Matthew 14:13-21
I wonder when it is that you
feel you need some time alone.
Often I feel like this when I
am encountering difficulties; I have been overloaded with responsibilities;
work is a bit too much; or maybe I have heard bad news.
Maybe, you are the same. Maybe
there are times that life all seems a bit much and you need some space. You just want to stop!
The story from Matthew’s
gospel begins with the words, “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from
there in a boat to a deserted place by himself.”
Of course we know that despite
his efforts to go off and be alone a crowd turns up and Jesus responds to their
needs: they need healing and they need hope.
But if you are like me you
might be stuck back at the beginning of the reading.
What had Jesus heard? Why did he withdraw? Why did Jesus need some
time alone?
What Jesus had heard was that
his cousin John had been beheaded by Herod.
The story is depraved. It was
Herod’s birthday party and he already had John in a cell somewhere. In the midst of the party his niece danced
before the assembled group and so impressed was his uncle that he promised to
give the girl anything she wanted.
Prompted by Herodias, her
mother, the girl asks for John’s head on a platter.
The bloodied birthday feast of
Herod is the news Jesus has received – his cousin the victim of politics and
passion.
What was Jesus seeking in the
solace: maybe, to mourn and to cry for his cousin who had baptised him? To
despair at the barbarity of the act? To seek meaning and maybe resolve and
strength for his own purpose as he continued his ministry? Maybe simply to try to make sense of what had
happened? To reconnect with God, to pray?
I have little doubt that
Jesus withdrew for many if not all of these reasons.
Just as we seek to withdraw from
the bad news that comes to haunt us in our lives in this world:
It could be personal news:
The news of the terminal illness
of a family member.
The news of the death of a
friend. We had a funeral this week in
the church where hundreds gathered to mourn.
News of abuse, loss,
loneliness, and the long litany of heartache that can overwhelm us.
It could be national or
international news:
News of children held in detention.
News of children being killed
in the Gaza strip.
News from Syria and other
places around the world where violence has become integral to the way of life. The
news of Christians being persecuted and even crucified by ISIS in Iraq.
beset
Maybe it is personal news and
maybe it is the big issues, whatever it is these things can weigh heavily on
hearts and our souls. Take a moment to
think about the week that has passed on the moments of worry and heartbreak that
you have felt. (silence)
But as we know Jesus does not
get the space to reflect, his withdrawal to be alone ends up with thousands
coming after him. People, who like him
in his moment of sadness and like you and I, are seeking help – they need
healing and hope, they need teaching and understanding.
He sees their need, he has
compassion and he feeds them through his healing and his words. Despite his own breaking heart Jesus, God
with us, goes on reaching out to others because the world goes on: life
continues!
To me this is the beginning
of the miracle. That Jesus, God with us,
transcends his own breaking heart to help and hold others in his love. What
come next with the bread and fish may seem a wonderful sign of his
power to do miracles but it his heart of love at the outset that stands out.
For me this is the good news
that whilst God might look upon the terror and tragedies of our lives and feel
such loss within himself he continues to reach out as life goes on for everyone
else in the midst of their trials and tribulations.
In the miracle of the feeding
the disciples offer bread and fish but I wonder whether it is the small offerings
that we give that can be transformed into moments of beautiful hope, a glimpse
of grace, of God’s kingdom comes near:
When a meal is cooked for a
grieving family.
When a coffin is painted by
grandchildren and family members to find hope in the moment of goodbyes.
When a smile is given, or
time generously spent.
When simple asking someone the
question, ‘Are you OK?’
When some Iraqi Muslims
identify as Christians and so share in protest against their persecution.
When there is cease fire in the
Gaza strip so the dead can be buried and aid brought to those who suffer.
When Christians gather to
pray for asylum seeker children and protest against their incarceration.
When people step aside and
worship God and are transformed to live renewed again by their faith in the
days ahead.
Like the small offerings of
bread and fish these offerings are signs of God’s love in the face of the news
gone bad and God takes this offering and turns so many into signs of the love
of God in our midst.
Jesus continues to have
compassion, God does not stop caring for us even though his very heart breaks
at the news he receives. And more, God
provides abundantly in the face of the terror.
As we find ourselves in moments of struggle and despair let us find hope in remembering Jesus willingness to reach out despite the depths of his own pain and like the disciples may we too help offer what little we have to the work he is doing: bread and fish, hope and love.
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