Differing Feasts Differing Leaders

Reflection on Sunday's Reading for Proper 13: Matthew 14.13-21

I saw a T-shirt not so long ago with the infamous words printed in big bold letters 'Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher'. Below the words was the face not of Hitler but of Christ. 'One people, one kingdom, one leader'. It was a clever Christian pun. Words of the most evil dictator given new meaning so as to embody a Gospel vision.

Adolf Hitler won hearts and minds on a truly grand scale. His crazed speeches, the dark theatre of the rallies, and the Nazi vision of a new world persuaded many millions to passionately follow him. His tyrannical path led not a new world but an abyss of death and suffering on a scale never seen before. Right up to May 1945 this delusioned mind not only believed he was the Furher, the leader, but that in some mystical way, he was Germany itself.

With less of the resources and not so much meglomania Herod Antipas may not be on the same league as Adolf Hitler. But Matthew the evangelist places two feasts side by side to seemingly to contrast the cowardly destopic rule of Herod with the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. First we have the execution of John the Baptist whose personality and ministry appears to unnerved Herod and aggrevated Herodias. This was done during birthday meal of a king titilated and manipulated by a girl's exotic dance. In the next passage we have the miraclous feeding of the five thousand in the wilderness by Jesus.

One is a rich banquet filled with powerful people, movers and shakers in the kingdom. The other "feast", is a rag bag collection of people following a new prophet into the middle of nowhere. Both gatherings were probably not that officially kosher, groups and individuals who normally would not be seen together.

The ones who followed Jesus we are told came into the wilderness with with nothing. This in itself is extraordinary and gives us a window into to the effect that Jesus had on people. How many of us would gladly march into the middle of Dartmoor without so much as a packed lunch or raincoat AND bring our families with us?

We can't unpick the motives of these people in running into the wilderness for the man from Galilee. Were they looking for cure to their infirmities? Did they expect to march on Jerusalem and overthrow the Romans? Did they want to hear this man's extraordinary teaching? Certainly Matthew want us think of Jesus as a new Moses, drawing a new people into a wilderness. Like their ancestors they will experience God's providence and witness manna, bread, from heaven. Remember it was in the wilderness that the Hebrews were tested and formed. It was here that God gave them the commandments and sealed the Covenant. From a disperate bunch of ex-slaves, underdogs and refugees God forged a people. It was their defining moment, and remains to this day. "Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Furher."

Sometimes reading the gospel a word pops out at us that we probably hadn't seen the significance. We become so familiar with the text that we casually skim over the surface. For me the word that suddenly popped up is in verse nineteen, and the word is 'grass'. Why mention grass at all? "And he (Jesus) ordered the crowd to sit down on the grass." To dwell on this I have to think of the climate of the Israel. A deserted place for us in the UK would probably be moor land or some barren fields with lots of grass. But in Jesus' own land grass is not so prevailant. So to mention grass cannot be so casual a remark. The land of deserted place would probably be dry and arid, hot, and barren. So the reference grass signifies to me springtime with its symbolism of growth, renewal, hope. The environment is emulating the miracle. Jesus is God's springtime.

In this springtime we can intially come to the Lord, like those disciples, with very little to give to the multitudes, two fish and fives loaves. And if you feel like this, you are not alone, I experience this sense of inadequacy, daily. I see it when I flick through the news channels and look at the effects of the global food problems. I find myself despairing What can I possibly give that would make any difference? I see it when I look at the task of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. I sense beyond all the hype of secularisation ordinary people remain spiritually hungry and stuck in the neon wilderness of modernity. Statistically our church institutions seem to have so few resources to make any real impact. Its so frustrating!

But the Gospel story presses me on to offer what little I have. I believe Jesus says to each of us "They need not go away; you give them something to eat" (Verse 16).