Sermon for Lent 4, Laetare, March 14,
2021
To Him who loves us and has
freed us from our sins by His own blood and made us a kingdom and priests to
God His Father—to Him be the glory and the power forever. Amen.
John 6:1-15 After this, Jesus crossed over to the
other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Sea of Tiberias). 2A large crowd followed him
because they saw the miraculous signs he was performing on those who were
sick. 3Jesus went up on the
hillside and sat down there with his disciples.
4The Jewish Passover festival was near. 5When Jesus looked up and saw a
huge crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where can we buy bread for
these people to eat?” 6But
Jesus was saying this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to
do. 7Philip answered him,
“Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to
have just a little.” 8One of
his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9“There’s
a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what is that for so
many people?” 10Jesus said,
“Have the people sit down.” There was
plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. There were about five thousand men. 11Then Jesus
took the loaves and, after giving thanks, he distributed pieces to those who
were seated. He also did the same with
the fish—as much as they wanted. 12When
the people were full, he told his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left
over so that nothing is wasted.” 13So
they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with pieces from the five barley
loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14When the people saw the miraculous sign Jesus did, they
said, “This really is the Prophet who is coming into the world.” 15When Jesus realized that they
intended to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to
the mountain by himself. (EHV)
Dear brothers and sisters of the Savior,
Sometime
early in the history of the Christian Church, people got the impression that it
was a good idea to hide from the world. In
some cases, this was a temporary, necessary precaution to preserve life in the
face of bitter persecution. Yet, many of
those hide-away-hermits developed the false idea that avoiding other people was
somehow meritorious before God. Many imagined
that if they just avoided people, they could avoid sin, and thus please
God. Yet, nowhere does Jesus tell us to
hide from the world. Rather, He clearly tells
His followers, “You are the light of the world. . . People do not light a
lamp and put it under a basket. No, they
put it on a stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. In the same way let your light shine in
people’s presence, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father
who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
This past year, lockdowns and restrictions on
gathering were put in place by secular governments that hoped to preserve
health and life with their commands. Now,
these man-made restrictions have led some people to assume that isolating
themselves to avoid any possible interaction is morally more righteous than to
gather around even God’s Word.
Therefore, while we have legitimately avoided exposing neighbors to a
virus, many are also beginning to think themselves better than others because
they stay away from their fellow believers, while at the same time, some people
have become so afraid of gathering, it is as if they no longer believe that the
Lord can help us.
Thus, while this introduction’s connection to
our sermon text might not be immediately obvious, I hope that, today, you will
leave the worship service trusting that Jesus gives
more than enough.
The miracle of feeding the five thousand is the
only miracle recorded in all four gospel accounts. The Lord wants us to see His work in it. The first thing we notice is that Jesus used
this opportunity to test His disciples.
His goal, as always, was to strengthen their trust in Him. Seeing the large crowd approaching, Jesus “asked
Philip, ‘Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?’” We also notice, right away, that the
disciples were looking in all the wrong places for the solution. Philip couldn’t imagine how they could afford
to feed thousands of people, and Andrew, along with the other disciples,
searched the crowds seeking resources, but they came up with only a young boy’s
lunch. It appears that the disciples
were trusting only what can be seen.
Trusting only what can be seen comes naturally
to us. Apart from what we learn in the
Bible, this makes perfect sense. Yet,
our God created all things seen and unseen, and more importantly still, the
Triune God, who has always existed, has always been the power and source of
life. He created this world and
everything in it, and still preserves it.
No matter how much atheistic science tries to prove God out of
existence, our Lord is still in charge of both material and spiritual things.
Here, Jesus instructed the disciples to have
the people sit down on the abundant grass, He took up those five small loaves
of barley bread, the food of the poor people, and the two, small fish, blessed
that little meal with thanksgiving to His Father in heaven, and distributed it
with the disciples serving to carry it out to the crowds. From an earthly perspective, it seems
nonsensical. Who would ever expect this
to work? How could it work? It boggles the mind just thinking about how
incredible it must have been to watch those broken pieces of bread pour in an
unending stream from Jesus’ hands. Maybe
that is what causes so many people to stumble when it comes to believing the
accounts of the miracles Jesus performed.
They go so far beyond what our minds can understand. Yet, that is God doing what God does. He does far beyond what our frail minds can
imagine.
Jesus took the loaves and, after giving thanks,
he distributed pieces to those who were seated.
He also did the same with the fish—as much as they wanted. When the people were full, he told his
disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over so that nothing is
wasted.” So they gathered them and
filled twelve baskets with pieces from the five barley loaves left over by
those who had eaten.
We don’t know exactly how large that crowd was,
but we know for sure that there were about five thousand men in attendance. How many women and children were also in the
crowd around Jesus is anyone’s guess, but Jesus fed them all—men, women, and
children alike—as much as they wanted.
No one went home hungry. No one
had to beg. No one had to go looking for
a meal. Jesus gave more than enough—far
more—than what all those people together needed.
Now, I am not here to tell you that if you go
sit on the grass in the wilderness, Jesus will feed you until you are
full. However, how often do we look for
help somewhere other than the Lord Jesus?
The disciples had seen numerous miracles by this time, and yet, they
still didn’t think to ask Jesus for help.
We dare not imagine ourselves any better. It is a condition of our sinful nature, that
we usually just expect things to work, or that the government should take care
of us, or that we have the sole responsibility to satisfy our every need. But, how often do we trust one hundred
percent that Jesus already knows what we need and what He will do to help
us? Not trusting one hundred percent is
sin, isn’t it? Trusting in ourselves, or
anyone else, above what God promises is also sin. It is especially sinful, if we trust in
something other than Jesus for life everlasting.
The people who experienced this miracle also
got the wrong impression. They were glad
for the miracles of healing and feeding Jesus performed that day, but instead
of recognizing Jesus as the Redeemer He is, they wanted to make Him king of
Judea so that He could make their earthly lives pleasant and easy. This is a trap we can find easy to fall into,
as well. Many have rejected Jesus simply
because life on earth is hard or sad or troublesome. But Jesus didn’t promise, nor did He enter
our world to give, a paradise on earth for His people. In fact, He plainly said, “In this world
you are going to have trouble. But be
courageous! I have overcome the world.” (John
16:33)
We will have trouble because sin brought the
curse of death on every part of the world.
We will have trouble because the devil and the world continually fight
against those who walk with Jesus. We
have trouble in this world because we are mortal. We all will die, maybe not today or tomorrow,
but the mortality rate never changes no matter what is happening in the world
around us, no matter what any governor orders.
We can do things to prevent unnecessarily early deaths, but we all die.
The people had one thing right; “When the
people saw the miraculous sign Jesus did, they said, ‘This really is the
Prophet who is coming into the world.’”
Jesus fed that vast crowd because He has compassion on all people. Really, that is why Jesus came down from
heaven to live among us, because of His compassion for us. The psalmist wrote, “The Lord looked down
from his high, holy place. From heaven
he viewed the earth to hear the groans of the prisoner to release those
condemned to death.” (Psalms 102:19-20)
Dear friends, we all have a multitude of sins
for which we deserved to die. Sometimes,
we are afraid. Sometimes, we don’t care
enough about our neighbors. Sometimes,
our actions don’t align with what we say we believe. Sometimes, instead of turning to the Lord for
help and safety, we look to the powers of government, or our own actions, to save
us from evil and death. Simply put, we
are sinful by nature, and we needed someone to intercede on our behalf with our
Almighty Creator and Judge. Thanks be to
God, He gave His Son into death for us, so that “the blood of Jesus Christ,
his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) And Jesus gave more than enough.
To deal with the penalty for our sins, Jesus
devoted His whole life to living perfectly according to His Father’s will. He devoted Himself to compassion for the
people. Then, having accomplished every
perfect obedience and work His Father in heaven required of us, Jesus gave
Himself into punishment and death for the sins of the whole world, even the
death of the cross, so that we might be given life that never ends. Peter later wrote, “Indeed . . . Christ
also suffered once for sins in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous, to
bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:17-18)
The holy, righteous Son of God gave everything
He is so that we don’t have to wonder about our eternal destination. Through Christ, God has removed all our sins
forever. Through Christ, we have a sure
and certain hope of life in heaven.
Through Christ, we have everlasting peace. “I am the Bread of Life,” Jesus told them.
“The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me
will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
As we face the trials of this pandemic, and a
world that will use anything it can to destroy faith in Christ Jesus, all our
actions reflect the heart inside us. Do
we isolate ourselves because honest evaluation of the circumstances tells us
this is the best way to preserve our own and our neighbor’s lives, or are we hiding
because we are terrified of dying, or because we have grown comfortable staying
at home?
On the other hand, do we go out without
following the governor’s orders out of defiance, or with an uncaring attitude,
or do we make reasoned decisions trusting that Jesus has our futures and our
eternal safety firmly in hand? There can
be, and there are, sins on either side of every such question. The answer is always Jesus, for Jesus
gives more than enough.
For our forgiveness and salvation, and for our everyday
lives, the Lord has given His Word in the Bible so that we may know with
absolute confidence the life and forgiveness He offers for the sake of His shed
blood and innocent suffering and death.
To every sinner who repents, Jesus gives unconditional grace and
forgiveness. And for every repentant
sinner, Jesus opens His arms inviting us into a loving embrace. In the bread of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus
holds out to you His very flesh that hung on the cross as a sacrifice for your
sins and the sins of the world. In the
cup of blessing Jesus blesses, He pours into the wine the same blood He shed for
you at Calvary. He says “Take and
eat…take and drink” to comfort your heart again and again, to restore your
forgiveness for each time you stumble, and to build up your faith in Him as
your Savior and Redeemer. For you and
for all, for today and for forever, for your forgiveness, life, and salvation, Jesus
gives more than enough. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.
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