Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Cycle B, July 26, 2015
2 Kings 4:42-44, Psalm 145:10-18, Ephesians 3:14-21, John 6:1-21
Hope International Mission Sermon
By Young Kim
Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ who is the living bread and gives us the eternal life. Amen.
Do you believe in miracles or are you skeptical about them? When I ask this question, most of you would answer, “Yes, I believe in miracles.” But seriously, do you believe that the miracles in the Bible can happen in this highly logical and technological world? – Something like, literally, rising from death, blinded eyes opening and oceans dividing up???
Christians often say that they believe in the miraculous stories in the Bible. But it is not easy to apply these miracles and believe that they will happen in our own life today. Let me be a little radical here. Would you believe it if Jesus Christ walks into the aisle of this very church and sits among us and eats with us? Or, if your best friend died today, would you fall on your knees and pray with tears to God to save her back to life, or would you remain in deep sadness and take the reality? We pray to God, because we believe that God has the power to grant our prayers. But many times, we doubt. We doubt and limit God’s ability. In other words, our faith activates the power of God.
Today’s Gospel reading tells us about an important miracle which Jesus performed. Jesus fed five thousand men plus unknown number of women and children out of five loaves of barley bread and two fish. This story is the only miracle which was written by all four Gospel writers. This proves that this story is the most significant work performed by Jesus Christ. But one of the theologians explains that the 5000 people actually ate their own food. That is, when the child willingly brought his dinner to the disciples, all the other 5000 people felt guilty of hiding their dinner and took out what they brought. This means that this event was actually not a miracle. This is what happens when we try to read and understand the Bible according to our own comprehension and limit.
Now, let’s look at today’s Gospel lesson and let’s think what God wants us to do out of this lesson.
Jesus and his disciples were very tired from their mission trip, since everywhere they went, a large crowed followed them. They were not able to rest and even eat. So Jesus took them and went up the mountain in a deserted place for catching up their breath. But still, the multitudes kept following them. Why did they desperately follow Jesus? John tells us that they saw the miraculous signs that he was doing for the sick. They followed Jesus without worrying where they would eat or stay at night because they saw the hope from their miserable situation.
When Jesus saw the crowd coming close to him, he felt great compassion and asked Philip, one of his disciples, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Then, Philip answered right away saying, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite.” Seemingly, he was good at math. He already figured out how many people were gathered and how much it would cost to feed the crowd.
While they were talking, Andrew, Peter’s brother, came and said “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that’s a drop in the bucket for a crowed like this.” Jesus took it from Andrew and gave thanks to God the Father and broke it and distributed it to the disciples to share the food with the crowd. And the Bible says that five thousand men ate it fully and had leftovers in twelve baskets.
As you can see, there are four different types of people in this story: Philip, Andrew, the crowd, and the child. I would like you to honestly reflect yourself as you hear these four images of people and think who you resemble the most.
First, Philip was probably very quick at calculation and witty. As he followed Jesus, he might have learned that Jesus never sent back his crowd hungry. And so he has done his calculation beforehand to see how many were present and how much it would cost to feed all of them. Because Jesus knew this personality of Philip, we can assume that this is why Jesus asked Philip this question. He was good at comparing material benefits and was able to think and judge reasonably and rationally. This might have resulted in trusting more in his own brain and calculations than the power of Jesus which exceeds our reasons and rationalities. From his rational judgment, even a piece for each of this approximately 10,000 people will cost over 8000 dollars. Perhaps, behind this, he meant, ‘Since this is impossible, we’d better send them back home before sunset.’
Second, Andrew listened to what Jesus had said and looked around the crowd to see if anyone had anything to eat. We can see that he tried to solve the problem with his actions after hearing the words of Jesus. Then one child brought his dinner to Jesus. He knew that it was really just not enough to feed the people. However, he did not block the possibilities by his reasonable judgment but took the food and asked Jesus what should be done now, since this was all he could find. After witnessing all the uncountable miracles of Jesus with his own eyes, he probably had this obscure faith in him as he went to Jesus that Jesus could easily feed the people even with this little portion of food.
Next is the crowd. After hearing, witnessing, and experiencing the miracles of Jesus, people gathered and followed him and created an enormous crowd. Some might have stopped in mere curiosity, but some might have been in desperation to have Jesus heal their illnesses. They left their homes not knowing when they would return. If a boy or his mother had thought of taking food to eat for dinner, we can guess that the boy who shared his bread and fish was not the only one who had their dinner with them. But they were not willing to share it with others, because they themselves were starving, and they knew that it would do no good to hand it over to the disciples. They probably thought, “Why should I? Why me?” Nevertheless, once they were fed by the miraculous act of Jesus, they automatically thought that if this man becomes their king, they will never suffer from hunger or poverty. They had already created an expectation about Jesus in their mind. They only needed Jesus to fulfill their material needs.
Lastly, we have the child who gladly brought out the five barley bread and two fish. We can learn from the scripture that the crowd had walked a long way to hear the word of wisdom and experience miracles from Jesus. And this long way of walk in a huge crowd would not have been easy for a little child. But he did not give up. He followed the crowd to move closer to Jesus. He might have heard about this person called Jesus way before he came to his town. Hearing everyone talk about this miraculous man, his curiosity might have grown into longing and adoration. While most of the grown-ups were thinking what they should ask Jesus to do for them, the child was probably in happiness with his mind filled with imaginations of playing, laughing, and maybe even rolling over the open grass field with his new friend Jesus. He might have been worried, too, thinking that Jesus may not like him to be near because he was nothing but a playful child and he had nothing to offer him. But when he heard that Jesus was looking for some food, he probably jumped up and shouted, “Me, me, me! I have some food!” He was probably thinking about nothing else but making Jesus happy.
So who did you resemble the most? I am sure that we all hope to say clearly that we resemble the most to Andrew and the child. But sadly, we know that you and I are closer to Philip and the crowd. Just like Philip, we often use our knowledge and reason to see the world. But our limited knowledge hinders and limits God’s work for us. Also, we often hide our possessions or belongings and not share them with others in need out of fears and worries about the uncertain future.
If Philip and the crowd were the only ones present, the miracle would not have happened just like miracles don’t happen much in our life today. As I said earlier, our faith fuels God to work for us limitlessly and allows God’s miracles to happen in our lives. Just as one tiny mustard seed dies to harvest abundant amount of fruits and seeds, Jesus did not create and feed the thousands out of nothing, but fed his people with bread and fish when one precious soul sacrificed his possession.
It has been 9 months since our mission first gathered to worship. If we think too much about the situations and relationships, such as the time and location of our worship, it is just not easy to offer invitation to others we meet outside the church. But when we invite people around us with faith, God will see the tiny faith in us and move the heart of others and bring them to this place. It is not because God is unable that we cannot see bigger miracles, but it is because we are not moving and proving our willingness to God. This is only a small example, but I want you to remember that God will bring unbelievably amazing results to us through our small faith and our small sacrifice in all the situations we encounter in our daily lives.
2 Kings 4:42-44, Psalm 145:10-18, Ephesians 3:14-21, John 6:1-21
Hope International Mission Sermon
By Young Kim
Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ who is the living bread and gives us the eternal life. Amen.
Do you believe in miracles or are you skeptical about them? When I ask this question, most of you would answer, “Yes, I believe in miracles.” But seriously, do you believe that the miracles in the Bible can happen in this highly logical and technological world? – Something like, literally, rising from death, blinded eyes opening and oceans dividing up???
Christians often say that they believe in the miraculous stories in the Bible. But it is not easy to apply these miracles and believe that they will happen in our own life today. Let me be a little radical here. Would you believe it if Jesus Christ walks into the aisle of this very church and sits among us and eats with us? Or, if your best friend died today, would you fall on your knees and pray with tears to God to save her back to life, or would you remain in deep sadness and take the reality? We pray to God, because we believe that God has the power to grant our prayers. But many times, we doubt. We doubt and limit God’s ability. In other words, our faith activates the power of God.
Today’s Gospel reading tells us about an important miracle which Jesus performed. Jesus fed five thousand men plus unknown number of women and children out of five loaves of barley bread and two fish. This story is the only miracle which was written by all four Gospel writers. This proves that this story is the most significant work performed by Jesus Christ. But one of the theologians explains that the 5000 people actually ate their own food. That is, when the child willingly brought his dinner to the disciples, all the other 5000 people felt guilty of hiding their dinner and took out what they brought. This means that this event was actually not a miracle. This is what happens when we try to read and understand the Bible according to our own comprehension and limit.
Now, let’s look at today’s Gospel lesson and let’s think what God wants us to do out of this lesson.
Jesus and his disciples were very tired from their mission trip, since everywhere they went, a large crowed followed them. They were not able to rest and even eat. So Jesus took them and went up the mountain in a deserted place for catching up their breath. But still, the multitudes kept following them. Why did they desperately follow Jesus? John tells us that they saw the miraculous signs that he was doing for the sick. They followed Jesus without worrying where they would eat or stay at night because they saw the hope from their miserable situation.
When Jesus saw the crowd coming close to him, he felt great compassion and asked Philip, one of his disciples, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Then, Philip answered right away saying, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite.” Seemingly, he was good at math. He already figured out how many people were gathered and how much it would cost to feed the crowd.
While they were talking, Andrew, Peter’s brother, came and said “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that’s a drop in the bucket for a crowed like this.” Jesus took it from Andrew and gave thanks to God the Father and broke it and distributed it to the disciples to share the food with the crowd. And the Bible says that five thousand men ate it fully and had leftovers in twelve baskets.
As you can see, there are four different types of people in this story: Philip, Andrew, the crowd, and the child. I would like you to honestly reflect yourself as you hear these four images of people and think who you resemble the most.
First, Philip was probably very quick at calculation and witty. As he followed Jesus, he might have learned that Jesus never sent back his crowd hungry. And so he has done his calculation beforehand to see how many were present and how much it would cost to feed all of them. Because Jesus knew this personality of Philip, we can assume that this is why Jesus asked Philip this question. He was good at comparing material benefits and was able to think and judge reasonably and rationally. This might have resulted in trusting more in his own brain and calculations than the power of Jesus which exceeds our reasons and rationalities. From his rational judgment, even a piece for each of this approximately 10,000 people will cost over 8000 dollars. Perhaps, behind this, he meant, ‘Since this is impossible, we’d better send them back home before sunset.’
Second, Andrew listened to what Jesus had said and looked around the crowd to see if anyone had anything to eat. We can see that he tried to solve the problem with his actions after hearing the words of Jesus. Then one child brought his dinner to Jesus. He knew that it was really just not enough to feed the people. However, he did not block the possibilities by his reasonable judgment but took the food and asked Jesus what should be done now, since this was all he could find. After witnessing all the uncountable miracles of Jesus with his own eyes, he probably had this obscure faith in him as he went to Jesus that Jesus could easily feed the people even with this little portion of food.
Next is the crowd. After hearing, witnessing, and experiencing the miracles of Jesus, people gathered and followed him and created an enormous crowd. Some might have stopped in mere curiosity, but some might have been in desperation to have Jesus heal their illnesses. They left their homes not knowing when they would return. If a boy or his mother had thought of taking food to eat for dinner, we can guess that the boy who shared his bread and fish was not the only one who had their dinner with them. But they were not willing to share it with others, because they themselves were starving, and they knew that it would do no good to hand it over to the disciples. They probably thought, “Why should I? Why me?” Nevertheless, once they were fed by the miraculous act of Jesus, they automatically thought that if this man becomes their king, they will never suffer from hunger or poverty. They had already created an expectation about Jesus in their mind. They only needed Jesus to fulfill their material needs.
Lastly, we have the child who gladly brought out the five barley bread and two fish. We can learn from the scripture that the crowd had walked a long way to hear the word of wisdom and experience miracles from Jesus. And this long way of walk in a huge crowd would not have been easy for a little child. But he did not give up. He followed the crowd to move closer to Jesus. He might have heard about this person called Jesus way before he came to his town. Hearing everyone talk about this miraculous man, his curiosity might have grown into longing and adoration. While most of the grown-ups were thinking what they should ask Jesus to do for them, the child was probably in happiness with his mind filled with imaginations of playing, laughing, and maybe even rolling over the open grass field with his new friend Jesus. He might have been worried, too, thinking that Jesus may not like him to be near because he was nothing but a playful child and he had nothing to offer him. But when he heard that Jesus was looking for some food, he probably jumped up and shouted, “Me, me, me! I have some food!” He was probably thinking about nothing else but making Jesus happy.
So who did you resemble the most? I am sure that we all hope to say clearly that we resemble the most to Andrew and the child. But sadly, we know that you and I are closer to Philip and the crowd. Just like Philip, we often use our knowledge and reason to see the world. But our limited knowledge hinders and limits God’s work for us. Also, we often hide our possessions or belongings and not share them with others in need out of fears and worries about the uncertain future.
If Philip and the crowd were the only ones present, the miracle would not have happened just like miracles don’t happen much in our life today. As I said earlier, our faith fuels God to work for us limitlessly and allows God’s miracles to happen in our lives. Just as one tiny mustard seed dies to harvest abundant amount of fruits and seeds, Jesus did not create and feed the thousands out of nothing, but fed his people with bread and fish when one precious soul sacrificed his possession.
It has been 9 months since our mission first gathered to worship. If we think too much about the situations and relationships, such as the time and location of our worship, it is just not easy to offer invitation to others we meet outside the church. But when we invite people around us with faith, God will see the tiny faith in us and move the heart of others and bring them to this place. It is not because God is unable that we cannot see bigger miracles, but it is because we are not moving and proving our willingness to God. This is only a small example, but I want you to remember that God will bring unbelievably amazing results to us through our small faith and our small sacrifice in all the situations we encounter in our daily lives.