Jesus Feeds, Heals and Teaches

Collect for Wednesday in the Third Week of Lent

Give ear to our prayers, O Lord, and direct the way of your servants in safety under your protection, that, amid all the changes of our earthly pilgrimage, we may be guarded by your mighty aid; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus feeds, heals and teaches (Matthew 14:13-14:35)

Today’s readings are familiar stories of Jesus’ ministry in and around Galilee. They also happen to be two of my favorite passages of Holy Scripture; the feeding of the five thousand and Jesus walking on the water to his disciples whose boat had drifted away, “far from the land.”

When I first told a friend of mine that I would be writing about the feeding of the five thousand, she commented that it was the perfect reflection for me. She knows me well and knows I am the type of person who loves to feed others. According to the Meyers-Briggs Personality Indicator, I am a bit more of an extrovert than an introvert and, for the most part, I am energized by being with others. But the truth is, I am the most comfortable when I can feed them and create an atmosphere of welcome and care.

So, I reflected on that for a while; thinking about what it might have felt like to the disciples who, through God’s grace, fed the multitude with an abundance of food that came from relative scarcity.  This prompted me to think about another dear friend of mine who also likes to feed others, make them feel welcomed and cared for. Having been the recipient of her gracious care, I am mindful of what it feels like to be hungry and in need and to be cared for. Imagine what it must have felt like to have been among the five thousand! You have just spent the afternoon listening to Jesus, watching him cure others and praying over them. (Perhaps Jesus even prayed for you.) And then, you are fed with an abundance of food. Wow.

Then comes the “You of little faith” story.  After feeding the five thousand, Jesus sends the disciples off in their boat, sends the crowd on their way and he goes to a mountain to pray. Upon his return we read that the boat had been “battered by the waves, was far from land, for the wind was against them.”  So, Jesus decides to walk on the water to join the disciples. At first they’re frightened by what looks to them like a ghost walking on the water. Peter challenges Jesus and says, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  (You know the rest of the story.) Jesus simply says, “Come.”  Peter steps boldly out of the boat and is holding his own as he walks on the water in response to the Lord’s command, “Come.” But then the wind picks up, Peter feels unsteady, looks away from Jesus and begins to sink. He cries out, “Lord, save me!” As Jesus reaches out and to catch Peter, he admonishes him saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

I’m on the vestry at Trinity, Wauwatosa. In the past year, we read the book Jesus Freak: Feeding-Healing-Raising the Dead, by Sara Miles. We’ve had lots of discussion about what it means to feed others and to be fed. We’ve explored what it means and what it looks like to step out in faith to feed, heal and to figuratively “raise the dead.” In these two Scripture stories Jesus calls the disciples to action. He calls for actions of faith that empower the disciples to feed and to walk. What I am reminded of in the story of Peter’s doubt is how easy it is to be filled with good intention and move boldly into action, only to be buffeted about by uncertainty and then lose my way.

In her book, Jesus Freak, Miles points out that Jesus consistently chose unconventional table fellowship as a sign of God’s kingdom. I am mindful of how God’s kingdom is reflected in my own church community. I am thankful for the power we draw from one another through prayer and the way in which we see Christ in one another.

Through this power, this gift of God’s grace, I see individuals as well as the community of Trinity, stepping out, being fed and in a multitude of literal and spiritual ways feeding others. We are being fed and feeding others through the abundance of God’s blessing on our gifts as individuals and as a community of faith. Through this Lenten season, I am praying about where God is calling me to feed and to be fed. I am praying that when I step out, I will keep my focus on Christ in the hope that I will not falter. But, if I do, (and I probably will) I know Christ will reach out to me… all I need to do is to call out to him.

Carlynn Higbie

Trinity Church, Wauwatosa