Jesus has compassion for His people.

 

Sermon for Trinity 7, July 31, 2022

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Mark 8:1–9  In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples and said to them, ²“I feel compassion for the crowd because they have already stayed with me three days and do not have anything to eat.  ³If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way.  Some of them have come from a long distance.”  ⁴His disciples replied, “Where can anyone get enough bread to feed these people here in this deserted place?”  ⁵He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”  “Seven,” they said.  ⁶He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground.  Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks, and broke them.  He gave the pieces to his disciples to distribute to the crowd, and they did so.  ⁷They also had a few small fish.  He blessed them and said that these should be distributed as well.  ⁸The people ate and were satisfied.  They picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.  ⁹About four thousand men were there.  Then he sent them away. (EHV)

Jesus has compassion for His people.

Dear friends in Christ,

One quite popular objection to believing in the God of the Bible is that there is so much trouble, sorrow, pain, and hunger in the world.  The refrain goes something like, “Well, if there is a God, why does He allow all these horrible troubles?”  Or, “If God is love, why doesn’t He cure these problems?”  Of course, one must expect these questions from the boldly defiant.  Yet, how often do even solid Christians wonder if God is really paying attention?

The assumption of those who question God’s providence is that they are somehow worthy to command His special care.  They prefer to judge the Creator rather than to live under His abundant kindness and mercy.  Yet, the fact that God provides for both believer and unbeliever, alike, should confirm that He is the God of love.

The truth of the matter, though, is that no one actually deserves to be blessed by God.  The Bible teaches that every human being is born spiritually dead—separated from God by sin and unbelief.  Being born from sinful parents, we enter this world as enemies of God and sinners against Him—sinners who deserved nothing but death.  However, God hasn’t turned against us.  Rather, He provides for all people, friend and foe alike, according to His divine good will.  This miraculous feeding of the four thousand shows us that Jesus has compassion for His people.

Now, people sometimes assume that being Christians we should have an especially easy road.  Yet, God never promised that we wouldn’t get hungry, or have trouble, pain, or sorrow in this world.  In fact, He pretty much guaranteed that by bringing us to faith in His Son, we would not only we have to endure all the ills that every part of this groaning world suffers because of sin, but the world itself turns against us because of its hatred for God and His Son, Jesus.  At the same time, we are never alone because Jesus is always with His people, and in this miracle, Jesus displays His faithfulness to His promise, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

The vast multitude that surrounded Jesus that long ago day were demonstrating what Jesus was talking about.  Nothing is said in our text about anyone asking Jesus for food.  They didn’t come to Him begging for bread.  Rather, they gathered around Jesus for His teaching, for His miraculous healing, and for His gentle kindness.  Jesus said, “I feel compassion for the crowd because they have already stayed with me three days and do not have anything to eat.  If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way.  Some of them have come from a long distance.”  Notice who was concerned for the wellbeing of those people, many of them Gentiles.  Even before they let hunger worry them, Jesus had in mind the solution for their needs.

Now understand, Jesus also put His disciples to a bit of a test when He said this, and they reacted like we so often do: His disciples answered Him, "Where can anyone get enough bread to feed these people here in this deserted place?"  Does it seem to you that they just threw up their hands in despair?  Can you imagine the disciples wondering how they, who had left jobs and businesses behind to follow Jesus, were supposed to find food for thousands of people so far out in the middle of a wasteland?

Perhaps, I’m being too harsh on the disciples.  Jesus doesn’t rebuke them so maybe they really were trusting that Jesus alone could provide.  That would be putting the best construction on the situation.  But what about us?  Do we always trust, without question, that Jesus will take care of us? 

How many of us can honestly say that we have never worried, even once, about anything?  I think the honest answer is none of us.  Instead, how many of us have wondered whether God really will provide for this little congregation?  How many of us have wondered whether God has heard our agony and prayers?  I think that’s why the Holy Spirit had Mark and Matthew record this miracle for us, to confirm for us that Jesus has compassion for His people.

Jesus asked His disciples, “‘How many loaves do you have?’  ‘Seven,’ they said.  He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground.  Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks, and broke them.  He gave the pieces to his disciples to distribute to the crowd, and they did so. ⁷They also had a few small fish.  He blessed them and said that these should be distributed as well.  The people ate and were satisfied.  They picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.  About four thousand men were there.”

I wonder if any of us could divide seven pancakes into four thousand pieces.  That’s about how big those bread cakes, typically, were, about like a pancake.  No way could you or I spread out this amount of food so that everyone would get even a crumb.  Then, try dividing a few small fish among so many people.  Sure, most of us could set a place at the dinner table for another guest or two, but if any man would bring home to dinner twenty guests, unannounced, for his wife to feed, I can assure you there would be trouble in that house.  Thus, we know without a doubt that this was a miracle. 

The Bible says that those four thousand people, who had been sitting at Jesus’ feet for three days in the wilderness without much sustenance, ate until they were satisfied.  All of these followers of Jesus had their hunger eased.  Their journey home became possible because Jesus had compassion on them, so much so that there remained seven large baskets of leftovers.

“He sent them away.”  This is certainly a legitimate translation of the Greek word here.  But more often, it is translated, “released,” or “set free.”  The people had been with Him for three days, listening to His preaching of the Gospel, and now Jesus released them.  Released is a wonderful word to choose here, because by His teaching, Jesus set those people free—releasing them from the bondage of sin and death, and He has done the same for you and me.

When you and I were brought to faith in Jesus, we were set free.  We were set free from any worry in this world, because Jesus has promised that His Father knows our needs and will provide for them. (Matthew 6:31-34)  Jesus even set us free from worrying about what this world might do to cause us trouble, even if it should go so far as killing us, because Jesus has conquered sin and death on our behalf.  In fact, Jesus tells us, “In this world you are going to have trouble.  But be courageous!  I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Even more important than setting us free from worry, however, is that Jesus has set us free from sin and condemnation.  That is the greatest way that Jesus has compassion for His people.  While He certainly never forgets our earthly needs, He entered our world to demonstrate the full extent of His compassion by becoming our Savior.  At the beginning of this sermon, we recognized that we entered this world already dead in trespasses and sin, deserving nothing but to be separated from God eternally.  That deserved separation could only be eliminated by the love of God in His Son, Jesus.

It is brilliantly obvious that Jesus has compassion for His people, because He left His throne in heaven to take on human flesh so that He could live in this tormenting world, and live here without any sin, living perfect righteousness and trust in His Father for you and me.  By willingly enduring the hunger and homelessness, and all the pain and sorrow we experience every day, Jesus made it possible that we can live for eternity with Him in heaven.  Most important, Jesus has compassion for His people by taking all our sins upon His innocent shoulders and carrying those sins to hell through the punishment and death He suffered on Calvary.  There on the cross, Jesus endured all of God’s just anger and the punishment that we deserved for our sins, simply because “God so loved the world.” (John 3:16)

Still today, Jesus has compassion for His people.  Two thousand years after He suffered and died for the human race, Jesus continues to send out His Holy Spirit through His Word and Sacraments, so that sinners like you and me can be made alive through faith in Him. 

Two thousand years after He fed four thousand people with a handful of food, Jesus continues to rescue sinners through the gracious washing of Baptism in which He raises to new life those born dead in sin.  He continues to feed us with His precious body and blood, so that we can have full confidence that our sins are forgiven, and we are right with His Father in heaven. 

Two thousand years after Jesus sent those people away from gathering at His feet in worship to return to their homes, He sends out His disciples in this wilderness world carrying the life-giving food of His saving Word to other people so that they, too, can be set free from sin and death.

Dear friends, the next time you pick up a piece of bread, remember that Jesus provided that bread for you out of His infinite compassion and grace, but especially remember, that out of His unlimited kindness, He has made you alive through faith, so that when our bodies are called out of this broken, dying world, we will live for all eternity in His heavenly home where there will never be any hunger, sorrow, pain, persecution, or death. 

Now, having a home in heaven assured to you through faith in Christ Jesus, be equally confident in God’s abiding care for you here on earth, for it is written: “If God is for us, who can be against us?  Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also graciously give us all things along with him?” (Romans 8:31-32)  Therefore, no matter what trouble, doubt, hunger, or grief might enter your walk through this difficult, sin-damaged world, remember that Jesus’ love for you never wavers.  No matter where you live, whether rich or poor, through sickness and in health, in good times and sorrow, Jesus will be with you to carry you to the better place of your eternal home.  Especially remember that on a cross on a hill outside of Jerusalem, in the simple water of Baptism, in His body and blood in the bread and wine of His holy Supper, or anywhere His Gospel is preached, Jesus has compassion for His people.  Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore.  Amen.