Trinity 7

Text: Mark 8:1-9

+INJ+

Leading up to today's Gospel, Jesus teaches and performs miracles. These extraordinary acts of compassion and love lead people to follow Jesus without any sense of time or place. In fact, they are so caught up in Jesus’s teaching that they have followed Him for three days into a desolate, remote wilderness of the countryside.

But now it was time to eat, and again, there was no food, not enough to feed this small gathering of four thousand men plus women and children.

Jesus recognizes that if they were sent home, they would be famished and faint and not reach their destination.

So, what does Jesus do? He has compassion for those who have gathered and followed Him.

The Greek word for compassion is σπλαγχνίζομαι, and it is a yearning for sympathy that literally has its source in Christ's stomach (the bowels). In this instance, Jesus is deeply moved to help and care for these dear people who have followed Him and clung to His every Word, even into this wilderness of life.

Here is an image of true faith: these followers of Jesus are not concerned where their food and drink will come from; they’re simply consuming every word Jesus speaks.

The disciples, however, are the ones struggling. They have traveled with Jesus and seen Him heal the lame, care for the diseased, and feed the hungry. Still, their words do not reflect a faith that sees the kingdom of God in their presence. Their faith was wavering as they were consumed with earthly things rather than the heavenly.

This wavering can be seen as they spoke to Jesus, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?”

At the core, they were doubting the words of Jesus. They were breaking the First Commandment.

Now is a good time for review, what is the First Commandment?

You shall have no other gods.

What does this mean? 

We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

The moments and times we exercise our faith most earnestly are when we have found ourselves in a wilderness of life when we have nothing more than to rely on Jesus, our Savior.

It’s when we experience a loss. The death of a loved one, a pending medical procedure, the loss of employment, an erring child.

These are the wildernesses we might most often relate to, the times we turn our hearts and use our lips to confess faith in Jesus to provide for us. Why? Because as we sit in these wildernesses, we are reminded there’s no one else to trust and help us out of this desolation outside of God.

But, my friends, there are still darker and more desolate places for you.

The disciples saw an earthly wasteland all around them, but Jesus had compassion upon them and the crowd that followed, feeding them until they were satisfied. As it turns out, this land was not as barren as they had first imagined.

But another truth arises: the wastelands of life are where Jesus is not present.

Let’s face it: When there is a need, we turn to God, but when life is going swimmingly well, our hearts are turned more inward as we desire to trust in ourselves.  

The result of this attitude is a desolation of faith.

In the Collect of the day, we prayed, “We humbly implore You to put away from us all hurtful things and to give us those things that are profitable for us.”

Often, there is confusion over what is hurtful and what is profitable.

Is money hurtful or profitable?

Money is a profitable gift from God, which can be used to pay bills, purchase clothing, and buy a home. But too much of it can also lead one into greed and a place where it is hurtful.

Is a cell phone hurtful or profitable?

It’s profitable when you are stuck on the side of the road or need to stay in touch with friends and family a world away. Yet, it can be hurtful and lead you into a wilderness of loneliness if you stare into its blue lights of death while the world around you goes unnoticed.

Is food and drink hurtful or profitable?

Again, food is profitable and necessary for life—to have energy, to work, and to exercise. But it can be harmful in excess, too, or if we’re not eating and consuming the right things.

Likewise, our bodies and minds, as well as our faith, must consume the things profitable for this life and the next.

So, where do we look for this profitable food?

We look to Jesus. He will give us what we need for this life and what is profitable.

As the disciples struggled with their faith and where the food would come from, Jesus directed the crowds to sit, and they did it; they listened to His Word and did it. Then, what He did next was a miracle; He fed the four thousand with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish.

As the Gospel recorded, “And [Jesus] took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people.”

Do you notice the language here, “and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples.”

The Greek word for “Given thanks” is εὐχαριστέω, which many of you might know better as Eucharist. In some churches, this word is often used to mean the Lord’s Supper. It is also the word used in the Institution of the Lord’s Supper, the Words you will soon hear as Christ comes to you again in the most miraculous ways, as His flesh and blood are joined to the bread and wine.

And here is why this is important: while the world around you is often leading you into self-imposed wildernesses, Jesus is calling you to Himself. He is calling you to come to an oasis of His love here at the Lord’s Supper, where He now grants you everything profitable and needful for this life—His life, His forgiveness, and His salvation.

For this reason, the Lord’s Supper is not only heavenly food but, as the Church Fathers have called it, the medicine of immortality. And it’s for you, dear Christian.

So, if your heart is weighed down with worry, come to this supper.

Are the things of this world occupying your mind in a way that you feel burdened? Come to this supper.

And yet, do you not feel the hunger and thirst for the Sacrament, then listen to these words of Luther,
“For those who are of such a mind that they do not realize their condition I know no better counsel than that they put their hand into their shirt to check whether they have flesh and blood. And if you find that you do, then go [to the Supper], for your good.”

Luther goes on to say, “Those who are true Christians and value the Sacrament precious and holy will drive and move themselves to go to it.”[1]

These words of Luther reflect true and unwavering faith in your God and Savior.

No matter the lonely, uninhabited wildernesses of your life, it’s my prayer the Word of Jesus will lead you to this altar.

Because when you depart, there should be no concern for fainting or being famished. Instead, you will have received the heavenly food that nourishes and sustains you as you journey to your heavenly home with Christ forever. +INJ

[1] Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 436.