Pentecost VIII (Proper 11 B) [Mark 6:30-44] (19-Jul-2015)

This sermon was preached at St Mark's Lutheran Church, Mt Barker, 8.30am, 10.30am.

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

And they all ate and were satisfied.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, send to all of us your Holy Spirit, to me that I may preach well, and to all of us that we may hear well. Amen.

In our Gospel reading today, we read about the wonderful miracle where Jesus feeds 5000 people, and he feeds them with five loaves of bread and two fish. However, in our reading, this miracle is not the only thing we read about, but there are other things that happen first.

Firstly we read: The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.

The apostles had been sent by Jesus on a special mission, to go out and preach that the people should repent. We also read that they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

And so they brought a lot of joy to people, but also they became very famous, and many people heard about it, even the king, King Herod, in his palace. When King Herod heard about it, as we read last week, he didn’t become happy, but he was filled with fear. You see, previously, he had killed John the Baptist. In fact, King Herod was celebrating his own birthday party, and had John’s head cut off. And so when King Herod heard about Jesus, he was frightened and scared, because he thought that Jesus and his apostles would come not to celebrate his birthday, but he thought that John was raised from the dead, and would come and punish him, and have a party for his death.

So you can see that when the apostles went out and taught people and were preaching, they gave a lot of joy to people, but also many people, including the King, became scared.

So this was very hard work. It was very exciting for them, but it was also very tiring for them. They must have been exhausted. So we read: The apostles returned to Jesus and tole him all that they had done and taught.

So here we have a wonderful example. When we have done our work for the day, whether it is preaching and teaching, or whether we have a farm, or work in an office, or have been working in a shop or fixing cars, or teaching children, or whatever, whether we have had a good day or a bad day, whether we have filled with joy or whether we have been filled with sadness, we should return to Jesus at the end of the day and tell him everything that we have done. We should place everything that we have done into his hands and thank him.

Psalm 127 says: Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build labour in vain. We are not doing our work to serve the devil, and if all we are doing is to serve ourselves and not Jesus, then we are doing bad work, and our work is useless, and it will be destroyed. So we should tell Jesus everything that we have done, what we have done wrong so that he can forgive us, and what we have done right so that he can bless it. Jesus has died for us on the cross and he has risen from the dead, and he is such a wonderful Saviour for us, who listens to our prayers and he gives his blessing over our whole lives. He encourages us and washes all our work from day to day in his blood so that it is pleasing to God.

So the apostles return to their wonderful Saviour, their good Shepherd, Jesus, and tell him all that they had done and taught.

Now Jesus sees that they need some rest, and he cares about them, so that they won’t become exhausted. He says to them: “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place—a quiet, lonely, desolate place—and rest a while.” And we read: For many were coming and going, and they had no opportunity even to eat.

What a wonderful thing for them to look forward to! Don’t you think it would be a great thing to be alone with Jesus, to enjoy his company, and to rest with him! So they got in a boat and went to a quiet, desolate place by themselves. They were going to a place that was still green—they were not going to a desert. But there were no people living there, there were no farms, no villages, so business, no shops. It was a deserted place, a quiet, lonely place.

But they we read: Now many saw them going and recognised them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus went ashore he saw a great crowd.

Now, if I were one of the apostles, I think I would be a bit disappointed. Oh no! We were wanting to have a rest and a sleep, and now there are all these people here again. We read later that the disciples said to Jesus, “Send them away now to get some food, because it is late.” Come on, Jesus, we want some time by ourselves – we want to relax and sit down and put our feet up! But Jesus says to them: You give them something to eat!

What would you think if you were one of the apostles? Would you be angry with Jesus? Jesus promised them a rest, and now he makes them feed 5000 people.

But we read: Jesus had compassion on [the crowd], because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

When Jesus promises the disciples rest, he doesn’t want them just to sit around on their bottoms and be lazy! Some people think like this: they say, God says: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Sabbath is the Hebrew word for rest. So they say: I’m not coming to church, because I need a rest. Coming to church is too much of an effort! I’m not going to waste my time doing that. I’d much rather sit at home and do nothing, and put my feet up, play computer games, and sleep.

If this is how we thing, they Jesus says to us: You’re wrong—being lazy and doing nothing is not the same thing as resting.

And so, the apostles need rest and the crowd needs a shepherd. And so, Jesus, the good shepherd, gives both. We read: He began to teach them many things.

Can you see how wonderful Jesus is! He knows how to give us rest. He gives rest to us by teaching us. What a privilege, what a pleasure it is to come and listen to the teaching of Jesus! Jesus gives the disciples rest, together with the whole crowd, not so their minds can switch off, but so that he can do his work on them. Jesus works on us when we come to church and listen to God’s word. He works on us by showing us our sin, but he works on us by showing us that he died for our sin, and to forgive our sin.

When you die and go to be with Jesus, you will be given eternal rest. Jesus says: Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. We will enjoy the company and the presence of Jesus and see him face to face. And yet, not just by ourselves, but together with thousands and thousands of people who have believed in him. Even today, here we are a small gathering of people, but we are gathered around Jesus. And in heaven, there are thousands of people, resting with Jesus, and enjoying his word, the word of their good Shepherd. What a wonderful thing to come and rest in the company of Jesus, our Good Shepherd, and listen to his voice!

Now in the second part of our reading, we read about the great miracle, where Jesus feeds 5000 people. Actually, it says 5000 men—often when the bible counts men in a crowd, it is counting the families. So we might day that Jesus fed 5000 families. Can you imagine if not just you by yourself, but your entire family were there listening to Jesus that day?

So what does Jesus feed them with? Five loaves and two fish. And we read that there were twelve baskets left over. There was even too much food for the crowd, even more food left over than what they began with.

But this miracle follows on from what we read before. Jesus taught them many things. But now, this miracle happens, and Jesus performs this miracle not for fun, but to demonstrate the power of his word.

The disciples want to send everyone away to the shops. But Jesus wants to show them that all the food in the world belongs to him, and he is the one who gives us our daily bread. And so we read: They all ate and were satisfied.

They all ate and they all had plenty to eat. But it’s easy to eat – it’s not easy to be satisfied. Along time ago, God have the people of Israel bread from heaven – manna – and yet, they were not satisfied. God gave them plenty, he was not stingy. But they grumbled and complained.

So ask yourself – are you satisfied?

Sometimes people don’t have what they think they need. They don’t have enough money, or they don’t have the health they would like, and then one year they have a good year. But then instead of being satisfied, they want more and more.

When Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, he was with the devil. And Satan tempts Jesus not just to turn one stone into bread, the bread that he needs, but lots of stones, all these stones. He wants Jesus to be a big, and make himself fat!

It’s not easy to be satisfied. In the 10 commandment, we read about being satisfied. It says: You shall not covet. You should be satisfied with the wonderful gifts that God gives you. You don’t need to have a house like your neighbour – be satisfied with your own. You don’t need to covet your neighbour’s wife or husband, his workers, his animals—be satisfied with what you have.

But in our reading, they ate the food, but it wasn’t the food then that satisfied them. It was Jesus who satisfies them.

Jesus really does give to us everything we need. But sometimes we want more. Jesus has compassion on you, and he knows what you need, and will never abandon you. And remember there were not just 5000 individuals, but 5000 families. Jesus also gives everything that you need, but also what you need for your family. But even when we don’t have Jesus’ gifts, we still have Him, and He is the one who satisfies.

What would you rather have? Everything in the world, but no Jesus, and no forgiveness? Or would you rather have Jesus, even if you had nothing?

St Paul says: He who did not spare his own Son but have him up for us all, how will he not also with Him gracious give us all things?

Later, after Jesus had done this miracle, there were still some people who came back to him not because of the miracle, but because of the food. Jesus says to them: You are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

We have to be careful. There are many churches that teach you that if you do this or that, then you can have lots of money or get a miracle. Now this isn’t right. Food and money is not our God. Jesus is. And in our country, Jesus has given us so much, so much more than we need, and so much more than we deserve. And he gives us everything we need not for serving the devil and our flesh, but for his kingdom. When we have the forgiveness of sins, we have everything. When we don’t have the forgiveness of sins, we have nothing. And Jesus actually promises thig forgiveness in his word so that we can read it, and speak it, and you can hear it. Baptism also promises us the forgiveness of sins. The Lord Supper also promises us the forgiveness of sins. What a wonderful thing it is, when Jesus teaches us many things!

Jesus says: I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. If you don’t have what you think you need, ask Jesus for it. All the food and money and health and everything in the world belongs to him. But each day, take everything that Jesus does give you as a gift. He has looked after you every day of your life so far. When you are suffering, be patient, and wait for him to give you what He knows you need.

Remember Jesus is seated at God’s right hand with the wounds still in his hands and feet. If he gives you more than you need, then it is a gift. But if you are suffering, then this is an even greater gift, because then He is letting you share in his wounds and in his suffering. Plenty of evil people have money, food, cars, big houses, but they don’t have Jesus. They eat a lot, but they are not satisfied, and they might even go to hell.

But when we have Jesus, and when we have Jesus alone, and nothing else, then we have everything we need, both for this life and for eternal life. Jesus is the one who has died and has risen from the dead. He forgives each and everything single one of our sins. He is our Good Shepherd. So let’s eat and enjoy what he gives us, and be satisfied in Him. Amen.

Dear Jesus, thank you for teaching us many things. Thank you for giving us rest and having compassion on us. Thank you for giving us everything we need and we ask that you may also send us your Holy Spirit, that we may also be satisfied. Amen.