“Divine Reason”
In our Gospel for today, Jesus presents His disciples with a seemingly impossible situation. A large crowd of people, Jews and Gentiles, at least four thousand of them have been following Jesus to hear His teaching. They have been doing this for three days and Jesus was finished for the time being. He knew many were far from home and needed nourishment to make the journey safely. The question on the minds of the disciples was, “where are we going to get enough food for all these people, in THIS place?”
How often do you find yourself responding with the same doubt and unbelief as the disciples did? In spite of the things they had already experienced, they did not believe these people could be fed in that “desolate place.” They just could not see any way to get enough food to feed all the people, and that is the problem, for them and for us.
Like the disciples, we live out our lives trusting in human reason to guide us through the trials and tribulations of this corrupt world. If you have a problem, look around to determine what resources are available to help solve it. Human reason tells us not to trust in things unseen, but Divine Reason sees all things alike, visible and invisible. Divine Reason sees seven loaves as enough. Human reason trusts in its own efforts at righteousness, Divine Reason says I will be righteousness for you. Human reason says you have to feed people’s stomachs before they will hear what you have to say. Divine reason says it is all about the true Gospel, Jesus the Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
How do you deal with things seen and unseen? In a limited way we put our faith in unseen things of this world all the time. If you have a job, are you paid before you do the work or after? We turn on the lights, turn the key of our vehicles, and open the faucets of our sinks expecting them all to work exactly as we want them to. This is because we have learned that those things will all provide the expected results.
These are all pretty easy to deal with aren’t they? How do our responses change when the conditions change? How do you feed your children if you are unemployed or in a low paying job? What if you get behind on your bills and the utilities are shut off? How does your attitude toward things seen and unseen change when cancer or death arrives at your door? Just how far does human reason carry you when you are at the end of your visible road?
The crowd that followed Jesus had nothing to eat, and they were not following Him out of human reason. Human reason would have told them to stay home, bring more food, turn back before you get too far away. No, there was something else drawing those people to Jesus, something unseen called faith and hope.
In faith and hope those people fasted from earthly food, and feasted on heavenly food of the Word flowing out of the mouth of Jesus. These Jews and Gentiles were so spiritually starved; they hungered for true, life giving soul food. We don’t have a record of this three day sermon, but we can see it was so powerful that physical needs were forgotten. Those people did not ask for bread or fish, they had tasted the Word of Truth and it was enough for them.
They followed Jesus for the same reasons we gathering here today. The fears are the same, poverty, sickness, loneliness, death. They were in spiritual darkness and Jesus was the bright flame. Standing in a dark room your eye is attracted to the smallest light. You can’t help yourself, and it takes a force of the will not to look at it.
We’re here because we have seen the light, and it draws our attention. Some of you may be looking for inspirational tips to live a better life. Some of you have no idea why you are here except that it seems like the right thing to do. And some of you may have come face to face with your eternity, and you are filled with fear and doubt. Human reason has failed you in your attempt to understand this world.
Because of sin, we are not able to grasp the divine things of God, so He offers Himself in ways we are able to understand. Jesus stood in front of the crowds, they saw Him, heard His words, He touched them with healing hands and living words. He went on to defeat death by dying on the cross and rising from the dead on Easter morning. He gave signs, wonders and miracles as a witness to who and what He was. Our human reason today says, “that’s all well and good for people living then, but what about now, what is there for me?”
What is there for you? Death. The same thing all humans have had since sin entered creation. It terrifies us because our reason can’t work through it. So in faith and hope we look to the Divine Reason of Christ, in the same way the crowds followed Jesus. And He feeds our souls with His Word, the same Word He had for the crowd. He also feeds our bodies daily with the things we need to live.
Yet death is still there so how do we deal with it? We face death with God given faith in the Promise of eternal life, but because of sin we need reminders in the form of signs, wonders and miracles. The Church has used signs all her life. At first they were simple symbols, then there were icons which began to teach the faith. Then the buildings themselves told the story in architecture, glass and paint. Look over there, what does that window bring to mind? Holy Scripture, God’s Promise in His life giving Word. That window over there reminds us that our King defeated death on the cross so that we might live. The window in the back reminds us of how important it is to guard the Word and the faith it brings.
Up front in the place of highest honor we have bread and wine set aside for holy purposes. When the Words of Christ are spoken over them, they are no longer common but extraordinary as were the seven loaves for the crowd, and the loaf Jesus broke on the night He was betrayed. Human reason sees bread and wine on that altar, but Divine Reason says, “This is My body, which is given for you,” and “This is My blood shed for you.”
Human reason seeks miracles, and we have them today. On your way out look at that banner just to the right of the door, all of those little lambs are miracles. Each one of us is a miracle, yes that’s right. Each and every person baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ is a miracle, a miracle of faith. Faith leads you here week after week. Faith confesses sins and believes in the forgiveness of Christ. Faith receives the body and blood of Christ and believes. Faith hears the Word and is satisfied. Faith does not worry about the things of this world because faith trusts in the Promise of God. So after feasting on the Word of God which refreshes our souls, let us gather at this table to be refreshed in our bodies, strengthened for our journey home to our Lord and our King.
Amen.