Deo Gloria
Sermon for August 6, 2023
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Matthew 14:13-21
Theme: Rely on Jesus to Provide What You Need!
- He cares about people like you.
- He is more than able to provide.
It’s an issue she struggles with at times as a widow and a senior citizen. You see, they burned through most of their savings while her husband was in the nursing home. So basically all she has to live on now is her Social Security. She worries at times if she’s going to have enough to live on, if she’s going to have enough to pay the utilities and the taxes and the insurance—and still put food on the table.
Maybe that’s been a concern of yours as well. I mean the price of everything just seems to keep going up and up—gas, food, clothing. And yes, you did get a raise this year, but your income certainly hasn’t kept pace with inflation. You struggle at times to pay all the bills—the mortgage, the rent, the utilities, the taxes—and still put food on the table for your family. Will you have enough to make it?
This morning in these verses from Matthew ch. 14 our Savior, Jesus, provides comfort and reassurance for people like you and me. Instead of focusing on the stack of bills and our empty cupboards and our back to school shopping list and our empty wallets and our own ability to try to meet all those needs, Jesus encourages to look to him and trust that he will provide. Rely on Jesus to provide what you need!
The story we have before us today is a familiar story. Jesus had been busy in recent weeks, teaching and preaching God’s Word to crowds of people in the region of Galilee, especially in the towns and villages along the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, places like Capernaum and Korazin. In addition, Jesus had recently sent out his disciples along with 60 others on their own little missionary trip. He sent them out two by two with instructions to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God in the towns and villages all throughout Galilee. And his disciples had just recently returned. And then, as Matthew tells us, Jesus had just heard the news about the death of John the Baptist, that he had been beheaded by Herod the tetrarch. Not surprisingly, Jesus just wanted to get away for a bit. He was tired and needed some rest. The disciples were tired and they needed some rest. He had just heard the disturbing news about John’s death. And he just wanted to get away. In his account, Mark tells us that Jesus said to his disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest”(6:31).
So they left. They got in a boat and headed for a more remote location on the east or northeast side of the Sea of Galilee. The only problem was the people noticed that Jesus and his disciples had left. And they also noticed what direction their boat was headed. So they followed—not in boats, but on foot. They walked as Jesus and his disciples sailed. And they must have been sailing into the wind because Matthew tells us that the people got there before Jesus and his disciples did. So when Jesus and his disciples landed and got out of the boat, what did they see? A large crowd of people—the same crowds they had wanted to leave behind on the other side of the lake. And notice how Jesus responded. Matthew tells us that when Jesus saw the large crowd of people, “he had compassion on them and healed their sick”(v. 14). The word Mathew uses has the idea of being moved in your heart, being moved in your insides. Another way it is translated is that “his heart went out to them.”
This is another one of those stories in the Bible that proves to me that Jesus truly is the Son of God. You see, my wife and I recently spent a few days up on the North Shore. It was a little get away for us. We celebrated the anniversary of our engagement. We did some hiking and sightseeing. Of course, my wife did some shopping. Now don’t take this the wrong way, but if all of you had driven up to the North Shore too and were waiting for us in the parking lot of the hotel where we were staying when we arrived, I don’t think I would have reacted the same way Jesus did. Oh, I’m sure I would have smiled and waved. But I don’t think I would have been smiling and waving on the inside. To be honest, I probably would have been a little irritated and frustrated. I mean, I love you all, but can’t we have a little bit of time to ourselves, a little time away, a little time for R+R? So how about you all just get in your cars and drive back home? OK? But look at Jesus. Jesus goes away with his disciples to get a little R+R and the people won’t leave him alone. But Jesus doesn’t grumble or complain. And he doesn’t tell the people to go back home and come and see him another day. Instead he has compassion on them. His heart goes out to them. He is moved with compassion and love for them and immediately begins healing those who are sick and, as Luke tells us, teaching them more lessons about the kingdom of God. All I can say is Wow! He must be the Son of God! I mean, who else would handle a situation like that the way he did? To cancel his vacation plans and immediately go back to work, healing more people who are sick and teaching more Bible classes on the kingdom of God—he must be the Son of God.
And isn’t it comforting and reassuring as well to know that Jesus has that much love and compassion for people, to know that Jesus has that much love and compassion for you and for me, that he would never put you off, that he is never too busy, that he would never tell you to come back some other day, but that he is always ready to listen, always ready to heal, always ready to help? When you fold your hands and bow your head and start pouring out your heart to Jesus, you never get a busy signal. When you cry out to Jesus in a time of need because your heart is hurting or your child is sick or the balance in your checkbook is negative, you never get an automated response, informing you that Jesus is out of the office this week and won’t be back to till next Monday. Jesus cares so much about you and so much about me that he always makes himself available—anytime night or day. He is always ready to listen, always ready to heal, always ready to encourage, always ready to comfort, always ready to help. What an amazing Savior we have, friends! What an incredibly loving and compassionate Savior!
So, instead of relaxing with his disciples and enjoying a little R+R, Jesus spent the day healing those who were sick and teaching people about the kingdom of God. Then along toward evening the disciples began to get a little concerned. You see, the place where they were at was a rather remote location. And there were a lot of people—over 5,000 people—and no one brought any food. OK, yes, there was one boy who had brought along a little food—5 loaves of barley bread and two fish, which we’ll come back to in a bit. But what about everybody else? I’m sure they all were hungry. They had spent the whole day with Jesus. And it’s not like they could all go to Dairy Queen and get a burger and an order of fries and a shake to go. There weren’t any Dairy Queen restaurants back then or McDonalds or Subway. And the nearest village was miles away. Where were all these people going to find something to eat? So they came to Jesus and said, “Hey, you know this is a pretty remote place and it’s getting rather late. Send the people away. Maybe they can make it back to one the villages they passed on the way here and buy some food for themselves.”
Jesus’ answer must have shocked them: “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat”(v. 16). “Wait. What? You want us to give them something to eat? We don’t have food for all these people. In fact, the only food we have is 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish,” which, as I mentioned before, is actually the food a young boy had brought along. But what good would that do anyway? It wouldn’t even be enough to feed 5 people, much less 5,000.
So didn’t Jesus know that? Didn’t Jesus know they were out in this remote location where there wasn’t a lot of food available? Didn’t Jesus know they couldn’t call Dominos and have them deliver a truckload of pizzas? Didn’t Jesus know they had no where near enough food to feed all these people? Of course he did. So why do you suppose he said what he did? Why do you suppose he told them to give the people something to eat? Do you suppose he wanted to teach them something? Do you suppose he wanted them to recognize that that there was no way they could feed all these hungry people—not a chance, but that maybe they should look to him for help, because maybe he could?
I mean, isn’t Jesus the one who had the ability to heal those who were sick? Isn’t Jesus the one who had the ability to restore sight to the blind? Isn’t Jesus the one who had the ability to calm storms? And isn’t Jesus the one who turned water into wine? If Jesus provided wine for the people at the wedding celebration in Cana, couldn’t he provide food for these people as well?
Jesus told the disciples to bring the bread and fish to him and have the people sit down. Then he took the bread and the fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. And then he began breaking them into pieces, which he gave to his disciples who in turn distributed them to the people. As Matthew tells us, the people all ate and were satisfied. And they even had leftovers. So Jesus instructed the disciples to pick up the leftovers, and they filled 12 baskets full.
What an amazing miracle, friends! What an incredible miracle! Jesus fed over 5,000 people from 5 loaves of bread and two fish. Imagine if you were planning a cookout for later this afternoon, a cookout for 50 people. Imagine how many burgers you’d have to buy and how many hotdogs. Imagine how many pots of baked beans you’d have to make. Imagine how many bags of chips you’d have to buy and how many cans of pop and how many bottles of beer. Now imagine that your cookout wasn’t for 50 people but 500. And then imagine what it would be like if you had to feed 5,000 people. And then consider the fact that Jesus did. He provided enough food for more than 5,000 people. And he did so without making a single trip to Coborn’s or Walmart. And…and…they had more left over than when they started: 12 baskets full, one for each of the disciples. Do you suppose the disciples learned the lesson? How could they not?
How could we not? The point is obvious, isn’t it? Jesus is able. He is more than able to provide all that we need. Are you staring at a stack of bills and wondering how you’re going to pay them all? Jesus is able, more than able to provide. Did you get your first bill for your son or daughter’s college tuition? Jesus is able, more than able to provide. Are you living on a fixed income, maybe nothing more than Social Security, and wondering if you’ll have enough to live on? Jesus is able, more than able to provide. Are you working hard, putting in long hours, doing the best you can to provide for your family, and still you seem to come up short at times? Jesus is able, more than able to provide. Don’t let worry consume you. Don’t let anxiety weigh on your heart or problems overwhelm your mind. Look to Jesus. Rely on his love. Rely on his power. Rely on his never-failing promises. And remember that he is more than able to provide.
And what is true of your physical needs is even more true of your spiritual needs. You see, there is something you and I need even more than a juicy burger, hot off the grill and a generous helping of Bush’s baked beans. We need food for our souls. We need forgiveness for our sins and peace for our hearts. We need something that will sustain our souls in this life and give us life that never ends in heaven, or we will starve forever in hell, which is exactly what we deserve for all the grumbling and complaining we’ve done over the years and all the worrying and all the failure to trust that God loves us enough that he actually will take care of us. And our Savior, Jesus, has provided it. Just like he did for the crowd of people in our story, Jesus has provided the food our souls so desperately need—and then some. Full forgiveness for all our sins, perfect peace and healing for our sin-sick souls, comfort in every time of trouble, encouragement and reassurance for every worry, and best of all, life that never ends in heaven—Jesus has provided it all.
In his mercy and compassion he has provided everything you need for your soul for this life and for eternal life. And as we see in today’s story, he is more than able to do the same for your body. Trust in him. Rely on him. Rely on Jesus to provide all that you need! Amen.