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Matthew 14:13-21
They had no money. Because of the weather and a seasonal lay-off during the winter of 1940 Josephine Kuntz' husband, a house painter and textile worker, was temporarily unemployed. It was a challenging time for the family. Their 18-month-old daughter, Rachel, was recovering from pneumonia and wasn't doing well. The doctor insisted Rachel eat a boiled egg each day, but even that was beyond their means.
"Why not pray for an egg?" a young friend suggested. They were a churchgoing family, but the idea of praying for their needs was something they'd never really considered. Josephine wasted no time. On her knees she prayed that God would provide an egg each morning for her daughter.
Later that morning Josephine heard some cackling coming from the hedge fence in front of their home. Among the bare branches sat a fat red hen. She'd never seen this hen before and had no idea where it came from. She just watched in amazement as the hen laid an egg and then proceeded down the road. In a moment the hen was gone but an egg sat in her yard.
What do you do under such circumstances but thank God? The next day Josephine was startled once again to hear cackling in the hedge. The red hen came by every day for over a week and repeated this routine. Each day little Rachel had a fresh boiled egg. The little girl got better, the weather improved, and Josephine's husband went back to work. "The next morning, I waited by the window and watched," Josephine says, but the little red hen didn't return.
In Matthew 14:13 Jesus had just received some tragic news. His cousin, John the Baptist, had been put to death. Jesus and John, the Baptist, were very close. Jesus spent time with John in the desert before he began his ministry. And, of course, John baptized Jesus. Now John was dead. Matthew tells us Jesus "withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself."
In times of crisis, we all need a quiet place to think and pray, don't we? But a quiet place is hard to find in our busy, hectic lives. Matthew tells us Jesus needed time alone. So, he withdrew from the crowds and sailed down the Jordan in search of a place where no one would bother him. He was setting an example for us. If having time away from the crowds was important for Jesus, think how important it is for us.
Dave discovered that. Five days a week for eight weeks, former baseball pitcher, Dave Dravecky, drove ninety minutes each way for cancer treatment in Cleveland. At first the trip seemed long and unbearable. Then Dave noticed the beauty of lush summer foliage on both sides of the highway. This peaceful drive eventually wound through the Shaker Heights district, an older area with stately mansions.
The daily trips were still monotonous, however. Dave could almost make the drive in his sleep, he recalls. Yet these long drives became an opportunity for Dave to grow in his faith. He'd think and pray and listen to tapes of his favorite Bible teachers. Sometimes he'd listen to a tape of worshipful music and sing along with it. His voice isn't exactly the sound of music, Dave says, "but the hills did seem to come alive!" It was good "quality time" when he wouldn't be interrupted by the telephone or anything else.
Those eight weeks driving to and from Cleveland Clinic saved Dave's life, his spiritual life, that is. He needed that time alone, he says, with the Lord. He needed it desperately. Even more than the radiation.
What was true for Dave Dravecky was also true of Jesus. He was strengthened by his time alone. He was strengthened by his time of prayer. What was true of Jesus is also true of us. We need time for solitude and prayer.
When Jesus returned from his time alone, he noticed a large crowd was waiting for him. "He saw a great crowd," Matthew says, "And he had compassion for them and cured their sick." That's how Jesus reacted to those who were hurting and that's how he reacts to us, today. He cares about our needs. Jesus took time to heal the sick. He could have sent the crowds away. He could have said, "Don't bother me! Can't you see I'm grieving?" He could have ignored them and gone on his way. But he didn't. He stopped and healed them. There was a need and Jesus responded out of love and compassion.
What a contrast there is between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus was full of compassion. The disciples were more concerned about convenience. It was getting late. The people would be getting hungry. This presented a problem. The disciples approached Jesus with their concern. "This is a deserted place," they said, "and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." The disciples were practical. They didn't know what to do with such a large crowd. They knew they didn't have the means to feed them. The only reasonable solution was to send them to nearby villages. But Jesus had a better idea. There was no need for the disciples to worry. Everything was under control.
A few years ago, Beryl's grandfather had reason to worry. He experienced a near tragedy. Beryl David's 74-year-old grandfather was returning from an out-of-town Mass one cold Saturday evening when his car broke down on an isolated stretch of road. As he got out of the car to check the engine, he fell badly and twisted his leg. When he tried to move, the pain was so excruciating that he nearly passed out.
He lay helplessly on the road. The chance that someone might come along before morning was remote. Also, because of his precarious position, a passing motorist might run over him without realizing someone was there. As the frosty asphalt sapped his body of warmth, the old man decided this was a very undignified way to die. He began to pray.
Hours later, a young man driving a white car spotted Beryl's grandfather and tended to him. His grandfather was, by then, near death from exposure. The man took him to a local hospital. After making sure he was going to be alright, the man disappeared. The only thing the family was able to find out about this Good Samaritan was that he may have been a college student. An emergency room nurse said the young man was wearing a jacket with "Providence" lettered on the back. No one has ever been able to convince Beryl's Granddad that this young man was merely connected with a university in Rhode Island.
God's providence doesn't always come that directly. Still, we know He cares. In times of distress, we can trust our caring and faithful God to provide for our needs.
The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle recorded in all four of the gospels. The people present that day would remember those events for the rest of their lives. And no wonder. On that hillside long ago, Jesus gave his followers a foretaste of the heavenly banquet yet to come, a banquet prepared from the foundations of the earth for those who believe in him.
Alcoholics Anonymous and many other twelve step groups have helped people in many ways. Those seeking help must first acknowledge their inadequacy and powerlessness. Consider one man who has been sober for 8,774 days. He doesn't even seek to reduce it to months. He dares not even talk about years. He's learned to live one day at a time. This man helps others who are struggling with problems like his. He goes to meetings and treatment centers to help people overcome their disease. On the way he always stops at a doughnut shop and buys some fresh doughnuts and a cup of coffee.
One day he thought the others in his group would like some doughnuts and coffee too. He brought some and said it was like sharing communion with those doughnuts and coffee. At the close of the meeting this group huddled together in the middle of the room. They clasped their hands as a team and sang "Lean on Me." When they finished, they stood up with a shout and were ready to go out and face the challenge of another day.
On a hillside long ago, people ate bread and fish together. And they marveled at the love and the power of a simple teacher from Galilee. We don't know if they sang or shouted. We do know this was a day they'd never forget. They'd come away to be with Jesus, who cared about them and met their needs. And they experienced a foretaste of the heavenly banquet when we will feast with Jesus.
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Rev. Charles Eldredge is a member of Maitland Church of the Brethren. He has a Facebook page and can be contacted by email: ce1133 @verizon.net.