Mark 6:30–44

³⁰30 , The apostles returned to (lit: gathered together with) Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.

³¹And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

³²And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.

³³Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

³⁴When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

³⁵And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late.

³⁶Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."

³⁷But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?"

³⁸And he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish."

³⁹Then he commanded them all to lie down in dinner parties on the green grass.

⁴⁰So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.

⁴¹And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all.

⁴²And they all ate and were satisfied.

⁴³And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.

⁴⁴And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

This is a familiar story to all of us here. One that we have learned and known since we were children and one that we hear and mention over and over: Jesus feeding the 5000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. But so often when we read and hear this story, our minds immediately go to the miracle. It was indeed a miracle the Jesus multiplied the bread and fish to feed so many people. A miracle like Elijah's miracle when the oil and flour did not run out for the widow. And this is important, but we can get so focused on the spectacular that we may overlook what was really going on. What was Jesus doing? Why did he do this miracle? And what is the true meaning of it?

We notice that Jesus and his disciples had just gone across the Sea of Galilee to a desert place, out in the wilderness, dry, scorched earth that was uninhabitable. But when he stepped off the boat, there was already a crowd of people waiting for him there.

Now if we had gone out into the desert in order to get away from people, finding a huge crowd over 5000 actually, waiting for you would be disheartening. We might continue on looking for another place. But Jesus had "compassion" on them. He didn't go looking for another place. He didn't send them away. He had a deep, heartfelt compassion. In fact, it was a "gut wrenching" compassion. Not some photo op for a politician. He didn't just "feel their pain" and go on with his business. This was a deep, gut wrenching pain that filled his entire being. How do I know this? Because the Greek word used here is "splachna". You see, we speak of our feelings as coming from our heart. But the ancients thought that feelings and emotions were from the inner parts, the guts of a person. And the word "splachna" is taken from the sound an animal makes when it is cut open in the temple for sacrifice, and the guts come falling out and go "splach!" on the ground. So this word is more than a simple, "He felt sorry for them," rather it means "He was completely filled with compassion, a gut wrenching, an all consuming pity and concern the filled his entire being."

But why? If we read through this passage quickly and carelessly, we might come away thinking it was because they were hungry and needed something to eat. But that is not what the text says. It says, "He felt compassion (splachna!) because "they were like sheep without a shepherd." It is a quote from the Old Testament when Moses was about to die and he prayed to God that he would raise up a shepherd for the people so they would not be "sheep without a shepherd." But now it had come to pass some 1400 years later that they had become "sheep without a shepherd." Our Old Testament reading today explains, "'Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture,' declares the Lord." That is why he was so moved with compassion.

But let's take a look at the word "shepherd." In the Greek it is the word "poimén" which also means "pastor." In fact the Latin word for shepherd is "pastór" from which we get our English word "pastor." Jesus was filled with gut wrenching compassion because they were a congregation without a pastor.

A congregation without a pastor, like sheep without a shepherd, is lost in the wilderness. Jesus knew their lostness. Jesus knows our lostness. Jesus knows that we are blind and lost and on the paths of sin and death and eternal punishment. So Jesus had compassion on them and he has compassion on us because the one thing that Jesus cares about most is that we are saved from our sins to live in the bliss and joy of heaven forever. Jesus had gut wrenching compassion and sorrow for this congregation of people because they did not have a pastor. There was no one to distribute the means of grace. There was no one to absolve their sins. There was no one to lead them to the green pastures and still waters of God's grace. There was no one to fill their cup to overflowing. No one to accompany them as they walked through the shadow of the valley of death. There was no one to prepare a table before them in the presence of their enemies; sin, death and the devil. No one to anoint their head with oil and to lead them to the house of the Lord to dwell there forever. We, like those people need a pastor or else we die. And the death we die is an eternal death or torments and punishment because we are lost in our sinful nature. We are lost in our twisted and selfish hearts, filled with pride and self-sufficiency. We are lost in the thoughts and imaginations of our heart which are evil from the time of birth. We are lost to God and cannot find our way back. We cannot save our lives. We are blind sinners who deserve to die and have earned the anger and wrath of God for ourselves.

But as God tells us in our Old Testament reading: "I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch and he will reign and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land." A Good Shepherd will be raised up, the True Pastor, the one who gives his life for his sheep, the one who died in their place and paid for their sins. The one who by his sufferings and death atoned for their sin and reconciled them to God. Jesus is our Pastor. He is our Shepherd who died on the cross and forgave our sins.

And that is what is happening in this text: It is more than Jesus getting off his boat to give food to a hungry crowd. We have Jesus, the great pastor, preaching the Word of God to his congregation. Here Jesus is the pastor of his congregation and is setting forth the pattern for all pastors that he later calls and sends to his sheep for all the ages until his return. Here we see the True Pastor leading his congregation preaching and teaching the word of God. This then is the model for how pastors shepherd their flocks: preaching and teaching the Word of God and administering the sacraments.

Then, he tells the people to lie down in "dinner parties" of 50 and 100 on patches of green grass found scattered around this desolate place and he feeds them a meal. Jesus is following the pattern of "table fellowship" which has been the pattern of God's presence with his people from the beginning. From the time the Lord came to dine with Abraham, to the night of the Passover in Egypt, to the time Moses and the elders dined with God on the mountain, to the many meals that Jesus shared with his disciples, with Pharisees, with publican and sinners, and with Mary and Martha, God's people have always enjoyed the presence of God sitting around the table sharing a meal with him. That was the pattern of worship for the Old Testament Israelite, that was the pattern of worship for Jesus with his congregation, and that is the pattern of our worship today until Jesus returns and even in the heavenly realms: Worship of Christ is Word and Meal. This was Pastor Jesus and his congregation having the Divine Service. This is why our worship service today is divided into two main parts: the Service of the Word and the Service of the Sacrament. This is the pattern which Jesus set for all true worship of God and it is the patter we follow here and is the same way the angels and saints in heaven worship him for all eternity. What we see in this text is how the Good Shepherd, the True Pastor, leads his congregation: by Bible Study, Preaching, and Sacrament.

The only difference between the worship service then and our worship service today is that the people then only sat with Jesus at the table, but now that he has died and risen Jesus is not only sitting at the table with us to share the meal, he himself is the Meal as we eat and drink his very body and blood. The meal we enjoy in our worship today is an infinitely better meal for we feed on Jesus himself and his presence bestows forgiveness and eternal life upon us.

And so what does this mean for us today besides just being the pattern of our worship? Look at the green grass. Jesus had the people sit down on green grass in the wilderness. That green grass speaks of the blessing of God's presence in the renewed and restored creation. It is the reversal of the Garden of Eden when on account of the sin of Adam and Eve the world became a wilderness. It means that Jesus is present to restore the creation and turn the wilderness back into a garden. That green grass tells us that as we worship in word and sacrament, the presence of Jesus restores and renews our sinful, lost, dying hearts and turns them back into green pastures of love and faith and hope. The Lord is my Shepherd who makes us like down in green pastures. That green grass tells us that our sins are forgiven and we are washed clean. It tells us that we are no longer lost sheep, wandering in our sin, defenseless prey for the enemy and on the path to eternal death and punishment, but that we are washed and forgiven by the blood of Jesus who paid for our sin. It tells us that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The fact that Jesus performed a miracle to feed the people is also important and here we find the meaning of this miracle: it tells us that all good and all blessing comes from Jesus alone. The apostles' wives didn't prepare the food in their kitchens. They didn't get it from a store or a nearby farmer. It was not purchased with money. All of our nourishment and sustenance, spiritual and physical, are from Jesus Christ himself. He gives us all things that are necessary for our lives. He blesses us with his presence and lifts up the humble and fills the poor and needy with good things. He is the only source of forgiveness of sins. He is the only source of our salvation and eternal life. Jesus alone!

And the fact that is was physical food tells us that Jesus supplies all our needs, both of body and spirit. Both for this life and eternal life. He is the one who provides for us and sustains our lives, spiritually and physically.

But he did not give the food to the people himself, instead, he had his disciples distribute it to the congregation. The Pastor of Pastors entrusts his word and forgiveness and salvation to those whom he chooses and calls and sends to shepherd his flock in the world today. Jesus is present with us today in word and sacrament giving us his gifts and blessings through his called and ordained servants: the pastors of his church.

So in conclusion, as we prepare our hearts for the meal, we too are participating in the miracle of feeding the 5000. It is not just a spectacular story; it is Jesus being our pastor and we his church.

Amen.