Sermon; 9 Pentecost/Proper 13A; Matthew 14:13-21

Today's gospel story is a familiar one to us – the feeding of the 5000. There are a couple of things I want to point out before I really get into this passage. First, the lectionary story we just heard gives the impression that it's a stand-alone story. But if you read it in context, Jesus withdrew to a lonely place because he had just heard that Herod had had John the Baptist executed. A second point to know is that this is the only miracle story (other than the Resurrection, of course) to appear in all four gospels; this makes it a really important story. There are other ins and outs of today's gospel passage worth examining, but those are better left to discuss during Dcn. Sue's “Matthew on Zoom” class . . . Tuesday nights at 7:30 if you're wondering.

These things, and more, are all part of this story and what makes examining it in detail fun. But there is something more important than those details that I think we should pay attention and something that makes it a really important story. Those somethings are the attitudes of compassion and generosity versus those of indifference and self-centeredness.

As I pointed out, this story follows immediately on the heels of Jesus learning that John had been executed by Herod. He goes away, probably to mourn and pray, but the crowds track him down (as they always do), bringing with them those who were sick in order to be healed. Jesus, rather than be annoyed at this interruption, has compassion for them. Compassion is made up of tenderness, understanding, and empathy. But it also consists of a desire to alleviate someone's suffering. Jesus does this by healing the sick. A little later on in the story, he will also alleviate their hunger by providing food.

And speaking of food (that's the major focus of this story – feeding 5000 men, plus women and children), there are traditionally two ways to view this story of miraculous feeding. One way is that Jesus, Son of God, used his omnipotent power to miraculously turn five loaves and two fish into enough food to feed those 5000 men, plus women and children, as well as have twelve baskets full of leftovers. This is, without a doubt, a miracle worth remembering, and probably why it appears in all four gospels. This view of the miracle, that it was God's handiwork, shows the generosity of God. It shows that, with God, there is always enough. And it shows us to follow a theology of abundance when considering how we might help provide nourishment – both physical and spiritual – to those around us.

Another way to view this story is that, as people gathered together at the end of the day and knowing that some of them were probably unprepared for a lengthy stay, those who had food with them shared with those who had none. As someone once said, “The miracle wasn't that Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish. The miracle was that people looked at other people with a spirit of generosity, sharing what they had, and proving that there is always enough to go around.”

Contrast this attitude of compassion and generosity that both Jesus and the crowd showed with the attitude of the disciples who exhibited attitudes of indifference and self-centeredness.

When it was evening, the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late. Send them away so they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

This may seem like a statement of compassion, but it's really a statement of indifference.

We think we hear compassion when the disciples pretend to care about the crowd's well-being by sending them into the villages to buy food. But it's really indifference. If the crowd stays, the disciples may have to care for them out there in the wilderness. If Jesus sends them away, the crowd is no longer their responsibility. If the people can get food in the villages, great. If they can't, well then it isn't their problem because they told them where to go. The disciples are indifferent to the plight of the crowd and the only effort they make to help them is to get them to go elsewhere.

This is similar to how our society oftentimes treats homeless people: as long as they are out of my neighborhood I don't need to worry or even think about them. There is no compassion, no desire or willingness to alleviate their suffering. There is only indifference and a desire to get them off of my doorstep.

Not only were the disciples indifferent, but they were also self-centered.

Imagine the scene: Jesus had been mingling with the crowd all day. He had taken time to heal all those who were sick. But now it's the end of the day. Now is the traditional time when the disciples would spend quality time with Jesus debriefing the day and gaining insight that only they were privy to.

“Send them away so that we can have our quality time with you,” I can hear them say. It was at this point that they wanted to keep Jesus for themselves. And then Jesus tells them, “You give them something to eat.” To which the disciples replied, “We only have five loaves and two fish.”

Translation: We only brought enough food for ourselves; we can't possibly share what we have with these people.

The disciples are operating from a theology of scarcity, which springs from a position of self-centeredness. There is never enough for everyone, so I need to make sure I protect myself first and foremost.

This was the difference between the attitude of Jesus and the crowd versus the attitude of the disciples. However you look at this miracle, a spirit of compassion and generosity ruled the day, whereas the spirit of indifference and self-centeredness lost out. And it's because of all of this, the difference in attitudes between Jesus and the crowd and that of the disciples, that this story carries so much weight for us today. We have a choice – we can choose to live like Jesus and the crowd with a theology of abundance and a spirit of compassion and generosity, or we can choose to live like the disciples with a theology of scarcity and a spirit of indifference and self-centeredness.

If we choose the former, we will look for ways to understand those in need while also looking for ways to alleviate their suffering. There is no shortage of ways to help with that – from donating to the church or food banks or other charitable organizations to being willing to stand up and say, “Yes, black lives matter,” and becoming an ally to people of color in a push for equality as a way to alleviate suffering.

If we choose the latter, then we tell people they are on their own. We send them elsewhere so we don't have to deal with them. Or we look at the world through our own exclusive lens and discount/disregard stories of racism or misogyny or other ill treatments because they've never happened to us or we've never seen it happen.

This story of the feeding of the 5000 is in every gospel because it's that important.

As we deal with issues of systemic racism, homelessness, and hunger, education and healthcare and the barriers preventing accessibility to them, and an attitude of rabid individual rights over and above the welfare of our neighbors, this story of the feeding of the 5000 goes well beyond being a miraculous story of feeding. This story continues to be important for us today because it demonstrates which paths are available to us: the path of compassion and generosity as exhibited by Jesus and the crowd, or the path of indifference and self-centeredness as exhibited by the disciples.

Today we have regathered in limited numbers for in-person worship, and it's good to see people in the pews again as we worship together in the beauty of holiness. We also continue our online presence as we worship with those who are not here in person, either because of distance, health concerns, or our reservation list was full.

The state of our worshiping community reminds us that we are living in difficult times

The gospel today reminds us that, no matter the time or place or circumstances, there are people in need and it is our job to show compassion and generosity.

The question we need to ask ourselves is this: How can we multiply what we have to share with the world around us?

These are challenging times, but this is also the right time to be paying attention to this story of a miraculous feeding and what it has to teach us. Because as this story shows us, we can either follow the disciples and see only that we don't have enough, or we can follow Jesus and the crowd and see that what we have is more than enough to care for those around us.

Amen.