The Lutheran Hour
-
"Jesus Can Provide"
- Download MP3 No bonus material MP3
-
Text: Matthew 14:13-21
-
Have you ever read about Jesus’ disciples, and found yourself thinking, “Why don’t they get it? Don’t they know by now what Jesus can do?” One feature of this familiar reading, you see, is the way that Jesus’ disciples falter – the way they display their lack of faith. After all, they’ve been with Jesus and seen His power over disease, sin, demons, even over the storms of nature. Why didn’t they know that Jesus could provide, even out there in the wilderness?
Well, in a way they had good reasons to falter, and I suspect that when we’re finished, we’ll all be able more fully to identify with them. But more importantly for them, and for us today, this reading from Matthew 14 offers us a strong promise about Jesus Christ. I can state it briefly, and this promise will be the thread and the theme running through this entire sermon today: Jesus Can Provide! Whether it’s in the wilderness, or for the entire old aching world in which we live, or for our own needs day-by-day, the message is the same. Jesus can provide!
First, let’s consider the situation in the wilderness. It’s a desert place, away from any major population centers. Matthew describes the crowd that has followed Jesus there on foot as “great.” And it’s late, and the people are hungry, and there’s no food. It’s a tough situation.
But that’s not even the worst of it. What could make the disciples wonder whether Jesus was able to provide? Let’s back up in Matthew chapter 14. Why is Jesus out there in the wilderness in the first place? Well, He’s withdrawn there because King Herod Antipas has heard about Jesus’ miracles, and Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist come back from the dead. Because Herod took John the Baptist, and he decapitated him. John the Baptist! The disciples had heard Jesus teach that there had never been a man born of a woman more important that John the Baptist! John himself was prophesied in the Old Testament – he was “Elijah” who was to come and restore the fortunes of the people. But John was dead! Killed because of a jealous and evil woman and her plot against him. John is dead, and Jesus withdrew into the desert and now there’s a great crowd of people and no food to be found.
And the disciples faltered. Faced with the needs around them, their faith failed. They said to Jesus, “Send the crowd away, so they can buy food.” Not exactly a realistic solution; not many grocery stores out in the desert! But what were their options? Let them fend for themselves – because the disciples didn’t believe that Jesus can provide.
Now the Lord wants them to know that He can, and Jesus wants the disciples to know that only He can provide. So before He makes the situation better, Jesus makes it worse. Jesus said to them, “They have no need to go away; you give them something to eat.” What must the disciples have thought now? “We have five loaves and two fish – period. That’s it! We can’t provide, the needs are too great. Jesus, what are You trying to say? What do You want us to think?”
And now Jesus has them in the right place, or rather the disciples are almost where they need to be. The crowds are helpless, the disciples are powerless. But Jesus can provide, in just the right way. He takes the five loaves and the two fish, He prays, and He gives them to the helpless disciples and they give to the people … and give … and give … and give! In the desert, in a tough situation, Jesus provides. And we should try to let the last verse of this reading have its impact, by the way. Up through verse 20, Matthew has only told us that the crowd was “great.” But now, almost nonchalantly, he informs us, “the ones who were eating were about 5,000 men, apart from women and children.” How many people were there? 10,000? 15,000? We don’t know. But here is the message: Jesus can provide, in just the right way. Just as God provided the manna and the quail, even when Israel’s faith was weak, now here, again, out in the desert, God provides – Jesus provides. God has come in the flesh, and He shows once again that He can provide in the just the right way.
But wait! There is a huge problem still. What about John the Baptist? It’s all well and good if Jesus can multiply bread and fish. But in shame and dishonor they brought in John’s head on a plate! How does that fit into God’s plan? Can Jesus provide in that kind of a world?
Yes, He can, and in just the right way. You see, John prepared for the coming of Jesus. John preached, but Jesus’ preaching was greater. John died at the hands of evil men. And Jesus will die at the hands of evil men, but His death will be greater. Jesus can provide, and in just … the … right … way. The disciples wouldn’t understand until after it had all happened. But Jesus provides. Now He withdrew into a desert place. And as you read in Matthew, you see that over and over again in chapter 4, and 9, and 12, here in 14, and in 15, Jesus withdraws until the time is right.
When the time is right, Jesus hands Himself over to Judas, and then Judas to Caiaphas, and Caiaphas to Pilate, and Pilate hands Him over to be crucified. In just the right way – through His suffering and death – Jesus provides for His people. He provides peace. He forgives their sin. God is angry and justly wrathful because of our selfishness, and pettiness, and wrong desires, and laziness, and gossip, and unbelief. But Jesus stands in the way of that anger and wrath and He provides by taking it into Himself.
And Herod imagined that Jesus was John the Baptist, risen from the dead. But beyond Herod’s imagination or the disciples’ dreams was this: Jesus did rise from the dead. On the third day, He pushed death aside, He undid death. In doing that, Jesus provides a future, and a hope that in this life that can be so tough, so often so difficult, one day it will all change. Jesus can provide!
But wait! Is that right? Will it all change? Jesus provided in the wilderness, fine. And by His death and resurrection He forgives all who trust in Him, yes. But if the wilderness was tough, at least that’s a small problem. What about the world – what about the world? Yes, Jesus can provide for the whole needy creation.
Lift up your eyes with me, and look. Look how hard it still is. The world that killed John the Baptist is the same kind of world today. Evil men are everywhere: war and death in the Middle East, and no clear solution in sight; unrest and looming famine in southern Africa; dictatorships continue; and people are dying. They estimate that one million people in the US alone are infected with HIV. It is really tough in this world.
And the church lives in this world, and in no other. The church faces huge challenges, everywhere we look. The culture around us continues to sing its song to us, and it’s trying to get us to sing along, to rejoice in sin by calling it something other than what it really is. Spending basically all that we have on our comforts and our pleasure – don’t call it “greed,” call it living the American dream. Filling our time with our possessions and our own circles of friends so that there is no time to reach out to others – don’t call it “selfishness,” call it being busy. Moving restlessly from one thing to another, one relationship after another because we want to feel happy – don’t call it “lust,” call it “finding fulfillment,” or your “right to choose.”
In this kind of a world, it’s easy for us to falter and turn away from the promise that Jesus can provide for this old, aching, dying world. Maybe the most common way that we falter is this; we decide that we just don’t care. We think we can protect ourselves with indifference toward our world, toward our neighbors, toward the unending needs out there. What a terrible thing for the followers of Jesus to do – because when Jesus saw the needs, He was not indifferent – He felt compassion.
Or maybe we ache for the troubled world – but deep down we think that God won’t do anything about it. So let’s just die and our souls will be with Christ, and we’ll leave the trouble behind. But is that right? Didn’t God make this world, and didn’t He make our bodies, and aren’t we supposed to long for things to be put right? Didn’t Jesus teach us to pray for God’s will to be done on the earth, as it is in heaven? But it’s tough. Can Jesus provide?
He can. And He will. And yes, Jesus now sends you and me out to make a difference in the world, in the small ways that we can. And yes, Jesus’ compassion can work through our lives. But only Jesus can provide for this old aching world, and He will. God fed Israel in the desert, and Jesus spread a meal before the great crowd. But the day will come for the great banquet, the day will come when the trumpet will sound, and the power and glory of Christ will shine forth and transform all things! On that day those who resist the Lord Christ and hate His ways will be turned aside, along with every evil thing. And a banquet will be set – and look who is invited! Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the centurion who believed in Jesus’ authority to heal his servant, people coming from East and from West … and you. You who are baptized into Christ Jesus. You who are trusting in the promise that Jesus can, and will, provide for this old aching world.
So, lift up your heads. Because Jesus can provide, even to change and heal all things and He will do it. And until that day, dear friends, Jesus can provide for you and your life, every day.
Yes, the message is for us today. Jesus can provide. And we need Him because our lives may not consist of being hungry out in a desert place and being faced with the growling stomachs of 10,000 people, but you know that it can be tough.
In a way, life is hard precisely because Jesus has called us to be His followers. He’s called you to serve Him by loving your neighbor, and your family, and your world. He calls me to be pure in my thoughts and my speech, to be wise and strong in our choices, to fight against the world’s lies and to stand firm for Christ, speaking about Him to others when we have the opportunity. But that’s not easy – the world never gives up, and the sin that still lives in you and me never gives us complete peace.
And so our faith falters and we say, “I can’t do that.” “Surely Jesus doesn’t expect me to forgive her!” And part of me doesn’t even want to care about the needs of others. It’s easier to live on the surface, busy with little pleasures and distractions. It’s tough, and like the disciples, we falter.
Dear friends, Jesus can provide, and in just the right way! Long ago, He handed Himself over to evil men – to sinners like you and me – and He suffered and died. He paid our debt. He wiped away the stain of your sin. And He rose from the dead, and He is your living Rescuer, your Savior, and King. And from His cross and the empty tomb come the gifts that you need, the provision that will sustain you each day.
Because He fed the crowds and on the Last Day He will spread the great banquet table – and now, He feeds you as well, with a foretaste of the great feast that is coming. His meal, the Lord’s Supper, opens up for you the blessings that He won on the cross. Jesus can provide, in just the right way, for your life today. Do you need to be forgiven and cleansed and welcomed back? Come to the Supper, He will do that for you. Do you need to have hope that in the future and forever, Jesus can provide? Come to the Supper, He will nourish you there for as long as you live, and unto eternal life. Do you need strength to begin again, to know that He will keep you and raise you on the Last Day? Come to the Supper. When Christ forgives you there, the door of His blessing opens wide. Jesus can provide. He did it in the wilderness, even when His disciples faltered. He died and rose for you. Come to the feast and live in the hope of the great banquet that will never end. Jesus can provide. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for July 31, 2005
TOPIC: How Do I Know?ANNOUNCER: Now Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Hi, Mark, and hello to our listeners.
ANNOUNCER: Here’s a question that came in to our Response Center recently: “How do we know all the rules and regulations that we hear about in church actually come from God and are not just based on human opinions? And, if what we are hearing is supposed to be from God Himself, how come one church differs from another?”
KLAUS: First, you shouldn’t just be hearing rules and regulations in church. I’ll tell you plainly: if rules and regulations are the only things you’re hearing, your church is missing the boat! And if all you ever hear is advice about how you can and should become a better spouse, or a better parent, or a better citizen, you name it – if that’s all you ever hear, your church is missing the main point of Christianity. Jesus once said to a group of very religious people, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. But these are the Scriptures that testify about Me” (John 5:39).
ANNOUNCER: In other words, the main purpose of the Bible is to first show us how much we need Jesus and then to bring Him to us.
KLAUS: Jesus Christ, God’s Son, came into this world to take our place. He came to fulfill God’s “rules and regulations” that we had broken. He died on the cross to pay the penalty God demands for sin. Because of His resurrection, we know that His work has been completed and accepted by God the Father. The things Christians do to glorify God, they do in thanks to their Savior who lived, suffered, died, and rose to forgive them. They don’t do what they do because they have to – or because it will eventually make them acceptable to God on the basis of their merits.
ANNOUNCER: But how can our listener know that what she’s hearing in church is actually coming from God?
KLAUS: That’s the easy part of the question. There is a children’s song that goes, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” That pretty well sums it up.
ANNOUNCER: So, she can tell from the Bible?
KLAUS: She should be checking out what she’s hearing from her pastor with what the Word of God says. Only the Bible can lay claim to being inspired and without errors.
ANNOUNCER: No minister can do that?
KLAUS: No … I once heard about a little girl who was watching her father, a pastor, writing and rewriting his sermon. She said, “Dad, does God tell you what to put in a sermon?” He said, “Absolutely.” She thought about that for a moment, and then asked, “But if God told you what to write, how come you keep scratching things out?”
ANNOUNCER: Does that happen a lot?
KLAUS: Well, sermons often need to be rewritten and rewritten. The danger comes when pastors and churches start scratching out parts of Gods Word, saying, “This doesn’t count,” or “This doesn’t apply to us,” or “This never happened.”
ANNOUNCER: I suppose there’s another danger, too … the one our listener was talking about.
KLAUS: Indeed, when pastors and churches start putting their stuff into the Bible. That’s also playing with fire. Listen to what Paul wrote to the church in Galatia (Galatians 1:7-8): “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the Gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be eternally condemned!” That’s a pretty severe warning.
ANNOUNCER: And the Apostle John writes at the end of the book of Revelation “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book” (Revelation 12:18-19).
KLAUS: That’s right.
ANNOUNCER: So finally, we need to answer the second question today, “If the churches are all supposed to be preaching the Word of God, why are all the churches saying something different?” If it’s really God’s Word, shouldn’t everybody agree?
KLAUS: They should.ANNOUNCER: But how come they don’t?
KLAUS: There are a number of reasons for that. Sadly, not every church or pastor believes the Bible is God’s revealed and unchangeable Word. Second, because every church, every pastor, every translator brings his own filter to his reading and interpreting of God’s Word.
ANNOUNCER: But is there a way for us to know who’s telling it straight?
KLAUS: Mark, the most valuable diamond is one that is crystal clear, and reflects the light without flaws. The best preacher is one who is crystal clear … that lets God’s Word shine through him, almost as if he weren’t even there. So, listener, find a church body that requires and helps its congregations and preachers to develop a proper respect and understanding for God’s holy Word.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor, Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selections from this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“We Believe That This Is Jesus” arranged by Mark Sedio. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“I Come, O Savior, to Your Table” arranged by Henry Gerike. From Jubilee by the Concordia Seminary Chorus (© 2000 International Lutheran Laymen’s League)
“Jesu, meine Freude” by J.S. Bach. From Orgelbüchlein & More Works by J.S. Bach by Robert Clark & John David Peterson (© 1997 Calcante Recordings, Ltd.)
“Let All Things Now Living” by Robert Hobby. From Thine Is the Glory by Robert A. Hobby (© 1997 MorningStar Music Publishers)