Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in this place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.” -John 6:10
The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle that occurs in all four Gospels. So we hear it a LOT (some Gospels even have multiple accounts of it!). And to be frank, I get a little tired of this miracle story. Jesus feed a lot of people … yeah yeah … so does Soldier Field on Sundays in the fall.
That’s not to diminish the miracle; the feeding of the five thousand is more than just a logistical problem of feeding large crowds. But it is to say that I find the story, in the grand scheme of the Bible, pretty … ordinary.
When you hear these oft-repeated stories, I think it can be helpful to look for details that you might have skipped before. And what caught my attention this week, was that Jesus led the five thousand to a grassy pasture, and had them sit.
Why is that important? Well, that’s what a shepherd does isn’t it?
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures (Psalm 23).
Jesus is the Good Shepherd in this passage, and what does the good shepherd do? He leads his flock to a place of safety. The pasture is a place of plenty (as evidenced by the loaves and fishes). And it’s a place where we hear the Shepherd’s voice.
And so this passage harkens back to the Psalms, like the famous Psalm 23. But it also has echoes of another Psalm we will hear on Sunday: Psalm 145. “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.”
Isn’t that exactly what Jesus does in this story? The crowd ate until all were satisfied and there was even more leftover!
To be a green pasture, - isn’t that the point of church? When people come step foot inside our walls we want it to be a place of safety, a place of plenty and a place where we come to hear God’s words of love and assurance calling to us over and over again.
People should feel free to be who they are at church. They should feel fed, spiritually and physically. They should hear God’s word speaking to them; when they’re here, they’re loved!
Amen!
