Seven Loaves to Feed the Stomachs of Eager Hearers

Seventh Sunday after Trinity

July 10, 2016

Mark 8:1-9a

Seven Loaves to Feed the Stomachs of Eager Hearers

In the name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

A couple of chapters ago—in Mark 6—Jesus feed the 5,000. Now He repeats this miracle for His eager listeners who devoured every word that came from His mouth.

In Mark 8 Jesus had again attracted a large crowd who eagerly listened to Him . . . for three days! His teaching was God's truth and those who heard His words received comfort and peace. Three days and this after some of them had come from long distances. While many of them had very likely brought some food, all of that had run out. That tells us that they hadn't planned to stay for so long listening to Jesus. But they couldn't leave—they didn't want to risk missing anything that Jesus had to say.

Just to provide a small example of this kind of attentiveness, let's mention the days before DVRs and Netflix. In the days before you were able to pause live television, you had to wait until the commercials to get a drink of water or use the bathroom. If you left the room, you returned as soon as possible. You didn't want to miss a minute of the show.

This was the attitude of the crowd, but they were focused on eternal words from God's eternal Son! We might think of Mary and Martha here, when Jesus came to their house. Mary sat and listened to Jesus, while Martha prepared the food. Martha become upset with Mary, partly because she, too, wanted to listen, but, well, somebody's got to do the cooking.

So there they all are, four thousand men and more, eager ears with hearts like Mary's, who would rather listen to God with empty stomachs than to go and buy bread and risk missing anything Jesus said.

And Jesus had compassion on them. Perhaps some of these hearers were also fed as part of the 5,000 whom Jesus fed earlier. Indeed Jesus had compassion on that crowd, too.

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things. (Mark 6:34)

They were hungry for the Gospel, the teaching that Christ came to not be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). He came to ransom His life, so they could have peace. And they couldn't get enough of His peaceful words.

It's hard to tell the attitude of the disciples here. They still seem a bit befuddled about the situation they were in yet again. Their reply to Jesus is a bit equivocal, “We're out in the boonies—there aren't any bread stores out here.” Comparing their conversation from the earlier feeding of the 5,000, they object only once this time. Was this a sign that they were learning?

In any case, Jesus chose to use His disciples again as He prepared to perform a miracle of bread. God took the seven loaves on hand and created enough for 4,000 to have enough and then some. A fast miracle for hungry people.

Look at the loaf of bread on your table. That's a slow miracle. It is only there because our Father in heaven gives us our daily bread even without our asking. He preserves us by richly and daily providing food and drink and everything we need for body and life. He causes the sun to shine and rain to fall and farmers to have hands and wisdom and give life to kids who grow up to be bakers and grocers.

The world is filling up with more and more who are agitated and suspicious. They deny their own sins and damn everyone else. They chase after justice and peace apart from Jesus, and so they tragically have no justice and no peace.

But with Jesus, we have it all, even in our turbulent world. Whether the miracle is fast or slow, the true body of Christ or seven loaves of bread, Christ our Savior is behind it all, bringing us all good things. And as His people we hang on His every word for our peace and comfort.

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Alleluia! Amen!