– “Looking out for one another”

Jesus – in this morning’s gospel lesson – orchestrates the first recorded ‘church potluck.’ A large, random, hungry crowd is seated and served from what appears to be an impossibly small pile of provisions.

The disciples are practical. “It’s late. They will be hungry. There is not much food around. Send them away!” Jesus won’t have that. “You feed them!” such is the command – and feed them…well!

Bread and fish for everyone – and to spare! How can this be?

My friend Rob, in absolute faithfulness, says Christ made it happen – bread and fish are ‘multiplied,’ we know not how. God’s grace. God’s blessed providence. Thanks be to God.

That’s a great answer, but I will always wonder if there is more to it than that. It’s a miracle alright, and one that has as much to do with the movement of human hearts as it does the majesty of the divine Spirit.

This is one of those moments in the gospels where the details matter.  Jesus has just heard of the death of his cousin/mentor/friend John the Baptiser. .The story of John’s death may seem like a random bit of trivia at the beginning of this portion of Matthew’s gospel, but it affects Jesus to the point of wanting to “withdraw in a boat to a deserted place….by himself.

He cannot, however, escape the crowds. And rather than resenting this intrusion, he has compassion for them. He meets, he heals, he goes about the crowd, doing no less than we would expect. And when his disciples finally catch up, they try to gain some of their teacher’s solitude. They urge Jesus to put an end to this mini revival - to send the crowds away, so they won’t be a further burden. “It’s late, and we are a long way from town. Send them away so they can feed themselves.”

Now, we’re on the edge of the miracle, and Jesus continues to do Jesus things. Not by making food fall from the sky, but by inviting his disciples to do what he has already spent the whole day doing. Looking after people. “You feed them.” This is how the ‘miracle’ begins.

An invitation to care. That is what launches this remarkable event. Jesus has already put his own desire for solitude and reflection aside to see to the needs of the curious crowd. Now he asks his disciples to do the same, and this opportunity to serve offers up one of our favourite miracles.

The meagre amount of food that the disciples provide is fuel for the feast. This may have been lunch for the twelve, but there is no keeping it for themselves. Jesus has seen to the needs of others - the disciples are now invited to do the same.

A little organizing - a blessing - and then, well the gospel says ‘all ate, and were satisfied. About five thousand men in addition to the women and children.’

My friend Rob is adamant. God provides. And I agree, but my theory makes Rob crazy.

I contend that the miracle is that the act of selfless sharing - the disciples giving up their dinner - moves others to share as well. Thousands fed with plenty left over. This is a miracle of shared compassion, shared endeavour and shared abundance, and anyone who has ever worked a church kitchen during a funeral, or a soup kitchen in January, (or even a Pork Chop BBQ in June) has seen this kind of miracle play out.

The food goes further than it should. It seems to appear out of thin air. Folks rave about the quantity and the quality. God is good. Thanks be to God. This Gospel moment becomes a ‘miracle story’ but it is an object lesson in how to care for one another.

When we consider such stories as these, the miraculous element often gives us a chance to ignore the teaching that Jesus offers. We hold Jesus up as the embodiment of God (so of course he can make food simply appear - how can we ever hope to be like Jesus?) But time after time Jesus invites us into the act of making miracles.

He asks questions designed to engage us - he challenges us to see situations differently - he tells his disciples to make the miracle happen (You give them something to eat…)

Step by step - story after story - the gospels show Jesus teaching us to care. Love God. Love your neighbour. The kingdom of heaven comes close when we are actively looking out for one another.

Not just this small circle - the crowd had thousands of strangers.

And that is what we are asked to do. In pursuit of Jesus – for the sake of the gospel – for the greater glory of God. Look out for one another – each and every one.