In the Name of Jesus
John 6,1-15
7. Sonntag nach Trinitatis 052
Afra, Martyr at Augsburg, Bavaria 3047. August 2011
1. O Heavenly Father, Divine Providence for the world, help us to lose the taste for the wickedness of this world, that it would be bitter as gall, empty our hearts of what is unclean so that we can grasp the eternal good. Free us from carnal bondage so that we no more walk along the banks of the sinful life. Strengthen our desire for heaven, and make us satisfied to be conformed in Christ’s image now and when we awake fully in His image at the gate of heaven. Amen. (Löhe § 15)
2. Our sermon text for this morning, dear brothers and sisters, is from the Gospel according to John where the holy evangelist writes: 1After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2And a large crowd was following Him, because they saw the signs that He was doing on the sick. 3Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with his disciples. 4Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5Lifting up His eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward Him, Jesus said to Philip: „Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?“ 6He said this to test him, for He himself knew what He would do. 7Philip answered Him: „Two hundred days of wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.“ 8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him: 9„There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?“ 10Jesus said: „Have the people sit down.“ Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11Jesus then 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. 12And when they had eaten their fill, He told His disciples: „Gather up the leftover fragments, so that nothing may be lost.“ 13So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. 14When the people saw the sign that He had done, they said: „This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!“ 15Perceiving then that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by Himself. This is our text.
3. In the Holy Gospel, St. John focuses on the crowd, on the disciples and on Jesus Himself, so we want to look more precisely upon all three:
I. The crowd with their desire
II. The disciples with their distress
III. Jesus and His gifts (Martens § 2).
I.
4. Here in John 6, the holy apostle and evangelist records for us the miraculous feeding of the 5000. The large crowd needed to be fed, and Jesus fed them fully and satisfactory beginning with five loaves of bread and two fish. From these simple and limited means, Jesus multiplied the bread and fish so that what began as a small basketful of bread concluded with twelve baskets full of broken pieces of bread. The crowd was so impressed with this miraculous sign that they exclaimed: „Jesus is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world!“ They believed that Jesus was the new Moses in their midst, for Moses had told Israel »Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers, and you shall listen to Him« (Deuteronomy 18,15). 5. The crowd, however, wanted more than a prophet; they wanted Jesus to be their king. At this point they were thinking with their bellies. If Jesus can provide unlimited bread and fish, then they will never go hungry. History has shown time and again the masses elevating to king or president those who can provide their basic necessities, like food and safety. Therein lies the great temptation. Human nature is quick to think only of the physical realm and set aside the spiritual realm. Rather than be content with Jesus to be a great prophet who brings them God’s Word and performs wonderful miracles that beat back the devil’s tyranny, many want to crown Jesus as their king so that He can run the Romans out of Judea.
6. John began his Gospel by noting: »Jesus came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him (John 1,11)«. The crowds who followed Jesus fell under this judgment, for many in the crowds were content to acclaim Him as a great prophet but they were unwilling to follow Him as a disciple. Nevertheless, their assessment of the man Jesus was correct: Jesus is the great prophet and successor to Moses, as John proclaims at the beginning of his Gospel: »For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ« (John 1,17).
II.
7. Jesus’ own disciples don’t yet completely understand who He is. Jesus is their rabbi, and the promised messiah of Israel. They have seen Him teach the Word and perform mighty signs. In the midst of the 5000, Philip crunches the numbers: Jesus, it would take more than six months of wages to buy food for all these people. A quick consultation with Judas Iscariot who held the money would reveal they are woefully short of that amount of capital. Andrew notes that a young lad has five loaves of bread and two fish, but that would barely feed Jesus and His apostles let alone 5000 hungry men. The apostles are at a loss for what to do. They can’t buy the food necessary to feed the crowd; they can’t feed the crowd with the food on hand; they can’t send the crowd home hungry, for that would violate the traditions of hospitality. The disciples are distressed, and rightly so. III.
8. Jesus takes charge of the situation. He had been in control all the time, but He tested His apostles to gauge their maturity and wisdom regarding Him. Five loaves and two fish cannot feed 5000 people by human means. Jesus, however, is not merely a man but He is also God. He is the great prophet and king of Israel. Jesus will provide, just as He has always done. He takes the bread and the fish, gives thanks to the Heavenly Father and passes out the food. 9. At the end of the meal, Jesus commanded the apostles: „Gather up the leftover fragments, so that nothing may be lost.“ Twelve baskets full of leftover bread were collected: one for each apostle. That is the way the Lord Jesus works: He takes what is at hand, blesses it, and gives it out. What is given out is insignificant, but what is received back is plenteous. That is how it is with Yahweh’s grace, and Jesus desires that nothing be lost. If Jesus cares this much about pieces of bread, then how much more does He care about individual people. The crowds learned that Jesus is blessed by Yahweh. The apostles learn that Jesus truly is the messiah sent by Yahweh. You learn that Jesus’ grace is sufficient in your lives.
10. Today, bread and wine will be blessed and given out. You will receive it, and what is taken up is more than what was originally given out. You will receive Jesus’ body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. This Sacrament is a promise from Jesus that you will not be lost, for the Sacrament is given to strengthen your faith in Jesus. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1,17). This grace is Christ’s vicarious sacrifice on the cross for you in your place. This grace is given out to you in the Sacrament of the Altar. This truth is Jesus’ promise to you that He has borne your sins and will feed you with the heavenly bread and fish that is eternal salvation. In Jesus you have this truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8,32).
11. Your response is not to be amazed at Jesus and try to force Him to be an earthly king. Jesus will not allow Himself to be this sort of king, just as He did not allow the crowds to crown Him as such two thousand years ago. Your response should be to behold Him as a prophet, yes the heir of Moses who brings grace and salvation to those burdened and demolished by the law. Behold Jesus as the one who provides not only your earthly needs, but more importantly your heavenly needs of forgiveness and eternal life. Behold Jesus as your savior, for He is your savior from sin, death, and hell. He is your king, but He will not reveal Himself as such until His second advent. Until then, rejoice that He is your savior who keeps you in His hand and by His providence keeps you as His own. Amen.
12. Let us pray. O Lord, You cause the sun to rise and to set, and for this grand Providence we praise Your Name! As You provide all our earthly needs, so also remind us that you daily give us all our spiritual needs as well, so that we never forget that You are our Creator and our Redeemer. Amen.
One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you!
All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the New Testament Greek Manuscripts, Luke © 1995 by Reuben Joseph Swanson.
Martens, Gottfried. A sermon preached on 26. July 2009 (7. Trinitatis) on John 6,1-15. Copyright © 2011 St. Mary Church in Berlin-Zehlendorf (SELK). All rights reserved. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2011. Löhe, Wilhelm. Evangelien-Postille für die Sonn- und Festage des Kirchenjahres. Copyright © 1859 Samuel Gottlieb Liesching. A sermon preached on John 6,1-15 for Laetare Sunday. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2011.
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