plotting against Him, and He knew what lay ahead of Him in Jerusalem. Jesus needed a minute to Himself to gather His thoughts, to grieve His loss, to ponder what lie ahead. So, He gets into a boat and attempts to find some privacy. Haven’t we all felt like that from time to time? Have you ever needed to just shut out the world and think through your circumstances; spend some time in prayer alone with God.
How do we react when we feel like we need that time desperately? And, no matter how hard we try, the world just won’t give it to us. Our reactions are very different. We might just throw our hands up in the air and do our best to get through a little longer. Sometimes, we might get angry at those who disturb us and take that time from us. We may even lash out at our friends and loved ones for being so insensitive to our needs. Let’s be honest here, if we went to a lot of trouble to carve out a little private time in a nice, secluded place, and discovered when we finally arrived, that there was a crowd of people waiting for us. Not just waiting for us, but expecting us to help them. What did Jesus do? He had compassion on them and healed their sick. What can we learn from this? Ministry doesn’t take place on our schedules, and many times it is needed at the most inconvenient times of our lives. That line that is so popular today: I can’t help right now, I am having some me time.
Let’s look closely at what happens next, because there is so much more taking place than just feeding a large number of people with next to nothing. That’s the miracle that always gets our attention, and it should, but let’s look deeper, let’s find what it means for us today. The disciples are using common sense. It’s getting late and the people need to eat, but they won’t go unless Jesus dismisses them. So, they are just reminding Jesus: Hey Jesus, maybe you have lost track of time with all of that healing you are doing; these people need to eat. I don’t believe that they ever imagined the reaction they got from Jesus. Listen to it and think about it. “YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT.” Now we know how they responded. Once again in a very common sense way, “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish.” We know what Jesus did.
Let’s stay with the words of Jesus for a moment. “You give them something to eat.” I believe as followers of Jesus those words were meant for us to take literally and seriously. Too often the church reacts to the problem of hunger in the world the same way that society reacts. We look to the government. I don’t know exactly when this got turned around and God’s people advocated their responsibility to the government. We are called to feed the hungry and take care of the poor, and I don’t see one place in my Bible where it says for us to go to the government for help. When the disciples tell Jesus how limited they are on food, what does He say? Write a letter to your congressmen. Protest in the streets, and demand more from the government. No. Jesus says, “Bring them to me.” Give me what you have, and watch what I will do with it. Put your faith and trust in me, and I will expand the little you have and there will be enough.
So why is this important to the church and necessary for a healthy society? Let me just touch on something that I have preached to you in the past. God’s Word tells us, “Anyone who refuses to work should not eat.” Now don’t take that out of context. There are people who for whatever reason cannot work. I am only speaking about those who refuse to work. The church is built on God’s Word, and God’s Word is clear about our responsibilities as followers of Jesus. It has gotten so bad in our society today, people have become so dependent on the government that something has taken place that I never thought I would see in my lifetime. We have people, a lot of them young people, who think that they should be completely taken care of by the government. They are demanding free education, free childcare, free bus rides, you name it, and they want it for free, and they expect it from the government. You know what that’s called? SOCIALISM! Give everything to the government and let them decide what you can have. If everything is free who pays for it? God has provided an abundance in this world, and the church is charged with the stewardship of it, not the government.
How many of you growing up have watched Robin Hood? That’s what people sound like today. Rob from the rich and give to the poor. The church needs to start being the church again. Not just a building, but the living, breathing, Body of Christ. People are desperate, they are looking for a place they can depend on, a Savior that will help them. We, the church, should be the beacon of light and hope to them, not the government. Friends, we need to wake up quickly. There are people who want to destroy this nation, burn everything to the ground that we know and believe in because they have no hope. We have the answer. Jesus gave it to us in today’s scripture. YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT! And if you think you don’t have enough, BRING THEM HERE TO ME!
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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