Sermon for Sunday 26th July 2009

The story of the feeding of the multitude occurs in all four Gospels. That I believe adds to its importance, but let me hasten to say, not for me, its authenticity within the Gospels. The fact that an incident or instruction appears only once in scripture, does not lessen its importance for me.

In today’s Gospel reading, we have recorded the disciple Andrew bringing the boy with his five loaves and two fish. A fact, in terms of the quantity of food, agreed upon and recorded by each of the four Evangelists. But it is in the three synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke that we find Jesus, in response to the disciples concerns, telling his disciples, – ‘You feed them.’

Not surprisingly, their response in the gospel narratives is very practical.

‘We have nothing here but only five loaves and two fish!’ records Matthew.

‘Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?’ is the response in Mark’s Gospel.

And in Luke’s Gospel we read - ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish – unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’

And in today’s Gospel reading from John –

‘Six month’s wages would not buy enough to give them a little’ says Philip. ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’ asks Andrew.

So often in life, we look to the practical issues to get ourselves out of a situation, and perhaps even avoid having to deal with the issue itself.

As I reflected upon this story, it seemed to me that – in one of the Gospels, the disciples suggest buying themselves out of the problem set by Jesus.

Another considers that they have a lack of resources while another, assessing the resources, takes a defeatist attitude – ‘not enough’.

And finally in another account, the evangelist records the disciples as saying - what we have, is insufficient to do the job - a mixture of excuses which we can possibly relate to in modern day life today.

This testing by Jesus of his disciples was a necessary part of their preparation for the future.

And at each stage of our Christian journey we too may find ourselves challenged by Jesus also.

I have no doubt in the power of prayer, but I also believe firmly that Jesus is also saying to us today as he did to the disciples – ‘get on with it, stop making excuses and see what you can do.’

So let us look at the responses of the disciples.

(1) ‘Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it them to eat?’

The disciples must have thought, goodness knows where we can get that sort of money from!

In any given financial situation, there will be those who will be able and will gladly write-out a cheque and feel that that is all that is necessary - those who haven’t perhaps the time to give, because of other commitments.

There is in our world today a continuous and in some cases, a desperate need for funds to rebuild countries torn apart by war, ravaged by famine, or devastated by natural disasters.

But I am always reminded in such situations, of that old quotation which goes something like this.

‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for the day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for life.’

Training and equipping others to meet their own needs for the future, is usually a far better way of giving, than simply handing it out on a plate. And more likely, it seems to me, to meet the target for which it has been given.

(2) ‘Six month’s wages would not buy enough to give them a little’ says Philip.

Insufficient resources, was another excuse proffered.

There are many today working in appalling situations amongst the rejects of society. South America and other places come to mind, where those providing the help, have no idea from day to day how they will supply the needs of those around them. And yet by God’s grace they find sufficient resources for each day.

Jesus said – ‘Take no thought for the morrow. Your heavenly father knows what you need.’ How often do we pray - ‘Our Father in Heaven give us this day our daily bread’ not only in this service, but also in our own prayer times?

I marvel at the faith of Christians in poverty-struck countries praying that prayer each day, and compare it with those of us in the Western World today, surrounded by all that we need, praying that same prayer. What faith that reflects elsewhere in the world today.

We know that there are more than enough resources to meet the needs of the world today, if only Governments had the will to ensure its distribution.

The continuing campaign to remove third world debt needs our prayerful, and where appropriate, active support, if that aim is to be accomplished.

(3) ‘This boy has five loaves and two fishes but what are they among so many?’ asks Andrew.

There is of course never ‘enough’ of whatever is required, for many people. But we are an acquisitive people. The more we have the more it seems we want.

When Rockefeller was asked what would bring contentment, he replied –‘Just a little more than you have.’ With our Christian faith comes responsibility - the responsibility of not only proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the present world - to our families, friends and neighbours – but also in action - to show that ‘I love my neighbour as myself.’

In London some years ago now, I went to hear Joyce Grenfell in dialogue with the then Rector of St. Mary le Bow (Bow Bells), Joseph McCulloch.

When asked to define responsibility, she said in reply – ‘It is man’s response to God’s ability.’

We need to be reassured that when opportunities arise, God will be there for us, enabling us to meet the task. Whatever we have to offer to God, and we all have something to offer, like the loaves and fishes brought by the young boy, it can become sufficient for God’s purposes - provided it is given freely and with Love.

There is an inscription in the ‘Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves’ at Tabgha on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, which says –

‘Love is like Five Loaves and two Fishes, always too little until you give it away.’

Remember the story of the widow, who was observed by Jesus putting in her two small copper coins to the treasury, and his response. ‘Out of her poverty she has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’

Was that done out of duty or her love for God? It is not the amount that concerns God. It is the love with which we offer it.

(4) ‘We have nothing here but only five loaves and two fish!’ records Matthew, our Gospel writer today. Here we have the Evangelist saying in effect, ‘it’s not sufficient for purpose.’

In this Eucharist Service – in the words of the prayer book service of 1662 and from the prayer of Oblation following the receiving of the bread and wine, we pray in these words - ‘And here we offer and present unto Thee O Lord our-selves, our souls, our bodies, to be a reasonable, holy and lively sacrifice unto Thee.’

All of us here today will be aware of our own inadequacies and failings. But by placing ourselves in the hands of the man, in whose hands, the loaves and fishes were sufficient for the gathered multitude, we should have no doubts, as to the value and confidence he places in each one of us.

In this Eucharist we offer the bread and wine, and part of our tangible wealth – as representative of our lives and labours. These like the loaves and fishes will be blessed, broken and returned; returned so that as we are empowered by this Spiritual food, we can return back out into the ‘world’ to serve our Lord.

But we also need to remind ourselves of, Paul’s words to the church in Corinth – ‘We have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be, made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.’ (Cor. 4 v 7) We need to remind ourselves regularly that however instrumental we may be in gaining the things we have that – ‘All things come from thee O God.’

As human beings we live in a world over which we have little control. As humans, we inhabit a mortal body with all its’ weaknesses and pain, but which nevertheless, is the dwelling place chosen by God for His Holy Spirit to reside in. And it is our responsibility, as the people of God, to witness through our lives to the power of that same Holy Spirit in our own lives as we seek to ‘love our neighbours as ourselves’.

Peter Vickers – 26th July 09 Revised - 30th July 2006