Pentecost 10 – 2026
Matthew 14:13-21
Marian Free
In the name of God in who takes what we have and multiplies it in ways that we cannot imagine. Amen.
The great advantage of our Lectionary is that preachers cannot pick and choose readings according to their own particular agenda or preferences. The great disadvantage of our Lectionary is that what we read week-by-week has been selected by a relatively small committee of people. Of necessity, this group have had to omit passages and, in places, whole chapters, and for convenience they have made the decision not to repeat stories or parables that are repeated. Selecting what is included leads, of course, to a certain amount of bias intended or not. Furthermore, because we read only read those parts of the scripture that the lectionary writers have selected our preaching or the way in which we hear the gospel can form the same prejudice. To give just one example, we only ever hear Matthew’s account of Jesus encounter with the woman from Samaria, with the consequence that we completely miss the fact that Mark records a quite different conversation. We do not discover that Matthew appears to disempower the woman, while Mark elevates her.
Another consequence of the selective reading of scripture is that when we hear a story out of context we may find ourselves emphasising one thing when the gospel writer probably had quite a different intention. Take this morning’s gospel. The feeding of the 5,000 – or in the case of Matthew’s version, the feeding of the many more than 5,000 – is presented as an isolated event unrelated to what came before and what follows. This can lead a preacher, and presumably the congregation to focus, not on what was going on in Jesus’ life, but on the miraculous provision of food.
Miracles are all well and good, but they tell us very little about our core business -discipleship or more importantly about how to be in relationship with God which is surely our primary purpose.
If, as presumably Matthew intended, we read the gospel in its context, we will understand that the account of the miraculous feeding has much to tell us about Jesus’ humanity, Jesus’ reliance on God, and Jesus’ ability to draw on resources that perhaps he did not know that he had. We will see too that Jesus didn’t carry the burden of ministry by himself but modelled a form of ministry based around delegation of responsibility. Here, as elsewhere, Jesus involved the disciples – to source and distribute the food. Finally, Jesus focussed on what he had, not what he would have like to have had. He took the resources that were available and used them rather than thinking that because he didn’t have what he needed, he should do nothing. His mind-set was one of abundance not of scarcity. He made himself and his resources open to God and trusted God with the rest.
This is a vastly different attitude from that of the church in which I have grown up. For almost as long as I can remember the church both locally and institutionally has focussed on what it does not have rather than being grateful for what is available for it to use.
Over at least the last sixty years there has been a great deal of navel gazing in the church. We have fretted about declining numbers and worried about how we can encourage families and youth to join our congregations. We worry so much about the future that we have forgotten to pay attention to, to give thanks for and to share with others what we do have – a faith that has sustained and inspired millions of people for generations, a scripture and a spiritual practice that is life-giving, restorative, challenging, comforting and encouraging, hymnody and music that is inspiring and transcendental, and faithful, hard-working congregations.
Over the past fifty years, the Anglican Church of Southern Queensland has built schools, aged care facilities, and accommodation for youth. It has expanded its home nursing programme and much more besides. Individual parishes have provided facilities in which rough sleepers can find a meal and spend the night. Others have set up or supported pantries for those in need. Parishioners have collectively and individually welcomed new-comers into their communities, offered care to the sick and the grieving and in circumstances which are sometimes difficult have maintained ministries and the buildings that support those ministries.
Instead of worrying about what we cannot do, or what we do not have, perhaps it is time to count our blessings, to look around and see how God has already resourced us and to trust that God can use whatever we have – five small loaves of bread or aging congregations – to do something miraculous. Instead of taking the burden of responsibility on ourselves, perhaps we should learn from Jesus to share the burden with others – accept what they have to give us, even if at first look it doesn’t seem to be nearly enough.
As the day draws to a close, Jesus’ disciples tell him to send the crowds away – a sensible suggestion, after all they need to eat. Jesus sees another possibility, to use what is available and to believe it will be enough. He knows that where there are generous hearts there is always enough and more. Instead of wishing that there was more food, Jesus gives thanks for what there is and enlists the disciples to distribute the food. Everyone is fed and there is more to spare.
Instead of focussing on what we do not have or what we have not done may we, as church and as individuals, open our eyes to God’s providence, to see what it is that we already have and, giving thanks, allow God to use us and our resources as God will.
Tags: Feeing of the five thousand, gratitude for what we have, mind set of abundance not scarcity, miracle
Swallowsrest 
Leave a comment