Tag: christ’s ministry

The Feeding of the Four Thousand (Mark 8:1-8)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, by Giovanni Lanfranco, c.1620

In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, “I have compassion for the crowd because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way—and some of them have come from a great distance.” 

His disciples replied, “How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 

Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. They had also a few small fish, and after blessing them he ordered that these, too, should be distributed. 

They ate and were filled, and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. (New Revised Standard Version)

This was an incredible miracle by Jesus. And it was also an incredible lack of faith on the part of his disciples. Christ had already taught them an important faith lesson by feeding 5,000 people earlier. You’d think they would have gotten it right this time.

It appears that the disciples were anxious about the situation. After all, whenever we are given to anxiety within a stressful circumstance, we typically are not thinking wisely about what to do.

There simply was no evidence that the disciples were tapping into their wise minds – even though they could have. And there’s where the rub is: Do we have the wherewithal to pause, in order to connect with what and who we know?

Let’s notice in the story that Jesus did not seem at all perturbed by the disciples’ small faith. And he certainly was not hindered in any way by the meager supply of food which was on hand. So, a remedial lesson was provided.

All the food the disciples pulled together was given to Jesus. It wasn’t much for thousands of people. Seven loaves of bread and a few fish. Yet, Christ transformed it into enough to feed the entire crowd of mostly Gentiles, without depriving the disciples of their share. They collected enough to fill seven baskets large enough to hold a man.

So there’s the lesson redone and restated, but with a different twist. Whereas the earlier miracle of food was provided for mostly Jews, the feeding of the four thousand consisted of nearly all Gentiles.

Perhaps the disciples did not really want a miracle to begin with. Maybe they believed their ministry ought to be with Israel, and not the heathen nations around them. It could be that Christ’s disciples simply did not want to be in Gentile territory at all, let alone have to engage in ministry to them, up close and personal.

So, we may be dealing with something more than an issue of faith; we might be looking at plain old fashioned prejudice against another group of people. Discriminatory behavior shrinks one’s faith and makes it small – whereas including others, and seeing their inherent worth as God’s image-bearing creatures, increases our faith and helps it grow large.

Jesus had a heart big enough, a mind open enough, and more than enough ability to make the miracle of food happen. In other words, Christ wanted to do it. He had compassion on the people, regardless of the fact that they were not like him.

It could be that a lesson in prejudice was the teaching he wanted them to get a hold of.

We see in today’s story a trajectory of inclusion, that the kingdom of God is meant to be full of diverse people from every nation, race, and background. Jesus purposely went to the Decapolis, a geographical region with a lot of different people – mostly non-Jews.

The Decapolis (which means “Ten Cities”) was a group of ten Hellenistic cities. It was a center of Greek and Roman culture, in a region mostly populated by Jews and Arameans. Each city functioned as a sort of city-state which was dependent upon Rome. There was enough diversity within the Decapolis itself which seemed to prevent them from working together as an organized region.

When it comes to Christian ministry, there are often two issues going on, namely because ministry is all about working with people. One is that we may have a problem, like the disciples of old, in going to a place we’ve never been before – and really don’t ever want to go. We have particular ideas about the people who live there and what they’re like – and we’d rather not have to deal with them.

The second issue is that we may have a problem with ourselves. Unlike the first issue in which we wonder why Jesus would care about those people, the second is wondering if Jesus really cares about me.

In this, you have no problem believing that Jesus would go to the Decapolis and have compassion on the Gentiles. But you struggle with God caring for you, and that Jesus could ever use you in ministry to people like those in the Decapolis. You can think of all sorts of other people who could do the job much better than yourself.

Since you know yourself pretty well, you understand your own doubts, weaknesses, and sins; and have a hard time trusting that the Lord could or would want to involve you in any ministry.

We, of course, could read today’s Gospel lesson from either of the two issues. Yet, we probably need not make it an either/or issue; it may be more of a both/and issue.

That is, Christ’s disciples – including those past and present – likely struggle with both: We continually keep finding that we have personal prejudices which prevent us from reaching out to particular people; and we also have personal insecurities and inhibitions about God truly loving us enough to use us in effective ministry.

Within the story of Jesus feeding the four thousand, both issues can find their resolution. The fact of the matter is that Jesus cared about the people in the region of the Decapolis, and created a miracle in order to take care of them; and, Jesus used a group of men who probably were likely prejudiced, and also insecure about being used for such a ministry.

May you know that you are infinitely loved by God – and loved alongside all sorts of other people, as well, from everywhere in every place. And may you understand that God has you on this earth to be a blessing to all kinds of persons.

May it be so, to the glory of God. Amen.

For the Life of the World (John 6:1-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, by James Tissot, 1886

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 

Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 

Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” 

Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place, so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 

When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. (New Revised Standard Version)

Christ Walking on the Waters, by Julius Sergius Von Klever, c.1880

The Deliverers Moses and Jesus

The Apostle John intended us to see the link between Moses and Jesus. God used Moses to bring deliverance of the people from slavery through a miracle at the Red Sea. The Lord also used him for a divine provision of manna in the wilderness.

And the Lord Jesus brought about a deliverance of the disciples from anxiety through a miracle on the Sea of Galilee. Christ also brought a divine provision of food in the middle of nowhere for thousands of people.

The miraculous displays by Jesus happened at the time of Passover, the very time that Jews celebrate the deliverance from Egypt. Just as divine power was exerted at the time of Moses in the original Passover, so also divine power likewise showed itself with Jesus in the supply of food and control of the sea.

What’s more, today Christians everywhere around the world remember God’s saving events with the elements of bread and cup, recalling divine deliverance and provision, and finding relief from their fears and anxieties.

A Miraculous Provision and Distribution of Food

It’s no coincidence that Jesus is pictured as sitting on a mountain – reminiscent of Moses on a mountain receiving the divine law and wisdom. The gathering of people around Christ was so great (thousands of them) and the need for food equally as great, that Jesus questioned his disciples concerning resources for such a large crowd.

Christ, of course, could have circumvented his disciples and simply provided the needed foodstuffs without them. Yet, he didn’t, on purpose. Always the rabbi and teacher, Jesus intended to give the disciples a lesson they wouldn’t forget.

After ascertaining that the only food available was a boy’s five barley loaves and two dried fish, Jesus knew that this was plenty, in order to feed up to 5,000 people. It was enough, because Jesus is enough. Only a small amount is needed to fill the bellies of thousands.

Sacramental Living, by Charissa Jaeger-Sanders

And, what is more, for those with the faith to see it, a little communion wafer and a small swallow from a cup is more than enough to satisfy and satiate the hungriest of faithful and penitent people.

Not only did the people eat as much as they needed and wanted, but there was also so much remaining food that the twelve disciples collected twelve baskets of bread. They could keep on ministering, providing, and distributing for people because little is much when God is in it. Long after Christ’s death and resurrection, his followers continued to give with the divine largess from Jesus.

Walking on Water

It had been a full day of teaching and miraculous ministry, in the full light for all to see. Christ’s power, however, is also operative at night. The darkness is not able to subdue continued miracles from Jesus.

For the Apostle John’s writings, darkness is almost always a theological statement, denoting that there are dark forces operative on this earth. And those powers definitely did not like Christ’s effective day of ministry.

The actual physical storm symbolized the chaotic and angry response of the sinister elements in the world. But despite the terrible conditions, Jesus calmly walked on the sea as the new Moses who takes charge of the water.

The disciples abject fear turned on a dime into exuberant joy, as they realized it was indeed Jesus who entered the boat. In addition, they experienced an immediate place of safe harbor.

Christ was standing in the divine tradition of bringing people from stormy circumstances and evil situations to the safe haven of God’s presence.

Jesus saves people from their fears and anxieties, their travails and ills, and their guilt and shame. Christ also provides everything we need, both material and immaterial. And he does it for the life of the world, for everyone who comes by faith.

Gracious Lord, you are the Sustainer of the hungry. Like a mother, you long to feed your children until each is satisfied. Turn our eyes to you alone, so that, aware of our own deepest longings, we will reach out with Christ to feed others with the miracle of your love. Amen.

Renewal (Mark 6:30-34, 53-56)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Great Crowds Followed Jesus as He Preached the Good News, by Elizabeth Wang (1942-2016)

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 they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 

And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. (New Revised Standard Version)

Recuperation

Christ’s disciples had just returned from their first ministry trip without Jesus. He had sent them in pairs to take authority over unclean spirits, with specific instructions on how to handle themselves. (Mark 6:6-13)

Now they had come together after a successful experience. Jesus immediately recognized that the disciples needed rest in a private retreat so that they could recover and debrief on their mission.

Jesus knew a thing or two about what we now call “self-care.” Christ understood the necessity for awareness of one’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual state – and to take appropriate steps in caring for oneself in order to maintain a vigorous life and ministry. He often punctuated his life with solitary times away with his heavenly Father. (e.g. Mark 1:35)

So, the disciples followed Jesus to a deserted place where they could be alone. Besides, it had become ever more risky to be out in the open. The religious authorities were looking for ways to snuff out this popular upstart of a movement with Jesus as rabbi.

Redirection

Things don’t always go as planned, even for the Son of God. Interruptions are part of working with people. Yet, Jesus never saw those disruptions as a bad thing. It seems that perhaps he even understood them as part of the plan from his heavenly Father. However Christ thought of them, he was unfazed by them.

With an expanding ministry came a larger and more expansive crowd following Jesus. Like a group of ancient paparazzi, there were people dedicated to tracking down Jesus and watching for him; they were absolutely intent on seeing him.

Whereas a lot of people might be annoyed with this behavior (especially us introverts!) Jesus truly saw them, viewing the crowds as “sheep without a shepherd.” In other words, Christ understood the people’s vulnerability, and he had compassion on them.

Refocus

Christ felt genuine care and concern for the people from the pit of his gut. Jesus knew their very real spiritual predicament, an age-old one that God was familiar with:

I, the Lord God, say you shepherds of Israel are doomed! You take care of yourselves while ignoring my sheep. You drink their milk and use their wool to make your clothes. Then you butcher the best ones for food. But you don’t take care of the flock! You have never protected the weak ones or healed the sick ones or bandaged those that get hurt. You let them wander off and never look for those that get lost. You are cruel and mean to my sheep. They strayed in every direction, and because there was no shepherd to watch them, they were attacked and eaten by wild animals. (Ezekiel 34:2-5, CEV)

Jesus, in the spirit Moses, took up the concern for people:

Moses spoke to the Lord: “Let the Lord, the God of all living things, appoint someone over the community who will go out before them and return before them, someone who will lead them out and bring them back, so that the Lord’s community won’t be like sheep without their shepherd.” (Numbers 27:15-17, CEB)

Because the Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd and takes up the responsibility of caring for the flock, there were sheep (the crowds of people) continually either present around him or pursuing him (hence, the need for continual times of rest and recuperation).

All of this resulted in the impossibility of Jesus strolling into a town, village, or city under the radar.

Restoration

Not only did everyone want to see Jesus, but the people also desired to touch him, or at least the tassels of his garment – anything toget close and experience healing.

What’s so amazing about this account is that every single person who Jesus saw or touched experienced healing – without exception. It wasn’t that a few people, or even some of them, walked away changed. All of them did.

Indeed, Jesus is the divine shepherd, who will gather his sheep from the places where they have been scattered.

Christ went into towns and villages to the public places where the people were. That meant Jesus spent a good deal of time in the marketplaces. Since these were gathering areas where people bought and sold and interacted with each other, there you would also find the weakest, sickest, and most vulnerable people.

The needy were looking for help. And Jesus did for them, well beyond what any of them expected.

The Lord Jesus was also doing more than we might expect, as well. By conducting ministry in the economic center of a town, he was introducing a different (and subversive) economy from the kingdom of God.

Those with goods, resources, and money do not occupy the commercial spaces in God’s kingdom realm. Instead, the ones with the least, inhabit the spaces and places of honor. Indeed, many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. (Mark 10:31)

Christ’s earthly ministry restored people’s bodies, minds, emotions, and spirits – thus bringing a thriving economy into God’s kingdom. All of his work resulted in renewal of people’s lives, and a renewed way of living in this world.

“Healer of Our Every Ill” by Marty Haugen, 1987

Refrain:
Healer of our every ill,
light of each tomorrow,
give us peace beyond our fear,
and hope beyond our sorrow.

You who know our fears and sadness,
grace us with your peace and gladness;
Spirit of all comfort, fill our hearts. [Refrain]

In the pain and joy beholding
how your grace is still unfolding,
give us all your vision, God of love. [Refrain]

Give us strength to love each other,
every sister, every brother;
Spirit of all kindness, be our guide. [Refrain]

You who know each thought and feeling,
teach us all your way of healing;
Spirit of compassion, fill each heart. [Refrain]

Amen.

It Is Not Yet My Time (John 7:1-9)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

Later Jesus was going about his business in Galilee. He didn’t want to travel in Judea because the Jews there were looking for a chance to kill him. It was near the time of Tabernacles, a feast observed annually by the Jews.

His brothers said, “Why don’t you leave here and go up to the Feast so your disciples can get a good look at the works you do? No one who intends to be publicly known does everything behind the scenes. If you’re serious about what you are doing, come out in the open and show the world.” His brothers were pushing him like this because they didn’t believe in him either.

Jesus came back at them, “Don’t pressure me. This isn’t my time. It’s your time—it’s always your time; you have nothing to lose. The world has nothing against you, but it’s up in arms against me. It’s against me because I expose the evil behind its pretensions. You go ahead, go up to the Feast. Don’t wait for me. I’m not ready. It’s not the right time for me.”

He said this and stayed on in Galilee. (The Message)

For some Jews in the ancient world, if the Messiah were to come, it would certainly happen in the most celebrated month of the Jewish year (Tishri, in the Fall season).

The New Year celebration happens on the first and second of the month; the Day of Atonement on the tenth day (Yom Kippur); and leads to the joyous celebration of the fifteenth to twenty-second days in the Festival of Tabernacles (Booths or Shelters, also known as “Sukkot”).

That is the time of year in which faithful followers of God leave their homes and live in temporary shelters. It serves as a powerful reminder of their deliverance and divine preservation in the wilderness. It’s a celebration of the harvest, a time to remember the Israelites’ journey through the Sinai desert and God’s protection throughout that time. 

This festival also symbolizes unity and inclusivity, and looks forward to the Messianic age when all nations will come to Jerusalem to worship God.

The Feast of Tabernacles, by Bible Art

So, it only made sense to the people who knew Jesus, that he would want to make a big splash during the month of Tishri – a time of high celebration where everyone is together, recalling God’s gracious actions.

Christ’s own family were insistent that he take advantage of the festival’s timing and clearly show himself to the world. But Jesus wasn’t having it. Why not?

Jesus responded that it is not yet his time. By that he meant it wasn’t the right festival season. The timing of Christ would be for Passover, not Tabernacles. His role was not as the Divine Warrior who would beat up the Romans and establish an earthly rule in the vein of King David.

Instead, Christ’s purpose was to take on the role of the Suffering Servant, the dying Messiah. A joyous public spectacle during Tabernacles to announce deliverance from Roman oppression was not the reason he came to this earth.

Jesus had no intention of being pressed into something that wasn’t his understanding of God’s will.

Indeed, Christ’s time of glorification would come. But at the time of Tabernacles, when the feelings of the people were drawn to Jesus, and expectations were high for divine deliverance from Gentile rule, a capitulation to the crowd would be akin to the devil’s temptation of throwing himself from the Temple, so that everyone could see the Jewish Superman in action.

Jesus is not that sort of Messiah. Ostentatious displays of power and authority were not his path for the people’s salvation. That is the way of the world, not heaven; it’s the concrete road of the proud, not the dirt path of the humble.

Evil needed to be dealt with, once and for all – and not only for the sake of the Jews, but for all creation. And it had to have to divine effectiveness, not a worldly solution.

It still remains yet to this very day, that those with unbelief demand a strong leader and a powerful sign of authority. They want a take-charge sort of person who looks good and has style.

Such worldly-minded persons insist that the strong leader get out there and have lots of exposure. Pay attention to the optics, and engender supreme confidence in others. Engage and change the situation with all of the proven tactics of the world’s power base.

Yet those who truly believe, discern that life does not consist of grand imperial displays of opulent strength and worldly control. Rather, the heavenly virtues of wisdom, patience, and a settled hope surround them. They pay no attention to bombastic pronouncements and empty promises.

The believer is able to see Jesus for who he truly is, and not for what they want him to be.

In other words, up is down, first is last, suffering before celebration. These are not the ways of the unbelieving world; they are the practices of the faithfully devoted ones.

Even though Christ’s brothers strongly urged him to openly show himself in an ancient version of mass marketing, Jesus patently forsook it. He was not seeking to enhance his own reputation, to get his brand recognition out there and impress the crowd.

Jesus Christ will only act as his heavenly Father commands and wills him to – even if his own family want him to do different.

And that is why the world “hates” Jesus. Because he will neither operate according to, nor submit to, its prevailing cultural, political, and familial standards. Pride mocks humility. Arrogance disdains the meek and gentle. Worldly strength wants nothing to do with any sort of perceived weakness.

Metamorphosis of Narcissus, by Salvador Dali, 1937

Yet, the world does not realize that ultimate power, control, and authority comes not through public shows of toughness, but by private practices which embrace spiritual disciplines and knowing oneself.

I myself have no stomach for the supposed follower of Christ who merely seeks to honor Jesus in order to make the Name of Jesus serve their own name’s purpose.

And I gag every time I observe the self-centered leader try and act as if they care for important things, when in reality their only concern is self. Their worldly actions and attitudes betray their true feelings and purpose.

“It is better to incur the world’s hatred, by testifying against its wickedness, than gain its good will by going down the stream with them.”

Matthew Henry

We live in a world of indecision; there is no real decisive action which champions the common good of all citizens. We stick our finger in the air to see which way the wind is blowing. Our insecurity as a people is profound and palpable.

We seem incapable of sound and just public decision-making, let alone making personal choices which foster and engender spiritual and emotional growth.

This world is in desperate need of good, right, and just people who will faithfully occupy places and positions of trust. For me, that means following the narrow way of Jesus, and not the broad highway of destruction paved by narcissistic leaders.

Do you and I have the courage to take a hard look at ourselves, our relationships, and most of all, Jesus? Will we seek discernment as to what is really the world, and what is truly the words and ways of Jesus? Can we gain a sense of divine timing?

Almighty and ever-living God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth: Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.