Jesus feeding 5,000 with just 5 loaves of bread and two fish, that’s THE miracle. It’s the big one. Except for His death and resurrection, this is the only other miracle that all four evangelists, all four gospel writers include. So that means this miracle is important. It uniquely tells us something about Christ. It uniquely shows us that He’s our Good Shepherd who feeds us, both in body and soul, giving us the very bread of life that we need.
I. This miracle happened shortly after Jesus’disciples had returned from their mission trip. Christ had just sent the Twelve out in pairs to go around the towns, to speak peace and to proclaim that the Kingdom of God was at hand. They called people to repent. And in Chirst’s name, they even cast out demons and healed the sick. As you can imagine, once people saw those kinds of miracles happening, crowds gathered around the disciples. There’s always more people who need help and healing. And so, when the disciples returned, Jesus led them away to a desolate place so they could rest and grab a bite to eat.
But they didn’t necessarily get that rest that they were looking for. As they got in a boat, people recognized them and news of their movements spread. People from all the towns raced to the other side of the shore to meet them. When Jesus and the Twelve came ashore, the crowds were already there waiting for them. And there went their time of rest and relaxation.
Seeing all those people, it would’ve been understandable for Jesus and the disciples to dread stepping off of that boat. They had been working so hard that they didn’t even have time to eat. But when Jesus saw those 5,000+: men, women, and children, he was moved with compassion.
The original Greek word used here to describe Jesus’compassion is splanchnizomai (σπλαγχνίζομαι); it’s a funny sounding word and it refers to our inward parts, our guts if you will. The idea then, is that when Jesus saw those people, people who had come to Him in desperation, He physically felt moved with pity and compassion. His guts, His heart wrenched because of their need. They were like sheep without a shepherd, and sheep without a shepherd is never a good thing.
Sheep are wanderers. They put their heads down to graze and they continue to graze, following wherever the food takes them. There’s a field out behind Sam’s Club that has cows and goats and I think a llama or two, but there’s also sheep. Usually the sheep are close together in a flock, but without fail there always seems to be one or two that are a bit off from the rest. They got there by putting their heads down and following the grass. In that field, they're safe, but if they were to do that out in the open, it could be deadly.
In Jesus’day, and even still today, shepherds in the Middle East lead their sheep in open country. The shepherd has to take the sheep to the good pastures. He has to lead them to water. He has to keep them from wandering, because if they go out wandering, trying to find their own source of food and water, they’ll get in trouble. A predator could get them, or they could fall in a ditch, or any numbr of bad things could happen. This is how Jesus saw that crowd of 5,000. They were sheep wandering, searching for food and water, searching for help in their time of need. They were searching for life. And we do the same.
We wander in search of things, don’t we? We go looking for help in time of need. We seek out advice on different life decisions we have to make. We seek out advice on how to deal with conflicts at work and at home, how to deal with sin. We go out in search of truth; what can we believe and what should we ignore. We wander in search of physical healing. How many of us have had to find specialists or get second opinions for different doctors? We’re no different from the 5,000. We still wander in search of life.
Seeing the crowd, physically moved with compassion, Jesus became their Shepherd; He was their Shepherd; He is the Good Shepherd. He fed them, both in body and soul. We often forget that soul part of the miracle. Jesus didn’t just feed the crowd a meal. First, He taught them...for a long time. He taught them about the kingdom of God, about His grace and mercy, about the everlasting life that He gives. He taught them that He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. He’s the Shepherd who goes after His wandering sheep, placing them on His shoulder and carrying them home. He’s the Shepherd promised in the OT, fulfilling Psalm 23. He’s the Shepherd who comforts us as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He’s the Shepherd who leads us to green pastures and quiet waters. He’s the Shepherd who gives us the bread of life, His very own body and blood.
II. Jesus is your compassionate Shepherd who feeds you. He feeds you by the hands of His undershepherds, by pastors, just as He did in the miracle. The disciples played an important role in that miraclous. First, the timing of this miracle was connected to their work of teaching and preaching throughout the towns. It was that teaching and preaching, it was the healing they performed in Chrit’s name that drew the crowd. And second, they’re the ones who literally distributed the bread to the crowd.
When it had gotten late in the day, the disciples came to Jesus telling Him to send the people away so they could get some food. But Jesus wouldn’t send them away. Instead, He told the disciples to feed the crowd. The only problem, the disciples didn’t have enough money to do this, nor enough food on hand. But that wouldn’t stop the Lord. Taking what was there, 5 loaves and 2 fish, He blessed it and broke it and gave it to the disciples to pass out. The Lord gave to the disciples what was needed. He gave them the very bread to distribute to His sheep. And He continues this today.
Christ feeds you by the hands of His undershepherd pastors; giving them everything you need. Our Good Shepherd gives pastors His Word to preach. He gives them His Absolution to speak. He gives them the bread of His flesh to feed you, sustaining you unto everlasting life. That is why at the end of distribution the pastor says, “The true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen and preserve you, body and soul, to life everlasting.” That’s the purpose of that bread. It’s food for the body and soul. It’s food that gives you forgiveness and everlasting life. And this is all Christ’s work. Just as the disciples healed and preached in Jesus’name, doing that which Christ sent them to do, pastors continue do the same. Your Good Shepherd works through pastors.
Jesus saw the people and had compassion on them. Like sheep without a shepherd, they wandered. They went searching for food, for the stuff of life, but couldn’t find it on their own. Jesus is your Good Shepherd who feeds you. He gives you the bread of life: His very body. And He gives us undershepherds to distribute this bread to you. He gives you pastors to lead you by His Word. Your Good Shepherd will never leave you to wander on your own. With great compassion He is your Shepherd who leads you into everlasting life, to dwell in the house of the LORD forever, just as Psalm 23 says! In Jesus’name...Amen.
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