July 31, 2011
Dr. Steven P. Eason
"When You Don’t Know What God Is Going To Do"
Matthew 14:13-21
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13Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” 18And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
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I don’t think the disciples had a clue that this was going to happen. They’re in a situation they can’t fix. There are well over 5,000 people here and the disciples have nothing to offer. So, what’s God doing to do?
What is God going to do; in the big picture; in the wars or the economy? What is God going to do? On a personal level, what is God going to do in your life, in your situation, or in the life of someone you love?
As we worship this morning, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people lying on hospital beds or they could be walking around looking normal, asking “What is God going to do in my life?” Maybe nothing. Maybe something special. You don’t know.
People of every race and age, sex and religion, and even people with no religion, may find themselves from time to time wondering what God is going to do, if anything, to change the situation.
There are those who propose that if you believe anything hard enough God will do it. And, the Bible does teach that we are to have unwavering faith and trust in God. But if you take that to its extreme, it becomes an attempt to manipulate God for personal gain.
Is God some type of with-holding parent who waits for the child to exhibit perfect behavior before giving them what they need? Is God sitting far off in heaven somewhere with folded arms, waiting for you to have just the right amount of faith before acting on your behalf or on the behalf of someone else?
Besides that, who is working for whom here? Doesn’t this run the risk of seeing God as a genie in a bottle? If I rub the bottle just right, and say the correct words, and believe the right things, God will come out of the bottle and grant my wish. Who is working for whom? Who is the servant and who is the Lord? It gets confusing.
Whatever faith is, it cannot be a means of manipulating God to do something for me. It’s not a debit card you insert and take out the cash. So if it’s not that, then how does it work?
This story of the feeding of the 5,000 is the only story that is found in all four of the gospels, except for the story of the resurrection. What that tells me is that there was something extremely significant about this story to the early church.
The setting is a deserted place where there are very few resources to meet the overwhelming need. That can be anywhere. It’s that place where it feels deserted and you don’t have what it takes to meet the demands. How many people in the world today are in a deserted place and the hour is quite late?
I’m sure both Democrats and Republicans have felt that Washington has been a deserted place in these past days, a place where the demands are outweighing our resources. There are those folks who feel that way in their marriage. Others feel that way at work. Some folks feel that way raising their children. The deserted place in the hour that is quite late is a metaphor for any place where humans are depleted and do not have the resources to meet the demand. You can even be rich and be in a deserted place. You can be poor but not be in a deserted place – rich in faith, hope and love.
What’s interesting in this story is that the disciples aren’t the ones who have a plan as to how to deal with it. What little plan they do have is to send the people away. That’s not exactly the kind of church you want to belong to, is it? “The Church of the Send Them Away!” There’s no hospitality in that church. There’s no vision in that church, no risk, no commitment, no faith. Just send them away. The membership is way too small and it is dwindling. Sooner or later, “The Church of the Send Them Away” dies, as well it should. But, that was the disciples plan. That’s all they had. All in favor say, “Aye.” All opposed say, “Nah.” Get rid of them Jesus.
So, they don’t have a plan nor do they have much, if any faith. It’s not that they believe Jesus is going to do anything about it. It’s not because of their faith that this happens. The only thing they really bring to the story is a poor plan, fatigue and five loaves of bread and two dead fish! Not exactly “Spiritual Giants” are they?
Nor do the disciples pray faithfully to get this job done. As far as we know, they offer no prayer at all. It was Jesus who did all the praying.
And, it’s not their giving that helps poor-ole-God out here. All they have is five loaves of bread and two dead fish! It’s not their resources that get the job done.
No, what’s interesting in this story is that the church doesn’t know what God is going to do. They have no idea. They see the demands. They know what time it is. It’s late and they’re tired and depleted. They have a couple of fish. That’s about it. You ever been there? It’s that deserted place where the hour is quite late. The best I can come up with is just to send them away.
But Jesus drags them through this story. In all four Gospels he says, “You give them something to eat.” (14:16b) You get involved. You bring what you do have and stop focusing on what you don’t have. Change your world view. Get in the game. If you wait until everything is perfect you won’t do anything. You’ve got to trust God.
It’s a crazy invitation because Jesus doesn’t really need them at all. I suppose he could have fed the multitudes without the five loaves or the two fish. I’m sure he could! But he intentionally chooses to use them. It seems like it would have been easier for him to do it himself. But he works with them. It’s a mistake for us to think that God needs us in order to get something done. We are invited to participate as a privilege, an opportunity, but God is not limited to us. That’s actually good news. There is hope in that – beyond what we can see or touch.
There is a God at work in the world who is not waiting on us. We’ve got it wrong if we have come to believe that God’s hands are somehow tied until we have enough faith, give enough money, say the right words or do the right things. This story says otherwise. Jesus is at work while the disciples are basically asleep. But, Christ invites them, and us, to wake up, get some new energy, and put what you do have on the table. He intentionally uses us even though he doesn’t need us. That’s grace!
So, we beg the question, “What is God doing now?” The overwhelming demands are still with us. The needs are still overwhelming and we have our five loaves and two fish and a plan that is always too small. Our faith isn’t going to bring in the Kingdom nor is God waiting on our prayers in order to do something. So, like them, we don’t know what God is going to do either. We have no idea.
But I have less anxiety when I read this story. It doesn’t let us off the hook from our call to discipleship, to contribute, to get our hands in it, but it does clarify who is who. God is not limited to what we will or will not do before God dispenses compassion to the world. It will happen with or without us. The invitation is for us to join God, to bring everything to the table and to trust God with it. It’s not what you want God to do, but it’s what God is going to do and you are invited to participate in it.
Now at the end of this, they collected 12 baskets of leftovers. There are those who would say, “If you give generously, God will reward you.” That, too, is dangerous teaching.
This story never was about the 12 baskets, was it? The disciples had no idea that was going to happen either. But it did. Christ not only responds to the needs of the world but he cares for the Church as well. We’re not left out. He doesn’t leave you out there in a deserted place in a late hour with nothing. They had a basket apiece leftover. You are fed and nourished even as you give yourself away. We would do well to live on the leftovers of God’s grace!
“You give them something to eat.” he said. You put your hands in it. You come to the table with everything God has given to you. Stop focusing on what you don’t have and give to God what you do have – and then watch what happens next. You won’t believe it! That an incredible way to live one’s life, not knowing what God is going to do, but knowing whatever it is, it will be enough.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Congregation: Amen
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