Everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.[1]
We have reached the end of a long run of parables – and in a sense, the last three Sundays of parables have been leading us to today, this Sunday, pulling us into the wilderness along with the crowds who are following Jesus, who has been attempting unsuccessfully to retreat for some time for quiet, for prayer, and for grieving. John the Baptist has just been killed, leaving the disciples shell-shocked and anxious, and Jesus’ own hometown has not welcomed him with open arms. But the crowds follow him, out of the safe cities into the wilderness, and he cares for them, even to the point of feeding them, when the disciples can’t see any solution and suggest sending them all away to fend for themselves. No, says Jesus, don’t send them away. “You give them something to eat.”
There’s – not exactly a rule, but a bit of teaching wisdom, in the writing of poetry – it’s familiar to some of you who may write or teach writing – and it is these three words:
Show Don’t Tell. Show, Don’t Tell.
The idea is that a poem is often stronger if it doesn’t say outright what it means, but it shows it instead, in image and metaphor, story. Archibald MacLeish wrote about this idea in his poem, “Ars poetica,” or the Art of Poetry –
For all the history of grief
An empty doorway and a maple leaf.
For love
The leaning grasses and two lights above the sea.[2]
An image can speak volumes of truth.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is, in a way, letting go of words – the parables, stories that he’s been telling his followers about the sower and the mustard seed and the treasure hidden in a field – and instead he’s showing what he’s been trying to teach them in an act that is not only miraculous but compassionate. Today’s Gospel, the miracle of the loaves and fish, is the only miracle that’s included in all four gospels. It’s that important. It’s that core to the heart of Jesus’ life and love and God’s hope for the world.
So to riff a little bit on Archibald MacLeish:
For all the history of grief,
a crowd of thousands on a hill, following a carpenter from Nazareth.
For love,
five loaves and two fishes – an overflowing feast, served to a crowd of thousands in the wilderness.
And consider that place: Wilderness. A place of scarcity, danger. For Jesus, a place of temptation. For the Israelites of the Old Testament, wilderness was a place of exile, rebellion, hunger and escape – wilderness was both dangerous and the way to freedom.
Consider the the time: These are the days of the Roman Empire, marked by violence and persecution.
Consider the crowds that have followed Jesus: people who were persecuted, poor, hungry, and seeking.
Consider the teacher: Jesus, an unlikely Messiah, compassionate, even while working through his own grief.
Consider the meal: An unexpected abundance when it seemed there was nothing – like manna in the desert, or the Eucharist on Sunday mornings – there is enough for everyone.
Jesus has been telling us all along about the kingdom of heaven.
The kingdom of heaven, he tells us, is like seeds sown and scattered in the world – some are eaten by birds, some take root and grow and bear fruit.
The kingdom of heaven, Jesus tells us, is like the wheat planted alongside the weeds.
The kingdom of heaven, Jesus tells us, is like yeast.
It is like treasure hidden in a field.
The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,
or a net thrown into the sea.
The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that grows into a sheltering tree.
The kingdom of heaven is like kudzu. It’s like dandelions.[3]
How would we describe the kingdom of heaven?
The kingdom of heaven is like a symphony played by countless different instruments, where every part by itself is incomplete until it is all played together.
The kingdom of heaven is like a stained glass window, where every piece by itself is incomplete until it is all put together and light shines through it.
The kingdom of the heaven is a house with many dwelling places.
The kingdom of heaven is the body of Christ, blessed, broken, given, and scattered back into the world.
This morning, Jesus, instead of telling us what the kingdom of heaven is life, shows us what the kingdom of heaven is like:
The kingdom of heaven is five loaves and two fish in the desert. The kingdom of God is a crowd of thousands – men, women and children, poor, grieving, anxious, everyday, parents, grandparents, children, hungry for hope, following Jesus even into the wilderness – and all of them fed with as much as they need – and full baskets left over to share with the rest of the world.
The kingdom of heaven is about compassion, respect and abundance.
The kingdom of heaven is God loving the world through us.
The kingdom of heaven is us doing the work of taking care of one another.
The kingdom of heaven is about the poorest being fed and the grieving being comforted.
The kingdom of heaven is about seeking and finding, and being found.
This morning’s Gospel reading, this miracle of loaves and fishes – there are reasons why Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all include it in their tellings of Jesus’ life and ministry.
Taken all together, the parables and the miracle of the loaves and fishes – the telling and the showing – one of the most important points in Jesus’s message, whether he was preaching it or doing it. The kingdom of heaven is something we can understand and tap into in our everyday lives. Part of our work is to help build it. And the kingdom of heaven is fed with food that never runs out – we are and will be fed with love and grace that never ends.
What sends us into the wilderness, seeking Jesus’s compassion?
What do we find in that wilderness?
When are we hungry and are unexpectedly fed?
When does God ask us to feed others?
The kingdom of God is at the table, every Sunday, every day, in the wilderness, in the city, with friends and neighbors and strangers.
The Lord is loving to everyone
and his compassion is over all his works.[4] Amen.
[1] Isaiah 55:1; Track 1 lectionary for Proper 13, Year A
[2] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/17168/ars-poetica
[3] https://www.trinitystaunton.org/mustard-seeds-the-kingdom-and-dandelion-greens/
[4] Psalm 145:9; Track 1 lectionary for Proper 13, Year A
