“Dinner Reservations”
Matthew 14:13-21
There is a great story about a Pastor and his wife who decided to invite the church council and their spouses over to their house or dinner. It was quite an undertaking, but this devoted couple wanted to be a good example for the leaders of their church.
When it came time for dinner, everyone was seated, and the pastor’s wife asked her little four-year-old girl if she would say grace. The girl said, “I don’t know what to say.” Her mother said, “Honey, just say what I say.”
Everyone bowed their heads and the little girl prayed, “Dear Lord, why did I have all these people over for dinner? Amen.”
Our text this morning begins with: “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat to a solitary place.” What happened is that Jesus had just learned that His cousin, John the Baptizer, had been beheaded by Herod. I don’t know what you do when you hear bad news but often times I’ll get in my truck and just drive. Jesus has gone off to be alone.
But as we read further, we discover that the crowds, the throngs, have followed Him on foot and Matthew writes, “He (Jesus) had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
As it gets later in the day the disciples are concerned for the crowd or concerned that Jesus is going to make them do something they don’t want to do, and they beg Jesus to send them away to get something to eat. And Jesus, knowing what the disciples are thinking says, “You give them something to eat.” That’s exactly what they feared, doing something they didn’t want to do.
I’ve read this text many times, but the Lord showed me something this week I’ve never seen before. Jesus knew He could feed the crowds—He can do anything. But what Jesus wanted to see happen is for the disciples to see that they could feed the crowds—with His help. He broke the loaves and blessed the fish, but it was in the hands of the disciples that they multiplied. So much so that they had leftovers, twelve baskets full.
We see something similar to this in Acts 3, the story after Pentecost when Peter and John are going up to the Temple for afternoon prayer and they come across the blind beggar sitting at the gate called Beautiful. He was, of course, looking for a handout, but Peter said to him, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Doing things with the help of Christ.
I’ve spent the last three weeks enrolled in an on-line course titled, How to Receive an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit which has been centered around the recent Outpouring/Revival/Great Awakening that happened at Asbury University in Wilmore, KY this past February and is still going on in some places around the world.
On Monday we heard from Dr. David Thomas who is a Pastor, and he lives in Lexington, KY, about 15 miles from Wilmore. David is the Executive Director of the New Room Conference which I will be attending in Texas in September, and he is always one of the scheduled speakers (Usually the lead-off). David heard from folks in Wilmore about what was going on that first day, students lingering in the Chapel expecting God to move. He made his way there mid-afternoon, and he realized when he got there that something much bigger than just a Chapel service was going on there. He took the lead in encouraging the University staff and officials that whatever was going on they needed to let it roll, they needed to let it continue.
About 4:30 that afternoon a young lady was at the altar praying when she turned around to face those who were there, numbering around 150 or more by this time. Loud enough for everyone to hear, she started repenting about how she had treated many on the campus and some gathered that afternoon. She shared that her parents, both alcoholics, were getting a divorce. And that past weekend she had gone out to this old bridge there in Wilmore and had planned to jump off to her death. The only thing that stopped her was a phone call from her mom. She shared how she was just a ghost on that campus. Nobody really knew her—nobody knew what she had going on in her life. And it was at this point that David realized that what was going on was all about Generation Z. What this young lady was testifying to described the GenZ represented in the crowd = depression, addiction, thoughts of suicide. He realized that these young people and the ones who would show up later were the throngs of people in the New Testament wanting to see Jesus, like our text for this morning. They were praying for Jesus to show up—and He did!
I read this week that if trends continue, 42 million GenZ (emerging adults) raised in Christian homes will leave the church by 2050. Add that to the number of those not raised in Christian homes. Will there even be a church by 2050. Folks, we need a Great Awakening! The Holy Spirit stands ready. How about you?
Some of you may be wondering, he talks about a Great Awakening all the time, what is an Awakening? Awakening is the outcome of personally encountering Jesus Christ, through whom the love of God the Father is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Awakening both results from and leads to deep wholeness in people, renewal of the Church, evangelization of a generation, and transformation of society.
In closing, I want to return to the verse that says, “He had compassion on them.” Eight times in the synoptic gospels we read where Jesus had compass for the people (4 times in Matthew—3 times in Mark—and 1 time in Luke). This is good news—it’s the best news I can give you today: Jesus has compassion for you!
When you get bad news from your doctor—Jesus has compassion for you. When you get that unexpected news from your lawyer—banker—spouse—or employer: Jesus has compassion for you. When you get that phone call in the middle of the night that rocks you from the depths of sleep—Jesus has compassion for you. When you hear that knock on your door at 4 AM and you open it to find the police on the other side—Jesus has compassion for you. When you are standing at the grave of a loved one—a child—or a grandchild: Jesus has compassion for you.
He has compassion for us because He has been where we are: doubted—denied—betrayed—and broken in body. So, when we hurt, He understands—because He has been hurt too.
Jesus looked over the crowd that day with compassion. Christ calls us as His church to a ministry of compassion today—meeting the world’s needs in His name. Ultimately, it’s a question of how committed we are—how obedient we are—how willing we are. With just a few loaves and a few fish 10,000 were fed that day—physically and spiritually. God will provide us with that same passion of Jesus when we act to meet the world’s need.
Thanks be to God!
Eastman First Methodist Church 