“Surprise
Guests and Nothing on the Hob”
Luke 9:12-17 (SBC,
Sligo IE)
19 August 2018
INTRODUCTION:
Husbands do a lot of stupid things.
Gentlemen let’s just admit it because it’s true. However, there are several
things that are right up there at the top of the “nasty no-no list”: (1)
forgetting your wife’s birthday; (2) forgetting your anniversary and neglecting
to buy the little woman a nice gift; (3) saying any kind of insulting things
about her parents or siblings, even if you are just agreeing with her; and (4) inviting
people home with you for supper without checking first with her.
Don’t even think about taking
somebody home with you for dinner without first giving her a heads-up and
finding out if she has anything to feed them. Wives freak out when they hear
that guests are coming for dinner and they know there is nothing in the fridge
to feed them, or even to begin putting a meal together.
TRANSITION:
Jesus and the disciples found
themselves in just such a situation. They had a whole multitude of hungry
guests sitting there staring at them, and it was about more than the disciples
could take. In fact, they asked Jesus to make the people all go away because
they had nothing to feed them. They had guests show up but there was nothing in
the fridge or in the cupboard.
You should remember the context from
last Sunday’s study. Jesus had sent the Twelve out on an extended ministry
assignment to preach the Gospel and to heal the sick. Mark 6:12 says, “They went out and
preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons
and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” But when
their ministry assignment was completed they all returned to Capernaum once
again. Luke 9:10 tells us, “When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of
all that they had done. Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city
called Bethsaida.”
Jesus wanted to give the Twelve some
time to relax, and also to talk with them about their experiences while they
were out preaching and ministering. Mark tells us in Mark 6:31, “Because so many
people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, [Jesus]
said to them, ‘Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
But even the best laid plans can sometimes go awry. Mark 6:32-33 tell us what
happened next: “So
they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But
many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns
and got there ahead of them.” Luke tells it this way in 9:11, “But the
multitudes were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He
began speaking to them about the Kingdom of God and curing those who had need
of healing.” Despite this intrusion on their privacy Jesus dealt
with these uninvited guests with utmost kindness and compassion. I especially
like something Mark says about this in Mark 6:34, “When Jesus…saw the large crowd, He had
compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So, He
began teaching them many things.” Not a word of rebuke or sign of
resentment. Even though He was tired and personally in need of rest He rose to
the occasion because “…He had compassion on them…” So often, that is
the very thing that is lacking in us. We often see people as an annoyance, a
pain in the neck, or a delay in our schedule. Jesus never looked at people that
way. That brings us right up to our text for this morning in Luke 9 starting at
verse 12.
MAIN BODY:
Verse 12: Now the day was ending, and the Twelve came
and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding
villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we
are in a desolate place.”
·
This
wonderful story is told by all four of the Gospel writers, with each one adding
some helpful details to round out our knowledge of what happened. The Bible
says that this event occurred in a desolate, remote area in the hills somewhere
above Bethsaida. We don’t know the exact location but both Mark and John record
that there was much green grass there. The people had followed Jesus
without thought for their own personal needs. They left home without food or
water or extra clothes. But that is how we are to follow Him as well—with the
simple faith of a child, confident that He will provide for our needs. That was
the lesson that Jesus was trying to teach the Twelve when He sent them out
two-by-two with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. But as they went
He met their every need!
·
But
now it was late in the afternoon and it would soon be night. The disciples
realized that something must be done. Their suggestion to Jesus was to send
everyone back home so that they could get something to eat. To the disciples it
seemed like a reasonable solution.
Verse 13: But [Jesus] said to them, “You give
them something to eat!” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves
and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” 14
(For there were about five thousand men.)
·
In
order to really grasp this verse, you have to underline and emphasize the word
“YOU.” “YOU give them something to eat!”
Why did Jesus say this? He must have known that the Twelve did not possess
enough money to feed this crowd. Jesus was certainly not naïve in any way. So
why would He command them to do something that was impossible for them to
accomplish? That seems unfair!
·
However,
His command was only undoable if you take Him out of the equation. We have many
examples in Scripture of God calling men to do humanly impossible tasks:
o
He
called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt = impossible
o
He
called Joshua to conquer all of Canaan = impossible
o
He
called Gideon to defeat the Midianites = impossible
o
He
called David to defeat Goliath = impossible
o
He
called Esther to save her people = impossible
·
John’s
Gospel records that Jesus then sent them out on a reconnaissance mission to
scout out how much food they could come up with on their own. Of course, He
already knew the answer, but He wanted them to see the absurdity and
impossibility of the situation. He was letting them see for themselves that
there was no human explanation for what He was about to do. Listen to John
6:5-9, “When
Jesus…saw the great crowd…He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for
these people to eat?’ 6 He asked this only to test him, for He
already had in mind what He was going to do. 7 Philip answered Him, ‘It
would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to
have a bite!’ 8 Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s
brother, spoke up, 9 ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves
and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’”
Indeed! That is a great question! Humanly speaking this whole thing was insane!
Verses 14-15: And He said
to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.” 15
They did so and had them all sit down.
·
Jesus
used the Twelve as His servants and His crowd controllers. They spread out and
explained to the people what Jesus wanted them to do and the people meekly complied.
Although they were tired and hungry they were probably curious about what would
come next. Why did He have them sit in groups of fifties? Probably just
to make paths between the groups and also to be able to verify afterward about
how many were fed that day.
Verse 16: Then He took
the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to Heaven, He blessed them,
and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people.
·
Because
this was the season of the Passover (mid-April), I am almost positive that
Jesus used the traditional Jewish prayer that is the blessing for the bread
that is always said at the Passover service. Jesus held the loaves in His hands
and lifted them toward Heaven as He offered up this short but beautiful prayer
to His Father. It probably sounded something like this: “Barúch atάh Adonái elohénu,
mélech ha-olám, hamotsí léchem min ha-árets.” That means, “Blessed art Thou,
O LORD our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”
·
After
Jesus prayed and gave thanks He began to break up the bread and fishes with His
fingers. As He worked, the food multiplied. It grew in His hands. He filled one
basket, then another, and then yet another. As quickly as He filled the baskets
the Apostles took them and distributed the food to the hungry people. One after
another Jesus filled the baskets and the disciples carried them out to where
the people were seated on the grass and patiently waiting. Everyone was eating.
It was a simple meal but good and nutritious. Some asked for more, and there
was plenty to go around. The disciples made a second pass through the crowd and
people took more. Jesus continued breaking the bread and dividing the dried
fishes as long as the people wanted to eat. The disciples were hungry, so they
ate too. Finally, after everyone was fed Jesus took some bread and fish and He
ate as well, for He too needed nourishment.
·
I
would love to have seen the looks on the faces of His disciples. They saw the
whole miracle, up close and personal. Many of the people were seated too far
back to understand what had just happened. They just knew that they had been
well fed and were no longer hungry. But the Twelve and anybody else sitting
close to Jesus knew exactly what had just transpired, although they could
hardly believe their own eyes.
Verse 17: And they all ate and
were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they
had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full.
·
“They all
ate and were satisfied…” When Jesus feeds us, He does it right. Our God is not
stingy. He gives us all that we need. The Bible says in Psalm 84:11, “For the LORD God
[Yahweh Elohim] is a sun and shield; the LORD [Yahweh] gives grace and glory;
no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” And
again, in Psalm 107:8-9, “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for men, 9 for He satisfies the thirsty and
fills the hungry with good things.” He alone can truly satisfy us.
·
“…and the
broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full.” Why is this important? For
one thing it was a verification that a miracle actually occurred. Yes, but why
twelve basketfuls? After feeding the multitude Jesus sent all twelve of His men
back out into the crowd to gather up the leftovers. They each came back with a
full basket. All twelve of them participated in the miracle and saw with their
own eyes what Jesus had done. I believe that this miracle was more for the sake
of the twelve disciples’ than for the crowd’s.
·
Jesus
wanted them to experience what it is like to feed hungry people. He was
preparing them to spend the rest of their lives sharing the Living Bread that
saves and satisfies people’s spiritual hunger and giving out the Living Water that
quenches people’s spiritual thirst.
·
This
miracle is traditionally called, “The Feeding of the 5,000” because the text
records that there were approximately 5,000 men present. But that number does
not include their dependents, the women and children. In reality the number was
probably closer to 15,000 people. At any rate all the people who got a free
meal that day were hungry again by the next morning, because physical food is
only a temporary cure for hunger. But the Bread of Life and the Living Water last
forever, and satisfy the heart, soul, and mind as nothing else ever can.
CONCLUSION:
In performing this miracle Jesus was teaching
His disciples about much more than bread and fish. He was teaching them about
compassion for the lost and the fact that nothing in the world is more
important than doing the work of the Kingdom.
For years this text has been preached as a
Missions message showing that our job, like that of the disciples, is to give
out the Living Bread to those who are lost and dying for want of that Bread,
who is Jesus. One of the most powerful Missions songs ever composed was
inspired from these verses. It is entitled, “The Breaking of the Bread”
and was written by Beatrice Bush Bixler and dedicated to Mrs. J.J. Van Hine who
served for many years with her husband as a missionary in French Indochina. I
want to close by simply reading to you the words of this song.
1.
Along the shores of Galilee, when Christ five thousand fed,
Not
one was omitted in the breaking of the bread.
Today
they die in heathen lands, they die in want and dread,
For
they have been omitted in the breaking of the Bread.
2.
Long years have passed, and few have heard that Jesus Christ has bled
That
they might feed on Him who died to be that Living Bread.
To
gods of stone and wood they cry, yet they are never fed,
For
they have been omitted in the breaking of the Bread.
3.
Great God, who gave Thine only Son, help us now Spirit-led,
To
tell the story of Thy love to those who ask for bread.
Then
gladly will we go or send, till this blest news has spread,
And
they have been included in the breaking of the Bread.
Refrain:
Lord,
I would give them the Bread of Life, the Living Water too;
My
heart cries out, “Oh, here am I, ready, Thy will to do.”
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