Fish or get out of the boat

Our two passages before us today couldn’t be more different. One is a story of Peter, once more, getting it wrong. Paul’s letter to the Romans is almost a laundry list of living for Jesus. I propose they are more related than we think. Matthew paints a bold background of what it means to follow Jesus.

Jesus uses a ‘roller’ as He plasters dark reds and brown on the canvas before us. Painted with His blood, the ESV uses 20 words to define Christ’s calling, “If anyone would come after me, let them deny themself and take up their cross and follow me” v 24. Jesus makes it so clear because moments earlier Peter had tried to tell Jesus what was best for him.

Jesus was headed to Jerusalem to die but Peter thought that was a horrible idea and told Jesus so. I’m pleased to hear Jesus does not give in to Peter but called him to account, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance” v23. This is because Jesus’ call is for us to follow Him to death—Yes, eternal life. But death nonetheless because that is the very meaning of ‘taking up a cross’.

Four hundred years before Christ the Persians came upon the Greek city-state and came to a pass called Thermopylae. Here 300 Spartans faced off against Xerxes. Observers went forward in the pass and found the Greeks “brushing their long hair and doing calisthenics and other such things (McGuiggan)” which Xerxes was told, was in preparation for their death. Herodias reports that Xerxes sought out Demaratus, a former Spartan king, in camp with him who said,

“O, king. Hear then now also: these men have come to fight with us for the passage, and this is it that they are preparing to do; for they have a custom which is as follows: whenever they are about to put their lives in peril, they attend to the arrangement of their hair (Herodias 7.209)".

These 300 went on this mission aware that they were not going to survive. They walked away from their families and sons knowing they’d never see them again. They left the homes and lives they’d made never to see them again. And these were pagans.

This is the call of God on our lives. This is the command of Christ and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is our commission to bear up, trudge forward, in the bold attempt to be like our Lord—Jesus.

Ever-present Sin

What keeps us from doing this is the fact that we are sinners. Sin is part of our DNA at birth and we affirm our desire to sin daily as we commit acts of sin and refuse to do acts of love. Theologically they are sins of commission and sins of omission.

Our sin impedes our willingness to follow Christ not Christ’s command to pick up the cross and follow. In the world most people, a huge majority never think about sin at all. Doing what is wrong brings ‘shame’ upon their family. Misbehavior is labeled as non-patriotic, giving in to bad influences, or denying the political will of those in power. This is true of many here in the U.S. as well, as fewer and fewer people have any religious knowledge

We who use that sin often deal with it by denial, pointing fingers at others or the world around us, or comparing our sin to other’s sin. What is different is that we should be aware of the pain our sin causes our Lord. I the Bible, Moses is sheltered by God’s hand as YHWH walks by and although alive, his face glowed, so as to scare the rest of the Israelites. Isaiah is facedown before the throne of YHWH and says, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6:5. And Elijah seeking God is confronted with the creator in a whispering small voice. Hearing this 1 Kings 19:13 says, “When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.”

When we area confronted with that life-changing moment instead of humbling ourselves and admitting our situation we are like those who try to grab their carryon baggage while the plane is on fire around them. That happened when a British Airways plane caught fire on the ground in Las Vegas. Photos showed people coming from the smoke “holding purses, flip-flop sandals, rolling bags and shoulder bags (Gold).” Weiss, an aircraft safety person summed it up well saying, “We put more value in possessions than common sense and the reality of what happens (ibid).”

Ever-present God

Being a sinner is a fact but the gospel, literally ‘good news’ is that God present as well and, in His presence, He offers us a chance to live as His people. Confession is our admission that God is correct—about us, our world, our future, our past, and everything else. God is right and correct and we are not. Thus, when Moses is sheltered by God’s hand as He passes, and an angel brings a coal to touch Isaiah’s lips we see God’s provision for sinfulness. How much greater is that seen in Jesus, carrying His cross through the streets of Jerusalem to the hill, outside the gates where He is executed.  

Along with confession we often hear the word ‘repentance’. The most common definition is to literally ‘turn around and go the way you were going’. In today’s language, you might use, ‘recalculating’. It becomes real, life-changing and world-shaking when we live the life Paul describes in our Romans 12 passage. Repentance has an inherent danger in becoming a source of pride and therefore ‘works.’ We run a risk when we make ‘changing our life’ all about us changing our life when we didn’t have the power to turn to Christ in the first place.

Romans 12:9-21gives us a laundry list of what a life that confesses one’s sin and Christ’s Lordship looks like. I believe “Let love be genuine” v.9 is the general command of Paul to the Roman church. It fits with Jesus’ greatest commandment. What follows is a list of what genuine love looks like. I came up with 19 positive actions in the ESV. Let me give you my top three failures—"be patient in tribulation” v. 12. “never avenge yourself” v. 19. And my favorite, “live in harmony” v.16. Do I have the others down? Not at all. But these three are ones that seem to float to the top of the scum pond of my life.

Let me offer some general thoughts on living with an ever-present God. First, admit you are a screw-up and that God loves you still. Part of this is recognizing that our sin is what killed Jesus. Our sin is what is shown in the scars from the thorns shoved down on His head and in the torn flesh of His back.

Second, be reminded, by coming to Christ, and admitting there is little you can do and even want to do to change. Apart from the Power of the Holy Spirit. You might take stock of your life and see what leads you to fall into sin but, except in very small, rare situations we will never overcome sin by our own willingness.

Third is that we are to rely on God’s love because it is His love, demonstrated on the cross by God’s Son, Jesus, who dwells in our hearts as the Holy Spirit who destroys the outcome of sin for eternity. Sometimes we think that all we need to know is “Jesus loves me, this I know…” but Christ’s love involves carrying a cross toward death. His love doesn’t comfort us like a warm fuzzy blanket. It’s an AED, a defibrillator, an epi shot, or Narcan designed to keep us alive, bring us back from the dead, and give us a life worth living. May we discover His power to grab hold our cross and follow after our Lord, lets pray.

Works Cited

Gold, Ashley. "The Fury Over 'Hand Luggage' Plane Evacuees." BBC News. 2015. Web. 28 Aug. 2020.

Herodotus. Herodotus, Histories. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Print.

McGuiggan, Jim. God of the Towel. New York: Howard Books, 2014. Print.

Works Consulted

Benedict. Great Christian Thinkers. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2011. Print.

Gold, Ashley. "The Fury Over 'Hand Luggage' Plane Evacuees." BBC News. 2015. Web. 28 Aug. 2020.

Herodotus. Herodotus, Histories. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Print.

Heuertz, Christopher L. Simple Spirituality: Learning to See God In A Broken World. IVP, 2009. Print.

Hoffman, Michael. Emperor's Club. Universal Pictures, 2002. film.

Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. New York: Walker & Co., 1987. Print.

McGuiggan, Jim. God of the Towel. New York: Howard Books, 2014. Print.

Vassallo, Wanda. "Little Boy Just Wants to Go Home." Preaching Today. Web. 28 Aug. 2020.

 

Rules and Worship

 When reading scripture, it is important to know the context in which the verses take place. What we learn in verses 10-28 flow from the Pharisees complaining to Jesus about the disciples breaking of the “tradition of the elders” v2. In answer, Jesus shows them their own ‘law-breaking’ in order to further their greed.

Connected stories

From here Jesus address the people who have gathered to hear Him. These two stories—what defiles a person and the healing of the Gentile’s daughter are connected.

Those of Israel, the Pharisee, and everyday Jews had been raised on the logic that “ceremony=rightness with God”. Keep the Sabbath and its rules and God blesses you. Bring the proper sacrifice at the right time and God accepts you, forgives your sin, etc. Do ritual washing and don’t touch non-Kosher food and you will stay healthy.

“But” Jesus does here what he did earlier in the Sermon on the Mount. There Christ said, “You have heard… BUT I say”. He doesn’t offer an expansion on the practice, Jesus advocate something “radically new” (Morris 395). To become defiled isn’t a casual brushing up against something that is unclean. “It is something that affects the person at the root of his or her being. (Morris 395).”

The people expected the Pharisees to understand and make sense of God’s law. Their purpose was to help the people interpret what it looked like to be part of God’s chosen people. Jesus points out to the people and the Pharisees that they had missed the point on clean and unclean. Uncleanliness doesn’t reside in not fulfilling a rule. Uncleanliness resides in what comes forth from the heart. Paul explained this in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.

The Pharisees had clung to their traditions so tight that when they are confronted with the Kingdom of God—Jesus they miss Him. But they go beyond self-deception and “have misled the people with their traditions, so Jesus gives due warning to the crowd (Wilkins 536)."

For those in the crowd hearing Jesus, this was an earth-shattering reality. The rules by which they had kept themselves ‘clean’ had been overturned by Jesus.

The woman is connected to these Pharisees by what she wasn’t. She is not part of God’s people she’s a Gentile. She’s female, heathen, enemy of Israel, and interrupting our time with Jesus. The disciples complain “she is crying out after us” (v. 23) but she’s calling to Jesus. How like the disciples to make it about them when they aren’t even been addressed.

The same Jesus is present for the crowd, including the Pharisees, and this woman. Those who should have recognized Messiah didn’t. It’s a Gentile woman yelling out, “O Lord, Son of David”. She calls Him Messiah. She recognizes His status and knows He can help her.

Differing Fates

The difference between the crowd and their spiritual leaders and this woman is their faith and their fate. The Pharisees armed with their rules have no notion who Jesus is. This woman comes in with an exposed, faith in, and belief of God through Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells his disciples that the Pharisees weren’t part of God’s planting. They would be uprooted and destroyed. Leon Morris writes,

Jesus makes clear his contempt for the teachers who so confidently claimed to know the ways of God, but who had not been “planted” by the God to whom they so brazenly appealed. So far from being reliable expositors of the kingdom of God, the Pharisees were not even in the kingdom (Morris 396)."

What’s more, Jesus then tells the disciples to pay them no mind. They are like blind men leading a line of blind people toward a pit. And the proof is seen in the words that the Pharisees spew forth.

It’s Peter who asks on behalf of the disciples for clarification. We know this because Jesus says, “you all” in His response, “Are you also still without understanding?” v. 16. Jesus explains the hypocrisy of the Pharisees “to their own inner impurity…lead the people astray because they can’t see the truth of God’s will (Wilkins 537).”

I wish I were able to see the dialogue between this Canaanite woman and Jesus. I’d love to have seen the look on their faces, the body language, and inflection as they spoke.

The only thing he says, and it appears to be to the disciples is “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” v. 24. Then this Gentile woman knees before Jesus and speak with a Jewish Rabbi. I don’t know how to describe how unheard of this would have been in the ancient world.

Women didn’t approach men in the streets. Men and women didn’t talk to one another in public unless they were married. And a Jew, a Rabbi nonetheless, doesn’t engage a Gentile. The Jewish morning blessing, Birkot Hashachar included “Blessed are you God, Sovereign of the universe who did not make me a Gentile” and another that “God did not make me a woman” (Axelrod).” Yet, here is Jesus speaking to both in public.

She kneels before Jesus undeservedly. She has not earned the right to be heard. She has not kept the law perfectly. She is a simple woman with a simple request she simply seeks mercy for her terribly demonized daughter.

Jesus tells her we don’t give food meant for our children to the guard dogs. To which she counters, yes but the dogs that sleep with the family are free to eat even small scraps that fall from the table. Have you seen the Bounty ad where the dog is thinking “Yessss!” as the dropped food slides toward the table? I love Jesus’ answer. “O woman, great is your faith” (v.28).

He hadn’t found this faith among the Pharisees or those blindly caught up in following the rules in an attempt to be reconciled. He finds in among the pagan who knew her need. John Hamm who starred on Mad Men did a stint in rehab and when interviewed about it said, “. It’s not a weak move to say, ‘I need help.’ In the long run, it’s way better because you have to fix it (Bagley).”

 Application

I believe the truth in this passage is extremely important for us. Like the Pharisees and the religious crowd who looked to them for truth it becomes easy to become performance-driven. This happens when we measure the spiritual faithfulness by some outward measure. It can be simply whether the person goes to church. It can revolve around the way they talk in public. It used to be based on how a person dressed on Sunday morning.

Pharisees put the emphasis on keeping the law and they had good reason because they believed that the exile into Babylon was caused by the people not keeping the law. In the centuries since it had become something less.

As we follow Jesus today, in the midst of a world gone crazy, who do we listen to in order to hear what is true, critical, right, pure, and of God? You and I are tempted to let Facebook and YouTube define the way we live rather than looking into God’s Word. We are tempted to let our view of legislation and politicians influence what we pronounce as ‘good’ rather than listen to Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

As we continue toward a hotly contested election and the current pandemic It is more important than ever to humbly submit ourselves to the Lordship of Christ.  Anything other than Christ (as revealed in Gods' Written Word) is a blind guide.

 

Works Cited

Axelrod (Cantor), Matt. "Birkot Hashachar: Giving Thanks Each Morning | My Jewish Learning." My Jewish Learning. Web. 15 Aug. 2020.

Bagley, Christopher. "Jon Hamm On Life After Mad Men and Why Being Single "Sucks"." InStyle. 2017. Web. 14 Aug. 2020.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel according to Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

Wilkins, Michael J. Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2004. Print. The NIV Application Commentary.

Works Consulted

Axelrod (Cantor), Matt. "Birkot Hashachar: Giving Thanks Each Morning | My Jewish Learning." My Jewish Learning. Web. 15 Aug. 2020.

Bagley, Christopher. "Jon Hamm On Life After Mad Men and Why Being Single "Sucks"." InStyle. 2017. Web. 14 Aug. 2020.

Bonnard, Pierre. L’Evangile Selon Saint Matthieu, 2nd ed. (Neuchâtel, 1970) p.229

Bornkamm, G., Barth, G., and Held, H. J. Tradition and Interpretation in Matthew (London, 1963)

Bullock, Ian. "Why Are We Offended? - Sermon for Proper 15 - Year A." Sermon Central. 2020. Web. 13 Aug. 2020.

Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 14–28. Vol. 33B. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1995. Print. Word Biblical Commentary.

Liddell, H.G. A lexicon: Abridged from Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English lexicon 1996 : n. pag. Print.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel according to Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

Newman, Barclay M., Jr. A Concise Greek-English dictionary of the New Testament. 1993 Print.

Robinson, Haddon. "To Illustrate." Leadership Journal 1983: n. pag. Print.

Smillie, “‘Even the Dogs’: Gentiles in the Gospel of Matthew,” 73–97

Snyder, Benjamin J. “Clean and Unclean.” Ed. Douglas Mangum et al. Lexham Theological Wordbook 2014 : Print. Lexham Bible Reference Series.

Wilkins, Michael J. Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2004. Print. The NIV Application Commentary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Got You!

 A universal truth in life is that we will have stress.  Acute’ stress is short-lived, situational, but can be earth-shattering—death of a friend, stuck in traffic, argument with a spouse, child, or boss. Acute stress passes. Following an experiment demonstrating  how acute stress can increase mental acuity one doctor wrote, “I think intermittent stressful events are probably what keeps the brain more alert, and you perform better when you are alert,” she said (Sanders)

Chronic stress is just nasty, it increases risks like “chronic obesity, heart disease and depression (Sanders)." Chronic stress can come from the constant presence of acute stressors partnered with no way to escape. There is no control over those things that bring chronic stress into our lives.

The biggest contribution to date by atheist Dr. Richard Dawkins (IMHO), is gifting the world with the word ‘meme’. They are important because they allow us to deal with some of the stressors we face in our world on a daily basis. ‘Memes have become a very common part of social media culture (Cole-Black).” These photos, quips, and the like summarize what we have been thinking for too long. The purpose run the gamut from pure entertainment to “how we record our history through our lens (Cole-Black)” commented a 20-year-old. “Memes have become a common way of processing fear and tragedy through humor (Al-Heeti)." Our laughter does help with acute and chronic stress.

COVID-19, international political issues, and even killer wasps are just a few of the stressors in our life—acute and chronic. Couple these with the normal stresses we face—kids, work, homes, and the rest and it becomes very desirable to find a place free from stress. You might recall the old commercial “Calgon take me away”, but UC Berkeley did a study in which an amoeba, living in a stress-free situation didn’t thrive, but died (Ortberg 47).

If we are going to face stress and we need stress to continue to live how can we manage what happens so as to honor God? First, when God appears in the midst of our stressed lives, He will demand a response from us. Often, what God calls us to isn’t simple, clear-cut, or easy.

Jesus, walking on the water is in all the gospels except Luke. Only Matthew tells us of Peter walking on the lake. We’ve seen this story in our minds a million times. A storm on Galilee, seasoned fishermen trying to row. A mysterious person walking toward the boat. And in a moment of faith Peter calls to Jesus and the Lord invites Peter to join him. Peter becomes fearful, sinks and Jesus grabs him.

The fact is there is no storm. They are rowing into the wind which is difficult.  John alone says the “sea rose” which could be a rough chop to large swells. Four of those, at least, fished for a living. They knew what they were doing out on Galilee. They’d rowed and sailed that lake almost daily. This trip wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t as fearful as when the woke Jesus up certain they were going to die.

It was about 3 a.m. and these men had been rowing and covered about three or four miles by 3 a.m. They weren’t afraid of the wind or the weather but when they saw someone “walking on the sea” and “they were terrified.”  It wasn’t the weather but an apparent ghost coming toward them.

Jesus knows they’re afraid and identifies Himself. Peter exhibits some faith when he “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Peter climbs over the side and starts to walk toward Jesus. We don’t know how far he got but we do know is that the wind was easier to notice than Jesus and so he sank shouting for Jesus who grabs Peter, saves him, and calms the winds. Question Peter’s faith all you want but how many of us would have even stepped over the side?

Peter recognizes Jesus

What gives Peter the guts to do the unthinkable is that Peter recognized Jesus. He’s afraid, like the rest, but he’s also sure that if this really is Jesus everything will be okay. It is John 21 in which Peter recognizes Jesus and plunges into the lake to swim to shore.

If we’re waiting for God and God shows up it’s a good thing to be able to recognize Him. I wonder how many people have missed God’s call and purpose by failing to recognize Him and His call. Lois Prater, in 1991 at 76 years-old she sold her Seattle-area home and most of her belonging and became a full time missionary into orphans in the Philippines. She started an orphanage there and in the 13 years she was there she

“suffered a broken leg, been hospitalized with pneumonia and tuberculosis, and has been ill with intestinal worms during her tenure in the Philippines. The hot weather, the spicy food and the distance from her family add to her hardships… My only regret is I didn’t start earlier when I was young (Wood).’’

Had she recognized Christ early on can you imagine what might have happened. You know those who have recognized Jesus’ claim on their lives. Some step out in faith and others reason themselves out of it.

Acting on what Jesus says

Peter doesn’t question Jesus’ intent when he says, “If it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Read ‘if’ as ‘since’ and you understand that Peter is confessing his belief in Jesus.

Those who recognize Jesus have to ask if we believe that He knows what’s best?  When Jesus tells us to not be afraid do, we believe Him and throw our leg over the side of the boat? I wish I could shout, “Of course, here I come Jesus” or do we talk ourselves out of it.

In obedience to Jesus and with a faith in Christ’s word Peter walked to Jesus and sank. This happened because Peter focused on his situation and not the savior. Peter was distracted by the wind so that he lost sight Jesus.

Today, in the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic where is God? What does He call us to do? I haven’t received a vision of God’s wishes, but I can tell you that it is easy to get swamped by the details and the destructive power of the stress and lose sight or our Lord.

Let me offer us some guidance from God’s Word as we go through this time of stress. Approach any and all answers, truth, stories, and even your own feelings with a humble attitude. Being humble doesn’t mean we believe everything we hear and read but that we, like Mary that first Christmas, “pondered all these things” 

Secondly, remember that God is in charge. The “devil may be in the details” but the real, life changing power is in Christ. In the 1978 movie, Superman there is a scene in which Lois falls off the Daily Planet and, of course she is caught by Superman who says,

           Easy, miss. I've got you.

           You - you've got me? Who's got you (Donner)?”

We will sink from time to time. We can fall into thinking we know best. We can even believe we’re doing what God wants us to do when we know it goes against Jesus teaching. Even in the midst of such things we’ve been ‘got’ by Jesus. One last thought—as safe as staying on board may seem, it was not where Peter belonged. No matter how ‘safe’ your life is. No matter how safe and secure you want it to be. No matter how uneventful you desire to live your life. Jesus has other plans for us. I pray we will not be so afraid of abandoning ship that we abandon our first love instead. Let’s pray.

Works Cited

Al-Heeti, Abrar. "Coronavirus Memes Help an Isolated World Cope With 'Existential Dread'." CNET. 2020. Web. 7 Aug. 2020.

Cole-Black, Ameena. "The Purpose of Memes." BEACON. 2020. Web. 7 Aug. 2020.

Donner, Richard. Superman. Hollywood: Warner Bros., 1978. film.

Ortberg, John. If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of The Boat. [S.I.]: Zondervan, 2008. Print.

Sanders, Robert. "Researchers Find Out Why Some Stress is Good for You." Berkeley News. 2013. Web. 7 Aug. 2020.

Wood, Gail. "Lois Prater's Childhood Missionary Dream Is Fulfilled--At Age 76." Charisma Magazine. 2002. Web. 7 Aug. 2020.

Works Consulted

Al-Heeti, Abrar. "Coronavirus Memes Help an Isolated World Cope With 'Existential Dread'." CNET. 2020. Web. 7 Aug. 2020.

Cole-Black, Ameena. "The Purpose of Memes." BEACON. 2020. Web. 7 Aug. 2020.

Donner, Richard. Superman. Hollywood: Warner Bros., 1978. film.

Ortberg, John. If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of The Boat. [S.I.]: Zondervan, 2008. Print.

Sanders, Robert. "Researchers Find Out Why Some Stress is Good for You." Berkeley News. 2013. Web. 7 Aug. 2020.

Wells, Madeline. "Funny Quarantine Memes to Help You De-Stress." SFGate. 2020. Web. 7 Aug. 2020.

Wood, Gail. "Lois Prater's Childhood Missionary Dream Is Fulfilled--At Age 76." Charisma Magazine. 2002. Web. 7 Aug. 2020.

What did you eat today?

Matthew 14:13-21 is one of the few experiences shared in each of the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are very similar in many places, but it must have been a special reason for John to record it. 

John, like the others, is concerned with showing his readers and the world who Jesus is. John records the intent of the people, to take Jesus and make Him King. Soon afterward in John 6: 26ff, Jesus confronts the crowd,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” which leads to verse 35 where Jesus reveals “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Jesus and God

At the center of God’s creation is Jesus. The tipping point for all life is found in Jesus. Nothing is grander, more life-changing, fulfilling, earth-shattering, or joyous than Jesus. Jesus is the Gospel and if we miss this, we miss everything, everything!

I owe a lot in this discussion to the work of Dr. Thomas Torrance, systematic theologian and Presbyterian with an unwavering belief and trust in Jesus. His approach to every passage of scripture was to ask, “Who does this passage say Jesus is (Bester)?” Pastor Garrett Dawson wrote of Torrance, “What is at stake here is the belief that who we see God to be for us in Jesus Christ is who God is antecedently and eternally in himself (Dawson).” In other words, Jesus the perfect, human/divine reality of God who created heaven and earth. There is no other God than whom God reveals Himself to be in Jesus.

Torrance served as a stretcher-bearer in World War 2. He wrote of coming across a mortally wounded soldier who asked,

“‘Padre, is God really like Jesus?’ I assured him that he was the only God that there is, the God who had come to us in Jesus, has shown his face to us, and poured out his love to us as our Savior. As I prayed and commended him to the Lord Jesus, he passed away (Torrance 15).”

Torrance continues to write of the impression this had made on him and said,

“I kept wondering afterward what modern theology and the Churches had done to drive some kind of wedge between God and Jesus. There is no hidden God... no God behind the back of the Lord Jesus, but only the one Lord God who became incarnate in him. 2 Truly, when we try to look into the face of God, it is the face of Jesus Christ revealed in the gospels that comes before us (ibid.).”

Our sin divided us at Babel and God calls us together at Pentecost. We broke ourselves into Greeks and Jews; free and slave; male and female; yet the Kingdom of Christ finds us together as a great multitude of which the Apostle John writes:

I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,

who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9-10

Division is the outcome of sin; reconciling--uniting is God’s work through Jesus.

God Cares

In Matthew’s account of this miracle, something amazing takes place. Jesus comes ashore and finds a large group of people who had followed Him, and three things happen. Jesus saw the people, had compassion on the people, and healed their sick. Jesus didn’t just ‘feel for the people’. The word translated ‘compassion’ means to have a sense of concern that flows from the deepest place in which soul-wrenching pain, love, and hurt burn with a life of their own.

Verse 20 gives us Matthew’s view of what took place, “And they all ate and were satisfied.” This speaks directly to the physical hunger they had felt after a day of walking and listening to Christ, but I think there is a deeper satisfaction that comes from having Jesus feel compassion for us.

As I pointed out, Jesus knew that there were selfish people who wanted a King who could keep them fed, as in John 6. But there were also those who, perhaps for the first time, felt okay.

I read Isaiah 55:1-5 today and it is Jesus who invites and fulfills God’s call,

“Come, everyone who thirsts,

    come to the waters;

and he who has no money,

    come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

    without money and without price.

If we are honest with ourselves it is easy to be like those described in verse 2.

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”

The reason for such forgetfulness, rebellion, or silliness is that we believe we know best. We don’t seek the way of Christ. I read of a pastor who went to see a speech therapist who was also a psychologist. Two of his children started having issues with stuttering. He shared how the doctor cursed him out for being at the root of the problem. The doctor asked when we’d taken a vacation. The pastor tried to get around the question by saying

 “I was too busy to take time with my family. I remember I used to say that the Devil never takes a vacation, so why should I?—And I never stopped to think that the Devil wasn’t to be my example (Bayly and Bayly)."

Who is our example? Who is our role model?

God’s in Charge

The disciples were consumed with assumptions. As the day grew longer “neither Jesus nor the crowd was preparing to bring things to an end, so they took the initiative (Morris 377).” How like us. We know that “God helps those who help themselves” right. No! He doesn’t. Those who help themselves end up worshipping a golden calf, murmuring against God and betray Jesus, so he might become who Judas wanted Him to be.

Verses 16-18 each begin with the word ‘but’. “But Jesus said…” and then commands them to feed the people. The nature of this command is seen in that Jesus uses the pronoun “you” which, unneeded in Greek, when used makes it even more emphatic—think of it in terms of Jesus using your middle name when He calls you.

The disciples wanted the people to go away. This was how they handled people who they felt were too inconvenient to see Jesus. They tried to protect Jesus from parents who wanted their children blessed. They believed tried to manage Jesus. They saw themselves as the Messianic Chief of Staff who was to plan Jesus’ agenda and take care of those who, they thought, He didn’t have time to deal with. 

So, when Jesus issues His command to the disciples they are rocked on their heels. He doesn’t give them the means to do what He commanded. He doesn't even offer a hint.

 “But…we only have five loaves…” Jesus listens with the intent to do what He had already planned to do. What He teaches us is to turns ours and their attention away from the hopelessness of the situation and the easy solution and invites them and us to think how they and us could help (Morris 377-378).”

Once again Jesus speaks beginning with “but bring them here to me” the sack lunch they had found. Not only does Jesus ‘satisfy’ the hunger of the people but he demonstrates before 5,000 the fulfillment of manna given from God to the people. He shows His compassion is not reserved for those who bring perfect lambs to the temple but all who are far off.

Let me close, reminding us to remember who and whose we are. I was blessed to have Dr. Abd-al-Malik teach Hebrew at Fuller. I didn’t learn much Hebrew, but I became acquainted with a man who lived a life he described as “teaching is my spiritual child (Barber).” Among the things I learned was to “Trust Allah and believe” by the way Allah simply means God in Arabic and probably flows from the ancient term El for God in Job and elsewhere.

The other thing I remember is his humility. When someone would say, “Dr. Malik” he would often stop us and explain “it’s Abd-al-Malik, the servant of the King I am not the King, that is Jesus.” May we remember we are the servant of God and not speak and ask as if we are a god… Let’s pray.

 Works Cited

Bayly, Joseph, and Timothy Bayly. Out Of My Mind. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House, 1993. Print.

Barber, Mary. "Everybody's 'Favorite Teacher' At Cal State L.A. Doesn't Intend to Become History Just Yet." Los Angeles Times. 1985. Web. 31 July 2020.

Bester, Joco. "More Than A Miracle." Sermon Central. 2013. Web. 29 July 2020.

Dawson, Gerrit Scott. "Recovering the Ascension For The Transformation of the Church." Theology Matters 2001: 1ff. Print.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel according to Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

Thomas F. Torrance, A Passion for Christ, Lenoir: PLC Publications, 1999, p. 15

 Works Consulted

Amenyah, Ivy Drafor. "Feeding the Five Thousand." Sermon Central. 2017. Web. 29 July 2020.

Bayly, Joseph, and Timothy Bayly. Out Of My Mind. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House, 1993. Print.

Barber, Mary. "Everybody's 'Favorite Teacher' At Cal State L.A. Doesn't Intend to Become History Just Yet." Los Angeles Times. 1985. Web. 31 July 2020.

Bester, Joco. "More Than A Miracle." Sermon Central. 2013. Web. 29 July 2020.

Dawson, Gerrit Scott. "Recovering the Ascension For The Transformation of the Church." Theology Matters 2001: 1ff. Print.

Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 14–28. Vol. 33B. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1995. Print. Word Biblical Commentary.

Hendriksen, William, and Simon J. Kistemaker. Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew. Vol. 9. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001. Print. New Testament Commentary.

Jackson. "Facebook Post Inspires Michigan Mail Carrier to Give Kidney To Stranger." MLive. 2019. Web. 1 Aug. 2020.

Köster, Helmut. “Σπλάγχνον, Σπλαγχνίζομαι, Εὔσπλαγχνος, Πολύσπλαγχνος, Ἄσπλαγχνος.” Ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich. Theological dictionary of the New Testament 1964– : 548–559. Print.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel according to Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.

Rushford, Greg. "What Is The Role Of The White House Chief Of Staff? - Dummies." dummies. 2012. Web. 1 Aug. 2020.

Thomas F. Torrance, A Passion for Christ, Lenoir: PLC Publications, 1999, p. 15