Lent 3 - Thursday - You Give Them Something To Eat

Text: Mark 6:30-46 (see below)

The disciples (or should we now call them apostles?) of Jesus were weary from a long and steady stream of hands-on ministry since that eventful boat trip way back at the conclusion of chapter 4. As an extension of Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation and grace, they too had experienced the power of healing, the driving out of demons, and successful preaching that moved folks to repentance and mercy. Back from their first missionary excursion, the twelve were in need of a day off. Jesus understood their need and decided to lead them to a lonely place for a weekend retreat.

But like any day in ministry, things can change and plans have to be put on hold. The sheep were in need, still hungry for the good food that Jesus was providing. On foot, the great mass of people followed Jesus’ progress in the boat and when the Master and his disciples arrived at that lonely place, the crowd was there to greet them.

The text reads: “As he went ashore Jesus saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a shepherd.” Now a good Jewish reader of this text would see all of the parallels to the Hebrew prophets, like Ezekiel and Zechariah who criticized the ruling class of Israel as leaders who were basically feeding themselves. In the 34^th Chapter of Ezekiel, the prophet cries out:

“You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd” (Ezekiel 24:4-5).

Zechariah was no less indignant towards the powers that be in Jerusalem denouncing the leaders as “shepherds” who readily sold the flock in order to become rich (Zechariah 11:5). I am confident that the author of Mark is portraying Jesus as one who follows in the line of the great prophets of Israel continuing the ancient critique of the establishment and the powers that be. This Good Shepherd will do things differently, will have compassion for the sheep, and will be in solidarity with them.

So, Jesus begins to feed the crowd with spiritual food - the teaching of the Word. So much for the scheduled retreat: it will have to wait for another time.

I have always thought the best continuing education for clergy, or for that matter, leaders of the Church and staff, would be to spend a week on a farm that cultivated healthy livestock. I have a dear friend, a farmer, a member of the first parish that I served who lives in North Carolina and milks cows for a living. Major is the wisest man I have ever met and understands better than anyone I have known the metaphor of the shepherd and the sheep.

There is never a day off in farming for the animals always have needs: there are cows to be milked; cows to be calved, calves to be attended to; stalls to be mucked (one of the better metaphors for parish ministry!); medicines to be administered; fences to be mended; fields to be fertilized; and all the animals need to be fed. These beasts of burden don’t go away for twenty-four hours so that the “shepherds” can have a night off. The modern day “professional” clergy type would do well to spend some time at the farm learning from the animals. We might all become better pastors in the process.

I admire Jesus at this point in this story. He puts his own needs on hold reaching out compassionately to others who had more pressing concerns. I believe Jesus got lost in the teaching, which happens to all of us when we think more about others than we do about ourselves, and the joy he must have found sharing with the people the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

“When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.’”

Can you see the faces on those twelve disciples? Thomas is yawning, he is so tried. Thaddeus is just kind of wandering around the crowd looking for a place to rest his weary body. Simon is perplexed that Jesus does not understand why the disciples want the people to go away. And Jesus responds with an answer that yet again proves he would fail any pastoral care class at any accredited seminary of our day.

“You give them something to eat.”

The response of the disciples is telling. It kind of reminds me of what you might hear today in our culture. Matthew looked at Bartholomew and asked, “Did you bring any cash? I thought we were going on retreat!” Judas, I imagine, was indignant and simply shook his head in disgust. The others probably buried their eyes into the Galilean soil hoping beyond hope that Andrew, James or John would say something to their Master to get them all off the hook.

“What food do we have on hand?.....C’mon go and find out for me.” Weariness and resting will have to wait for those disciples. The sheep have to be fed.

The disciples discovered that there were five loaves and two fish. Jesus moves into action. He organizes the groups, offers a blessing, and instructs the disciples to disburse the food. No one goes hungry!

I have never thought that this was a miracle by any stretch of the imagination. There is nothing supernatural about this event for everybody got something to eat and all were satisfied. It really wasn’t about the meal and about being fed. It was about being with Jesus and really “being fed”. Do you understand what I mean? This story is all about being in community with one another and sharing with each other.

Marie Dennis and Stuart Taylor in their commentary “Say to this Mountain” Mark’s Story of Discipleship write:

“Other cultures have developed economic practices radically different from ours. The potlatch tradition, for example, was a widespread practice among the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Coast at times of significant personal change: puberty, marriage, accession to chiefdom, death. Potlatch is based on the idea that all wealth, material and symbolic, must circulate. It honors non-acquisitiveness, generosity, and redistribution of wealth. When ritual privileges are publicly transmitted to the next generation, prestigious objects are given away in a ceremony involving feasts, speeches, songs and dancing. Traditionally, the potlatches were a means of affirming social and political prerogatives as well as placing obligations on friends and strengthening kinship ties and village solidarity. Potlatches were also used to end hostilities and to re-establish good relations.

“The ritual practice of “give away” could happen only in a culture where great value is placed not on possessions, but on the willingness of the individual to dispossess her/himself for the greater good of the whole. This practice of sharing is not just an expression of the exceptional individual; it is a part of the culture itself.

“In Mark’s account of the first wilderness feeding, Jesus challenged the disciples to move beyond the predominant economic approach in order to enact an economics of sharing. This narrative issues the same challenge to disciples today. Many groups and organizations are accepting that challenge by testing new economic models that emphasize cooperation and participation rather than competition and individualism. Worker-owned businesses, cooperatives, land trusts, community-supported agriculture, community loan funds, socially responsible banking, community currencies, and the like offer the possibility of a significantly changed economic landscape.

“Many of the values embodied by these alternative economic models are in sharp contrast to the values of the dominant economic system in the United States. Yet, these ideas share the principles of Jesus’ wilderness feedings: The survival and well being of people and their communities takes precedence over the profit for a few; one person or community or nation does not walk on the backs of others to get ahead; the ‘development’ of the human family cannot take place at the expense of the rest of the creation; who we are is not measured by how we earn a living, or what possessions we have. We who are followers of Jesus must try to make these values real in our world so that there will be ‘enough for everyone’ (Say to This Mountain, page 75-76, 78).”

Who in your neighborhood needs to be fed? With whom can I share my possessions so that there will be enough for everyone? What hungers in our community are crying out for nourishment from our church?

Jesus said: “You give them something to eat.”

Love One Another – Brian

Quit Playing It Safe

Greg Wayrauch

Lord, lead us to quit playing it safe as your witnesses and to move forward in faith together that all humanity might know you and your love.

Source: Journeying Through Lent with Mark

Mark 6:30-46

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.’ But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men. Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.