There is a Lad Here
John 6: 4-15
March 9, 1997
When I was growing up, this Sunday was commonly called “Refreshment Sunday.” it was sort of a midway point when we were encouraged to relax our Lenten disciplines and take a breather. It was also a time that we were reminded that God would feed us as we went through the desert of Lent.
And so this morning, we are presented with the story of the feeding of the five thousand. I’ve always had certain problems with that story. Feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two small fish – it doesn’t make sense – it seems almost ridiculous. All the smart bean counters raise their eyebrows when this is read in church – five loaves into 5,000 people? it just doesn’t compute. It stretches our imaginations, but only if you can’t picture what happened and the real miracle that took place on that spring day.
He was feverishly trying to be helpful around the house. He had already done all his homework, and you could tell he was excited. He had been invited to go on a hike into the countryside with his aunt and uncle and his many cousins_ When they were ready to leave, the boy’s mother took him aside and asked him to be responsible for the day’s food. She didn’t have much to send, so he must be sure not to nibble at it. He must save it for later in the day. His mother then handed him two fish wrapped in a bag and a few loaves of bread that she had baked. A few minutes later, her sister and his cousins came by, and his mother sent him off with the warning, “Be good, and take care of the food.”
They walked along the road that led out to the wilderness, and more and more people joined them. Simon Peter, loud and funny, was up flora telling people jokes, and directing people along the way. He also recognized Andrew, the quieter one, who was a fisherman. He had seen him many times amongst the boats. And there was also some other person who seemed to be the leader. He was talking, and the grown-ups were listening very intently.
The boy couldn’t believe his ears. This person was actually getting adults to think. He was pressing them to look at their priorities and show concern for those who were on the fringes of the community. The boy ran back to his aunt and uncle and told them what he had heard. His cousins looked at him with one of those, “So what” expressions, and went back to playing their games as the hike continued.
After a while, the sun drew nearer the horizon and people had settled into small clusters. The cousins were playing at log rolling down the hillside, but the boy kept walking over to the larger group, who were intently listening to the teacher.
Later, the people began to be hungry, and someone called out, ‘Does anyone know where we can buy food?” Unfortunately, there were no McDonald’s or Taco Bells in the desert, and the crowd was large and getting restless.
The boy watched as Andrew walked among the groups, asking people if they had anything to spare. While Andrew got to the boy’s aunt and uncle, he saw that they shook their heads no. But something in the boy’s mind said, “I think it’s important to be involved. I need to be a part of this scene.” And so he went up to Andrew and said, ‘I have a few loaves and a couple of fish. ”
At first, Andrew ignored him, but when he wasn’t having any luck with the grown-ups, he turned and remarked, “Let me see.” And he took the loaves and fishes and went up to the Lord and said, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fishes, but what are they among so many?” Philip, the practical one, was muttering, “This is crazy, 200 dollars will not ever buy enough bread to take care of the crowd. And here is that foolish Andrew coming over with five barley loaves and two fish, worth about 25 cents on a good day.”
But a strange thing happened. Jesus turned and stooped down to talk with the boy, “You must be hungry.” The boy nodded. ‘You’re owing us your food.” The boy nodded again. “You’re going to feed a lot of people today,” Jesus told him.
Holding the bread and the fish up towards heaven, and asking God to do something with the small offering of the boy, Jesus thanked God and began to pass the loaves around. Each person in the crowd broke off a small piece – sort of like communion.’ And all the people were fed
The miracle wasn’t that the people were fed; rather, it was that the feeding took place. Not by the resources of the unprepared and nervous staff of Jesus, but instead, by the resources of a young boy, not quite a teenager God took the small offering of the young person and multiplied it way beyond what makes sense.
The miracle is so stupefying, our first instinct is to think about it as a magic trick where Jesus turns it all into a great feast. Imagine 5000 people having surf and turf out there on the grass. But that isn’t what it’s all about. It was only bread and fish. All that the young boy had.
The crowd, though, was so amazed by the incident that they immediately wanted to make Jesus a king. They were about to hoist him on their shoulders and declare that He was their “ruler for life.” But this wasn’t to be. Easter hadn’t come
You see, Jesus had no interest in being admired and listened to as a magician. Jesus seemed to think that we all have something to do with getting each other fed. And so we read that Jesus walked away from all the applause and adulation.
I think this may be one small piece of the story missing in the accounts of all four of the Gospels. Jesus didn’t actually walk away from the crowd all alone. The boy went with him.
The boy understood that Jesus needs partners and that we offer what we have. No matter how small or puny we think our offering might be. No matter how insignificant it might look to be, Jesus depends on it. The power of God at work in the world depends on our owning what we have.
Today, we are dedicating four young people. We are saying that we recognize that they are in the midst of a process – a process where they are offering what they have – their gifts, their talents, themselves, to God’s service. As they go on in this process, it is our hope that they will feel a sense of God’s calling out to them, saying, “I need your help.” And, oh yes, there will be people who say, “You’re just a kid. The needs of the world are too great for what you have to offer.” But the main thing I would hope that you’d take away from this day is that you may not be able to change the whole world, but God needs you to make a miracle in some small spot in which you find yourself.
So Jesus and that young boy ducked out. And together they walked and spent some time until the crowds began to disperse, and the boy joined his cousins for the long way home.
Amen.