(Jesus Feeding the 5,000 - Designed by ArtRetellingDigital )
So many of the sermons I hear, or read, that are based on the Lectionary tend to favour the Gospel reading for that particular Sunday. Indeed, my first Sunday sermon being on the eve of the Feast of St Mary Magdalene, I myself was naturally drawn to the reading from John that describes Mary’s encounter with the risen Jesus Christ, alias The Gardener. (The audio and transcript are here.) The second most popular Scripture readings are those from the Epistles, and, indeed, the Common Worship (CW) and Book of Common Prayer (BCP) liturgies include them. What is less common is preaching from the Hebrew Bible (the “Old Testament”), except among most non-liturgical denominations who tend to ignore the Lectionary altogether, and often go for lengthy, interpretive exegeses of the histories, the psalms, or the Prophets. The latter are particularly popular with those who want to interpret current affairs (political, or religious) along an eschatological, evangelical hermeneutic: preferably using the King James Version of the Bible to add “prophetic” authenticity. Much theological carnage ensues and the gullible are “gulled,” as it were!
One vicar I know had the gall to insist that the “Old Testament” is, well, “Old!” Unnecessary and obscure, to boot! That, somehow, we need only concentrate on the “New” Testament and, most assuredly, the Gospels. A case of drop-jaw, if ever I heard one!
Last weekend was no exception, and sermons and blogs were awash with the Gospel reading: John 6:1-21. In her blog post/sermon on this text, Liane Chalmers, currently an Anglican curate in Wales, concentrates her attention on the giving angle (as did our LLM at my home church!). She opens with:
The media bombards us with images from around the world constantly. Switching between reporting about the obesity problem in the West to the malnutrition, starvation and famine in poorer countries. Either way, concern about feeding people is a top priority. The disciples were concerned too about the number of people who were coming to see Jesus and to listen to him teach and witness his healings. Jesus, of course knew how he would handle the situation, but he tested Philip by asking, 'where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?' It occurred to me that this was a very specific question. He didn't ask where they would get food or how they would feed all the people, but rather - where are we to buy BREAD? As Christians, we are told that Jesus is the Bread of Life, we are to feed on him, and he will sustain us. But would his disciples and others have understood this at that time? Philip was concerned with earthly matters; the cost of buying enough for everyone to eat and Andrew was trying to be practical and economical with their resources but lacked understanding.
Church historian and popular preacher, Dr Diana Butler Bass used her blog “The Cottage” to post one of her Sunday Musings, reflecting upon the idea of “Bread and Circuses,” and the significance of the location of the mass picnic event - Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. You can read the whole article here. In fact, I do recommend you read both blogs/sermons at some point, soon.
But whenever I can get away with it, I like to meditate and focus on the “Old” Testament reading that the Lectionary has chosen to match up with the Gospel and Epistle readings. Much treasure is buried there (and not always too far below the surface, either) and, certainly if we read the Hebrew Bible Christologically – with Jesus as our guide and interpreter - no end of wealth becomes accessible to us.
Let us turn, then, to 2 Kings 4:42 – end. (NLT)
One day a man from Baal-shalishah brought the man of God a sack of fresh grain and twenty loaves of barley bread made from the first grain of his harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people so they can eat.”
43“What?” his servant exclaimed. “Feed a hundred people with only this?”
But Elisha repeated, “Give it to the people so they can eat, for this is what the Lord says: Everyone will eat, and there will even be some left over!” 44And when they gave it to the people, there was plenty for all and some left over, just as the Lord had promised.
The first thing to note is that the grain and loaves of bread are first fruits of the harvest from the village of Baal-shalisha, a few miles South-West of Shechem. Not only were priests to be gifted first-fruit offerings, but so also were prophets. There is, then, the concept of cheerful giving, as Liane explained:
To conclude, today's Gospel has many lessons for us. We should give charitably. We should give, with thanks, what little we have to Jesus and let him multiply it for the benefit of all and even how, when we give all we have in Jesus' name, there is more to give. There might also be a lesson in there about giving freely and wholeheartedly, not withholding anything back from God.
The second point is that one farmer’s grain offering (one sack-full, and twenty barley loaves) is, as Elisha’s servant pointed out, totally insufficient to feed a hundred people.
As Elisha knew full well.
Anticipating centuries ahead and the coming of the Bread of Life – Christ Jesus – as all the prophets did, Elisha is demonstrating what happens in God’s Economy of Abundance. He does so, also prefiguring Jesus - the Christ and Word of the Lord. (And indeed, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, when the Shatan tempted him to magic stones into bread: “Humans do not live by bread alone, but humans live by everything that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.”)
Here then, in 2 Kings 4, we have preceding stories of a “miracle” provision of oil to the limit of the capacity to contain it (a metaphor, surely, for the abundance of God’s grace relative to our functioning faith?); an antidote to food-poisoning (“meal” or, possibly flour or pulses); a resurrection of a child (pre-empting prophetically, Jesus and Tabitha); and, finally, this miraculous banquet for a hundred people out of one person’s provisions.
The background to all this is intriguing. There was a famine: When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. (4:38a) And Elisha (like Jesus) was not alone: As the sons of the prophets were sitting before him…(4:38b) - Famine flipped to feeding; one Master, multiplied through many apprentices! And all, through “the word of the LORD.”
These “sons” are likely to be what were also referred to as the “school of prophets.” Elisha is training disciples – as did Jesus much later. Part of their “prophetic” training in this instance, included converting one man’s grain offering into a picnic lunch for a hundred men. How? For that matter, how did Elisha provide an extravagant supply of cooking oil, neutralise poisoned food, or resurrect a dead child?
How did Jesus?
Quantum Science* (in particular, Quantum Physics) helps towards explaining it. It also explains Jesus’ walking through doors and walls, and on water; how he is transfigured into his other dimensional self, as well as his multiple, simultaneous appearances to different people, following his resurrection and prior to his ascension.
Crazy Quantum-ness – by the Word of the Lord!
And Jesus promised we would do greater works than these, after he had returned to His Father! The stories of Elijah and Elisha (who had double Elijah’s prophetic portion) reveal so much about how we are called, we are chosen, we are fully equipped with every blessing of the Spirit in heavenly dimensions (Ephesians 1:3-6) to work the works God has prepared for us as co-workers; as prophets, priests and kings and so, legitimate receivers of gifts.
Moses wished that all the Lord’s people would be practical prophets as recorded in Numbers 11:29 Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? If only all the LORD’S people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” (NASB)
So did Paul: Now I would like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. (1 Cor.14:5 NRSV)
Let us reach out - in the faith of the Son of God - to the power of His resurrection – Quantum power – that we may demonstrate in real time and space, the kingdom of heaven in all of us, to all of us!
Go well, Wayfarers.
*For more, see Quantum Theology (Diarmuid O’Murchu, The Crossroad Publishing Company, New York, 1997);Quantum Faith; Quantum Prayer; Quantum Life (all three by Steve McVey, TWS, 2023)
EXTRA! EXTRA! Here I will share a desert thought from the collection by Mercy Aiken who works with the Network of Evangelicals For The Middle East and who co-wrote Yet in The Dark Streets Shining – A Palestinian Story of Hope & Resilience in Bethlehem with Bishara Awad.
Big brother to us: "I don't like school. I am not smart, and the teachers hit me." And yet, he was a teacher to the other boys, leading the goats like a wise master, and speaking protectively of us.
When a grown man passed us and said hello, this young man jumped in possessively: "Don't say hello! Say goodbye!" Looking at us, he motioned to the man: "He's crazy."
He accompanied us, along with the flock of goats and his friends from the desert trail to the proper road into Jericho.