The Lutheran Hour
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"We’re Broke"
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Text: Mark 6:35-38
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Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed! The empty grave of our risen Lord tells us that Jesus cares. He, Who once fed 5,000 hungry bodies on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, remains ready to spiritually feed the 5 billion souls of this sinful planet. For those of you who know Him as Savior and Lord, rejoice. To those of you who still sit in darkness, He is saying, “Come, I am the bread of life.”
Recently, I received an invitation to come to my class reunion at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin. If I weren’t already on the road that weekend, I would have loved to have seen some of the old gang. Before I put the papers away though, I took a look at the class secretary’s plea for addresses. You see, there were two columns filled with names of fellow students whose whereabouts are unknown. I wrote back, sharing the few addresses of those people whose location I know; but there are a lot of people, friends, way backwhen, who have disappeared. That got me to thinking, “I wonder what’s happened to them? I wonder how they’ve done?” As I’ve gotten older, I often have those kinds of thoughts. And, not necessarily just about people I know personally. Sometimes I wonder about the whereabouts of complete strangers.
When I look at a silent movie, and see a cast of thousands, I wonder. These people, whose existence was recorded for a few seconds on a piece of now-neglected film; did they reach all the goals they had set for themselves? Where did they go? Did they hope to be discovered? Were these few seconds before the camera their only claim to fame? I wonder what happened to them.
And, yes, I remember people who once were close to me, but who have drifted away. Maybe I was the one who did the drifting. There were no, as I remember it, formal goodbyes or tearful partings. We just stopped seeing each other, writing to each other. Each of us went our different ways. I wonder now what happened to them? Goodness, I even wonder what happened to the nameless boy in our story. He is the one who provides the five loaves and two fishes that are the basis for one of Jesus’ more magnificent miracles. We don’t know his name. We don’t know his age, his parents, where he came from … but I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I?
Let me take a few moments and give you some background to our story from Scripture. Let’s see – John the Baptizer has just had his head given as a grizzly birthday gift to the niece of the King; it was a sick bunch back then. After John’s body had been buried, his disciples came and told Jesus, Who tried to withdraw for a time of rest from the mass of humanity that followed Him; pestering and making requests of Him.
Perhaps Jesus wanted to pause and reflect on the life of His cousin; possibly, He wanted to ponder the passion that He was going to suffer so that salvation might be attained for sinful, repentant souls. John was dead. In His Divine, all-knowing heart, Jesus knew the clock on His life was also ticking away the months, weeks, days and minutes before He would also suffer and die to save us. He knew already, that there would be no sharp executioner’s sword to slay Him swiftly. No, His future held agony and anguish, torment and torture, and at the end, slow suffering upon a cruel, and accursed cross. There could have been many reasons why Jesus wanted to get Himself, and His disciples, to a remote place where they could rest for a while.
And, yes, I remember people who once were close to me, but who have drifted away. Maybe I was the one who did the drifting. There were no, as I remember it, formal goodbyes or tearful partings. We just stopped seeing each other, writing to each other. Each of us went our different ways. I wonder now what happened to them? Goodness, I even wonder what happened to the nameless boy in our story. He is the one who provides the five loaves and two fishes that are the basis for one of Jesus’ more magnificent miracles. We don’t know his name. We don’t know his age, his parents, where he came from … but I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I?
Let me take a few moments and give you some background to our story from Scripture. Let’s see – John the Baptizer has just had his head given as a grizzly birthday gift to the niece of the King; it was a sick bunch back then. After John’s body had been buried, his disciples came and told Jesus, Who tried to withdraw for a time of rest from the mass of humanity that followed Him; pestering and making requests of Him.
Perhaps Jesus wanted to pause and reflect on the life of His cousin; possibly, He wanted to ponder the passion that He was going to suffer so that salvation might be attained for sinful, repentant souls. John was dead. In His Divine, all-knowing heart, Jesus knew the clock on His life was also ticking away the months, weeks, days and minutes before He would also suffer and die to save us. He knew already, that there would be no sharp executioner’s sword to slay Him swiftly. No, His future held agony and anguish, torment and torture, and at the end, slow suffering upon a cruel, and accursed cross. There could have been many reasons why Jesus wanted to get Himself, and His disciples, to a remote place where they could rest for a while.
That was Jesus’ plan. Get in a boat, sail off on the Sea of Galilee and spend some time in recuperation, restoration and recovery. Get recharged, restored, revitalized. It should have worked. It didn’t. You see, the Sea of Galilee is hardly a sea. It’s certainly not an ocean. It’s nothing close to the size of the smallest of North America’s Great Lakes. On the Sea of Galilee, you can see all the way across, from north to south, east to west. So, as Jesus looked to escape the crowds, the crowds looked to see which way His boat was going. Then, it was a simple matter of plotting the course of the Christ. With Jesus’ destination firmly fixed in their minds, the crowd took off. Maybe not so many at first, but as that body of humanity moved along the shore of the lake, passing through the little fishing villages, they picked up both momentum and members. No thought was given to packing lunches. It was, for many, a spur of the moment decision. They had all heard of Jesus; some of them had seen the wonderful things He could do. Expectations were high; planning was low. This was the kind of chance for excitement and entertainment that just didn’t come all that often in remote Galilee.
When you travel distances in the company of good friends, the miles and minutes seem to melt away, don’t they? It probably was that way for the constituents of the crowd. There were 5,000 men for certain. With women and children, the gaggle of Galileans may have been 10,000. All of them ready to follow the Savior, wherever He might go, as long as it wasn’t longer than an afternoon, and stayed around the Sea of Galilee. By the time Jesus reached His destination, there must have been smiles on the faces of the people. Like the children who think they’ve outsmarted their parents, they probably beamed from ear-to-ear. You could almost hear them thinking: “Jesus are You surprised to see us? We figured out where You were going! Aren’t you glad we’re here to welcome You? You’ll have to do better if You’re going to fool us.” Well, there you have it. Jesus was looking for rest, and things were now worse than they had been before.
Confronted by this pushing, jostling mass of humanity, it would only be natural if Jesus had become upset. We might expect Him to holler out: “People, people, people, give Me some space. I need some ‘Me’ time. I don’t have time to eat, or sleep, or think.” Now, that’s probably what we would have done. But that’s not Jesus. Jesus didn’t say that. In spite of His grief, in spite of His sorrow, Jesus looked at those faces. Seeing beyond their skin into their psyche, He would have grasped the sad and the smiling, the hopeful and the hopeless. His Savior’s heart would have picked up on those with disease; those who were depressed; those who had become discouraged and the ones that were downtrodden. Jesus, with one Divine look at the press of people saw this, and so much more. He had compassion on them. He felt their need in His own heart. He didn’t chase them away, or demand they leave Him alone so He might have time for Himself.
Years ago, I read of a Christian school that worked with the children of the “untouchable” caste in India. This was before World War II, and each year, the children received Christmas presents from Christian children back in England. It was very much like the “By Kids – For Kids” program that is conducted by Lutheran Hour Ministries. Back then, the girls got a doll, and the boys some other appropriate toy. One year, the doctor from a nearby mission hospital helped distribute those gifts. During his visit, he told the children about another village, a place where the boys and girls had never heard about Jesus, or the salvation Christ had won for the world. The doctor suggested that maybe the children would like to give them some of their old toys as presents. That would give him, he explained, the opportunity to talk about God’s great gift – Jesus. The children liked the idea. A week later, the doctor returned to collect the gifts. He was shocked by what happened though. One by one the children filed by and gave the doctor a doll or toy – but not the old toys. Oh, no. The children all gave their new presents. “Why?” the doctor wanted to know. A little girl spoke up: “Doctor, think what Jesus did for us. He gave us His best, can we do anything less?” The girl had it right. Jesus always gave His best. Listen to Jesus’ last communication with His cousin, John. Jesus said: “… report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” (Luke 7:22)
Lest I forget, you do know Jesus gave His best for you, don’t you? Right now, He’s inviting you to join the multitude that follows Him. Come, see Him. Hear Him. Let Him know you. Are you tormented by sin? Jesus is ready to send the Holy Spirit Who will turn you from your sin, forgive you and restore you. Two thousand years ago, Jesus looked at that crowd and saw what was happening in every head and heart. It’s not different today. It doesn’t make any difference to Him whether there is one, five, fifty, five hundred, or five billion. Jesus is continuously and compassionately tuned into every human’s heartfelt feeling, every painful pang of conscience, every cruel act, heartless misdeed and wearisome worry. But Jesus does more than look and empathize.
Because Jesus lived for you, doing rightly all that you have done wrongly; because He suffered for you, taking the punishment that you deserve; your life can change. Jesus died for you, and removed for you and all who believe, the terror and trauma of a last moment. So you might know that you will live forever, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, 2,000 years ago, Jesus put His exhaustion to the side, and cared for those that came to Him. Patiently and compassionately, Jesus walked among them, healed their sick, blessed their children; answered their questions and told them that He had brought hope. He brings it still. On Calvary, Jesus put His life to the side, and died to call a lost world to forgiveness, faith and hope. This day, even today, Jesus, the loving Lord, is reaching out to you.
Jesus was reaching out, when, at the end of a very long day, His disciples approached Him. Not wishing to disturb what He was doing, they probably whispered in His ear: “Lord, we don’t want to interrupt You, but we are in the wilderness. It is getting late, You know, suppertime. Don’t You think You might want to suggest that these folks pack up and go? Maybe, if we call it a day now, they can still get into the villages before it gets too dark and grab a quick bite to eat.” You can almost hear the plaintive plea of the disciples, “PLEASE, send them into the villages to buy some food.” I would have said it. You would, too.
But that’s not what Jesus said. You can almost see Jesus, taking His eyes off the crowd for a second or two, turning His head over His shoulder, and saying, “Look, tell you what, they don’t have to go to the villages, why don’t you guys give them something to eat.” Do you know how much 5,000 people can eat? I remember a high-school football coach who took his team to one of those all-you-can-eat-for-$7.00 restaurants. The turmoil was terrible. The waitresses wandered around in glassy-eyed shock at what those boys were consuming. The chef almost threw himself upon the pastry table to protect his creations from the carnage. When it was over, the tearful, trembling manager, who had just watched his children’s college funds be consumed by thirty human garbage disposals, pleaded to the coach, “Please, don’t come back again.” So, how were twelve Jewish men, unskilled in cooking, not used to entertaining large groups, going to feed 5000+?
To his credit, Peter didn’t look at Andrew and say, “Excuse me, Jesus, You want us to do WHAT?” James didn’t turn to John and say, “He’s got to be kidding!” Nathaniel didn’t say, “No way.” The disciples didn’t say a word. No, they fanned out and started to search for food. Folks, when you feed 5,000 people you don’t kill the fatted calf … you’ve got to kill the fatted herd. And if anybody had had a herd, the disciples would have spotted it long before. And, if someone did happen to have a herd, it still had to be butchered, and cooked, and served. Yes, the disciples started to search. What do you say at such a moment: “Excuse me, you don’t happen to have 12,000 Big Macs with you, do you?” Whatever they said, the disciples returned with a young boy – a boy with a boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fishes. That’s the boy I was talking about at the beginning of this message. I wonder what happened to that boy? Look at it folks: 5,000+ people, five loaves, two fishes; 5,000, five loaves, two fishes. Does anyone see how silly this picture looks? I think it looks silly. The disciples even thought it looked silly. You would have thought it was silly, too.
In the hands of anyone else other than the sinless Son of God, five loaves and two fishes would have been silly. But this is God’s Son, and once again, He does the unpredictable. So unusual is what comes next that all four of the men who recorded the history of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, tell this story. Of all the miracles Jesus did, this, and the resurrection, are the only wonders that all four of them wrote down. Why? I believe the Holy Spirit wants God’s people to know that when they come to Him in faith, trusting that He Who saved them, will also sustain them, great things can happen.
Think about it. God could have built an ark faster than Noah and his sons, but God used their simple craftsmanship and saved the human race. God could have set the Children of Israel free from slavery without the assistance of Moses, or the plagues. God could have just appeared in front of Pharaoh with a legion or two of angels and said, “Uh, Pharaoh, don’t you think you ought to let My people go?” and Pharaoh would have helped them pack. God didn’t need Joshua and his army to walk around the walls of Jericho to make them fall down. He could have sneezed and knocked those walls flat. God didn’t need David with his slingshot and stones, to bring down the giant Goliath. But God chooses to use His people of faith to accomplish His Divine purposes.
Now, don’t be bewildered or befuddled. These are God’s miracles. From beginning to end, from conception to completion, these are God’s miracles. Whether it be saving a family from a flood; knocking a giant down to size, or silencing the grumbling stomachs of a few thousand people, these things are God’s miracles. That’s always the way it is. Salvation is God’s miracle. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, it was God’s miracle. The resurrection was God’s miracle. Forgiveness is God’s miracle. All are God’s miracles designed to bring us to Someone bigger, better, and wiser, than ourselves. God wants us, in awe and wonder, to turn to Him, and say “This is Divinely unbelievable!”
Sadly, some people want nothing to do with God, His mission, His miracles, His desire to save them. I’ve been told, and I can’t verify the truth of this story, of a man, of some means, who was asked to contribute to a major project in the community. The people calling on him spelled out the urgent need and the request was made. Having listened patiently, the man responded: “I understand, as you look around my office and corporation, why you think I can contribute fifty thousand dollars. I have all the outward signs of affluence. But there are some things, I believe, which you don’t know. Did you know my mother is in an expensive nursing home?” Well, no, the callers didn’t know that. “Did you know also that my brother died, and left a family of five and had almost no insurance?” No, they didn’t that either. “Did you know my son is deeply religious, has gone into social work, and makes less than the national poverty level to meet the needs of his family?” No, they hadn’t realized that either. “Well, if I don’t give any of them a penny,” the man concluded, “why do you think I’ll give anything to you?” Is that the way you respond to God when He asks you to join Him? He, Who sent His Son to call you from dark to light; from hell to hope, wants so much more for you. I know, I know, you think, “But I’m broke. I’m poor. I’m weak. I’m a sinner. How can I make a difference?” Listen, God wants your soul, not your stuff. God likes to use people’s weakness to show His strength. Bring your loaves and fishes and see what God can do.
So, dear listeners, here I stand, all alone in a recording studio. On the other side of the sound proof glass, at the electronic switchboard sits Mark Eischer. Mark is the announcer’s voice you hear in our broadcasts. His is the other voice during our Question and Answer segments. He, too, is alone. And then there’s you. Just the three of us. Right now, Mark and I are bringing our loaves and fishes to the Lord. We’re giving our poor words to the Lord knowing that He wants to do something wonderful with them. Wonderful for you. We have no idea who will hear this sermon; whose hearts it will touch. But we do know, the Lord will use it. He will use it to talk to you, just as He is doing right now. How I wish I could see you. I wish I could look into your eyes and personally try to convince you of the truth of what I’m saying. But I can’t. So, I will offer God my loaves and fishes, and know He will accomplish His purpose.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ll stop wondering about you. That will continue on. Remember, I said, “I wonder a lot about people.” I wonder what has happened to them. Are they happy? Did their life turn out well? I wonder about old friends, and yes, the unnamed boy in our story today. What did happen to him? Well, I don’t know everything, but I do know, that boy who brought along his lunch that day, who gave his loaves and fishes to the Savior … he didn’t go hungry. Jesus fed him, along with at least 5,000 others. Jesus fed him, and gave him a ringside seat so he might see how a really great God can work. So, maybe I guess I do know what happened to that boy. The Lord took care of him. Now, the only person I have left to wonder about is … you. I wonder. Will you, do you, believe in Jesus as your Savior? Will you be forgiven? Will you be saved? I wonder where you’ll end up. I pray, by Jesus’ power, in heaven, we will meet, and you’ll be able to tell me. Amen.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR 70-48 Airs: August 10, 2003
TOPIC: Good Broadcasting
ANNOUNCER: Now Pastor Ken Klaus responds to a listener’s comment. I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor Klaus, we heard from a listener who says she enjoys your sermon so much, she almost doesn’t want to go to church. That’s not quite the reaction we expected.
REVEREND: Well, it’s a kind thing for the lady to say. When you speak to a microphone in a padded room, it’s difficult to make a connection with your listeners, assuming that there are listeners.
ANNOUNCER: Well, we know people do listen because they tell us so.
REVEREND: You know, but when you’re sharing the Lord’s Word in a parish setting, you can see if the congregation is sleeping or wide awake, involved or disconnected. Here, we just don’t know. So I appreciate the listener’s comment. Nevertheless, the thought is a little bit frightening.
ANNOUNCER: How so?
REVEREND: You know Mark, you’ve been a familiar voice on “The Lutheran Hour” for a good many years. You could probably come up with a better list than I can. So please feel free to step out of your role as questioner and help me out here.
ANNOUNCER: Sure.
REVEREND: First among limitations I would list, is the incompleteness of our ministry.
ANNOUNCER: Incomplete? What do you mean?
REVEREND: “The Lutheran Hour” is the oldest Christian broadcast in the world. It has tried over the decades, to present one single message: Jesus Christ is your Savior, Believe on Him for your salvation. The voices that have stood before this microphone have always tried to share salvation by grace through faith. When, by the Holy Spirit’s power, people respond, we’ve directed them to local congregations where they can find answers to their personal questions and a spiritual home.
ANNOUNCER: Well, that sounds great so far.
REVEREND: And that’s the thing, Mark. That’s about all we can do. Years ago I attended a Pastor’s Conference; a fellow pastor shared how one of his members had been comparing the wonders of a certain television evangelist with the inadequacies of his own pastor and parish.
ANNOUNCER: Boy, that had to be painful.
REVEREND: Well, it was, for a number of reasons. You see, that pastor had, over the years, ministered to that man in a way that no radio or television broadcaster could ever minister. At family milestones, good and bad, it was the pastor, not the TV preacher who had faithfully done the Lord’s ministry. His congregation stood by him all the way. All that seemed to be forgotten as the man compared his faithful pastor with the slick TV personality.
ANNOUNCER: And there are still other things you haven’t mentioned.
REVEREND: This is fun. Now I get to ask the questions; things like what Mark?
ANNOUNCER: Well, things like the Sacraments. “The Lutheran Hour” doesn’t baptize people; “The Lutheran Hour” can’t offer the Body and Blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. “The Lutheran Hour” can’t listen to personal confessions and then, in the Name of the Savior, offer the forgiveness of sins.
REVEREND: Now you’re making me think we ought to be out looking for another job. So, does that mean that the people shouldn’t support “The Lutheran Hour” and that it has no purpose?
ANNOUNCER: You’re really getting into this, aren’t you? Well I know for some people, “The Lutheran Hour” is their church service. We’re administering to listeners in hospitals, to travelers, to shut-ins, to people who really want Sunday to be the Lord’s Day; to people who are snowed in or are experiencing a family tragedy, for all of these faithful loyal listeners, “The Lutheran Hour” has a wonderful God-given and God-pleasing purpose.
REVEREND: And of course, there is the ultimate purpose of “The Lutheran Hour.”
ANNOUNCER: Now, you should take that one.
REVEREND: For all of those folks who have made listening to “The Lutheran Hour” part of their worship of the Lord, I’d like to give it a try. “The Lutheran Hour” week after week sends out God’s clear call to repentance and salvation, which comes only through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. “The Lutheran Hour” goes to the places where churches and pastors may not be able to go. There we deliver the Lord’s simple soul-changing, sin-forgiving message: salvation is yours through faith in the sacrifice of God’s Son, our crucified and risen Savior.
ANNOUNCER: And as you’ve said before, we preach a changeless Christ to a changing world.
REVEREND: Exactly!
ANNOUNCER: And what would we have people do with this message?
REVEREND: We would say to our listeners, “Use us if you like what you are hearing. Now if you hear the Lord speaking to you through a Lutheran Hour broadcast, tell your friends. Tell them this – you are special to me. I want you to meet someone else who is also special to me. I want you to meet my Savior. Won’t you tune into this radio channel, at this time on Sunday.” If listeners to “The Lutheran Hour” will do that, I can promise them their friends and family will hear the message, Christ is Risen, and a Risen Christ, a Living Christ, can change their lives.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.