Reflection on Matthew 14:13-21

What do you do when the unrelenting pressures and stresses of life have you completely buried? 

Not that anyone in the year of 2020 would have any stresses to worry about!  It is not like teachers have compounded concerns about returning to school, or that parents have concerns about sending their children. 

It is not like businesses have concerns about staying afloat and releasing valuable employees from the payroll, or that employees have any concerns about paying the mortgage. 

It is not like the problems of a global pandemic are putting stress on already stressful things like relationships, and family gatherings, and job searches and the deaths of loved ones! 

What do you do when the unrelenting pressures and stresses of life have you completely buried?

Does it help you to know that the Bible says that Jesus has been there?  Does it help you to know that Jesus Christ, God with us, intimately knows the compounding stresses of life?

At one point, Jesus returns to his hometown in an ancient version of a vacation with family.  And, during that vacation, Jesus discovers that the people of his hometown would rather remember him as a child than see the amazing things that God has done in his life since. 

It is as if they do not want him to grow in life.  It is as if they do not care about what God has done in Jesus’ life, or how Jesus has been changed by God.  It is as if these people do not actually care about him. 

I have a hard time dealing with a store clerk ignoring me while I try to ask a question, I cannot even imagine what it is like to be utterly rejected by the very people who helped to raise you.  Let us just say that Jesus is not having a good day. 

But, as all of you know, if life seems as if it cannot get any worse, it can always get much, much worse. 

Jesus’ cousin, Jesus’ mentor, the one who poured water on his head and started Jesus’ entire ministry is discovered to be dead.  John the Baptist is murdered by King Herod at the request of Herod’s niece.  It is a convoluted story, evil usually is convoluted.  

But, after hearing the devastating news of John’s beheading, on top of the rejection from those in his home village, Jesus is just done.  He needs to get away.  He needs time to just be alone.  He needs time to just be done.

Have you been there lately?  Are you done?

Do you want to know what I did on my vacation?  Nothing.  I have to tell you, doing nothing was so nice.  I am the best doer of nothing there is!  My High School pizza employer would agree.  Back to Jesus though.

Jesus goes away by himself, presumably to pray and presumably to do nothing. 

Can I just point out that that is fine?  Jesus shows us that it is fine to just retreat for a while.  It is fine to just get away from the stresses and arguments.  It is fine to disappear from social media and even the house for a bit.  It is fine to just be done, go away, and reconnect with the one who truly matters; God.  In the church we call that Sabbath.

And, that could make a nice sermon right there.  I could just be done with this sermon and you could all go out and get some much needed rest.  I hope that you do that by the way, but, that is not the end of the story. 

During his much needed rest, a bunch of people seek out Jesus and ask him for healing.  And, by “a bunch of people” I mean thousands and thousands of people.  We are talking about 5,000 men, and that does not even count the women and children, who are seeking out Jesus as he tries to rest in the wilderness. 

Having one child invade the bathroom while I am trying to get even one minute of peace is infuriating.  I cannot imagine thousands stampeding into the bathroom looking for Band-Aids! 

I am pretty certain that Jesus handled this way better than I would have.

When Jesus is battered by life, he actually is not disturbed or bothered by others who have similarly been battered by life; instead, he has compassion on them. 

And, at this point in the gospel story, the Greek word for “compassion” actually refers to that deep, gut-wrenching, intestinal-twisting, visceral care that we have for those who are in agonizing pain. 

It is the gut-wrenching sort of compassion that you get when you find out a child has lost both of their parents.  It is the visceral need to help when you see that someone is absolutely helpless.  And, as you will see, we have a God who is moved to action when we cry out to the Lord.

Jesus not only heals the sick brought to him though, he also does one other thing that can help you when you are just done with life. 

When suppertime came, it became obvious that the thousands and thousands of people who followed Jesus into the wilderness needed something to eat.  The disciples said as much to Jesus and indicated that the time for healing was done and the time for people to be heading back to town and helping themselves had started.

“You give them something to eat.” Jesus responds.

“We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish,” the disciples say.

“Bring them here to me.”

In a similar way as when you thought life could not get much worse, but it certainly can get much, much worse, with Jesus if there is even a little bit of food or a little bit of healing or a little bit of hope, or a little bit of love, Jesus can make it even greater. 

He took the loaves and the fish, blessed and broke them, and…well you know what happened…thousands and thousands of people had their fill.

I guess, what I want to point out is that when you are just done with life, there is something very healing in feeding someone.  The soul starts to mend when Jesus causes that gut-wrenching sort of compassion to take over your heart, and you give someone in desperate need some food. 

When Jesus moves you from focusing on your own hurt and pain, to focusing on others and their pain, your own healing comes.  Feed a soul, and heal your own soul.

Follow the one who heals and finds healing.  Follow the one who shows compassion when they need compassion.  Follow the one who would go to the cross, to save the world from the cross.  Follow the one who never runs dry of compassion. 

There is always enough love for all of us through Jesus Christ our Lord.