The Fourth Sunday in Lent.
The
Collect.
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RANT, we
beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve
to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved; through
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
And due to the rubric, the Collect for the Day is
followed by the Collect for Ash Wednesday, which is found on Page 124:
The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday.
The
Collect.
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LMIGHTY and
everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the
sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite
hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our
wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and
forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the
Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.
1 After
these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which
he did on them that were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up into a mountain,
and there he sat with his disciples. 4 And the passover, a feast of the
Jews, was nigh. 5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great
company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence
shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to
prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him,
Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of
them may take a little. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's
brother, saith unto him, 9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley
loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? 10 And
Jesus said, Make the men sit down.
Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about
five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks,
he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down;
and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. 12 When they were
filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up
the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. 13 Therefore
they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the
five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said,
This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. (John 6:1-14)
Our Collect Prayer for today confesses that we are all sinners apart from the
saving Grace of God and deserve no mercy - though we have received mercy. The
only comfort we can take, as Children of God, is not in our good works, but His
mercy and Grace alone.
The Epistle, Galatians iv. 21-31, is my favorite of the Epistles: TELL me,
ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written,
that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But
he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman
was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants;
the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For
this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is,
and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free,
which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that
bearest not: break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate
hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as
Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the
flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for
the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So
then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
This Epistle should allay any growing fears that God’s people are chosen
because of the blood in their veins, but rather the hope and faith that is in
their hearts. Ishmael was the first born son of Abraham and, according to
Hebrew law, should have inherited the blessings of Abraham, but not according
to God’s Law. God had promised Sarah and Abraham a son which would be the
son of Promise. Though Sarah and Abraham attempted to accomplish the work of
God by their own hands (through Sarah’s innocent mistress – Hagar), God took
umbrage at their lack of faith. The Seed of Promise came exactly according to
the promises of God. Isaac was born to Sarah in her old age and his birth was
much like the coming of the True Seed of Promise in Jesus Christ who also came
by miraculous birth. Christ offered what the Law could not – Mercy and Grace.
Ishmael was born under the law and can only offer condemnation. His seed today
are the Muslims of Arabia who have not known a decade of peace since the
passing of Ishmael.
Our Gospel lesson, in my opinion, has a great relationship to the Lord’s
Supper, only offered to the multitudes that would later be left in the care and
oversight of the Apostles. The miraculous feeding of the five thousand men
(and, additionally, women and children) was a precursor to the Lord’s Supper
which Jesus would institute on the night of His betrayal.
I believe that we will all agree that bread itself is an important staple to
nourish and sustain the body. In a broad sense, and in the way that it figures
in today’s text, bread was the paramount nourishment for the disciples on that
mountaintop by the Galilean Sea. Even a morsel of bread, which comes from God,
was important to the Syros-Phoenician woman who pleaded only for the bread
crumbs that fell from the Master’s Table. Bread, and its thousands of
crushed grains (Archbishop Cranmer), represents the body of Christ on earth
today. We consider always that Christ is present when we partake of the Bread
from His Table, It brings us near to Him as we contemplate His promises: For
where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of
them. (Matt 18:20) I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world. (Matt 28:20) The Bread
which Christ broke at the Supper in the Upper Room represents His complete Body
– even the multitudes that are drawn to Him on this mountain. It is not simply
for those who are appointed as clergy and apostles. His Real Presence is
not in the grains of wheat, but in the hearts of His people that make up His
earthly Body – the Temple of God. That true Bread of Heaven opens our eyes to
the mystery of Communion with Christ just as the eyes of the two men on the
Road to Emmaus were opened at the moment Christ broke, and offered, Bread.
It may be true today that the crowds may follow Christian ministers for the
wrong reasons, just as the Galilean crowds had done, yet, if they receive the
true Bread of Heaven, they shall be healed in more than body and mind. We are
told that the multitudes followed Christ because of the healing miracles He had
wrought on them. It may be true that the work of God must proceed from the
labors of witnesses in feeding the hungry, healing the sick and despondent, and
living among the people by facing all of the heartaches and hardships that they
face in order to make them know the love of God is in our hearts. It is then
that their hearts will be moved to learn of the great Savior who has instilled
in us a love that surpasses their common understanding. It is to be hoped that
the multitudes went away with more than a full stomach after the miraculous
feeding – a heart that has been changed by the Love of God! 1 After
these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which
he did on them that were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up into a mountain,
and there he sat with his disciples.
John the Baptist, the
baptizer of Christ, has just been beheaded. This news must have hurt the tender
heart of our Lord. He was tired. He was weary of travel. He must have been sad.
So he sought a place of quiet and solace, yet, the multitude followed on. His
Heart of such loving compassion could not disregard the needs of those who
followed after Him even if their motives were amiss. Does our AOC church not
face the same circumstances daily? Many abroad, hurting for bread and
sustenance, follow us on the web and then appeal for funds even if they do not
know the Savior we serve.
The next verse seems parenthetical, but I do not believe that it is: 4 And
the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. John felt it
necessary to add this particular detail. He says no more, but there is
obviously meaning attached to the fact of the Passover. It was the same event
that the Lord celebrated in the Upper Room. In fact, Jesus Himself became our
PASSOVER! So, on the eve of the Passover, Jesus here again will offer Bread to
the people.
I would imagine that Jesus had a slight gleam in His eye when He asked the next
question: 5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great
company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence
shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this
he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Here
Jesus and His disciples are gathered on a mountain overlooking the Sea of
Galilee. There are not nearby bakeries of places that sell foodstuffs. So Jesus
presents a testing challenge to His disciples. It was a great company, in fact
far more than five thousand, that approached. It appeared to the disciples as a
gathering army. How could they possible find food for so many; and, even if
they found a source, where would they find the enormous amount of money
required for the purchase?
We find in the response to Jesus query, three distinct responses: the first is
in the response of Philip who was counting on the meagerness of available
provision. He was counting on the LEAST of provisions. 7 Philip
answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that
every one of them may take a little. The people of God often
count the lack of provision rather than the abundance in Christ. Even the
crumbs are enough, why believe that crumbs cannot be made a feast in the hands
of the Lord! We must despise no blessing because of its size. The second
response is that of the disciples: 35 And when the day was now far
spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now
the time is far passed: 36 Send them away, that they may go into the
country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they
have nothing to eat (Mark 6:35-36) When the obligation seems to
great to reach the lost, the church often simply desires to wash their hands of
these troubling poor by sending them away.
The third response is that of Andrew who is always seeking others for
Christ. You will recall that it was Andrew who, being called by Jesus, went
first to find his brother Peter to come and see Christ. 40 One of
the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's
brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We
have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he
brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called
Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. (John 1:39-42) We
named our little church in Enterprise, Alabama, St Andrews because we are to be
seekers for Christ. As rector, I brought none to the church – the youth went
out and invited their friends who came and stayed to hear about Jesus. I loved
them. So, Andrew, true to form, goes on a search the moment he realizes the
need for bread. He is not the kind of fellow to be discouraged at the meager proportions
for he knows that even crumbs, with the Lo9rd, will be made a sufficient
supply. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith
unto him, 9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two
small fishes: but what are they among so many?
Now there is a fourth type of person in the crowd that is not described above.
It is this one response that melts my heart – the little lad who had only five
barley loaves and two fishes, but was willing to share that small provision
with such an immense number. He must have had a heart touched by the loving
hand of God from his mother’s womb. This innocent young knew his bread
and fishes would only be a drop in the bucket to feed so many. He also knew
that there would be scarcely a crumb left for his own hunger; yet, he had seen
and heard Jesus. He placed his innocent confidence in this warm and
compassionate Teacher. So he offered ALL that he had to satisfy the immense
crowd who surrounded Christ. This is the kind of son every parent should long
to have.
Without a further thought, upon hearing of the small provision available,
Christ took action: 10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass
in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
Jesus does not make us anxious in feeding us. He prefers that we be comforted
always by His Bread. He has the men sit down as guest do in any home. He also
expects that those about to receive the Bread of Life should do so in good
order, thus we observe a liturgical form of worship. There was a mixture of
men, boys, women and children present, yet there were five thousand men in all
plus those other persons. The Word of God is able to feed all who will come to
be served without limit.
Do you remember that our Lord was baptized in like manner that we should be? In
all, we should follow Him. He also gave thanks for the provision given by the
Hand of His Father in Heaven. 11 And Jesus took the loaves; and
when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to
them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
Herein lies an important lesson. That which God has given you, you must also
share with others. Jesus gives us the privilege and high honor to be His
servants to the people. Not masters, but SERVANTS. All clergy are servants to
God’s people. When they cease to be servants, they cease to be ministers. Note
also that from the small provision, every one of the thousands seated about took
as much as they wanted. God’s Word is always sufficient for thee. “….My grace is sufficient for thee ….” (2 Cor
12:9)
Quite often, that which comes at no cost to us is easily wasted, but the Bread
of Life comes at an immense cost to God the Father – it cost Him the life of
His only Begotten Son! None of the Lord’s provision should be wasted. 12 When
they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather
up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Every
soul is precious to God. He will have us lose nothing that He places in our
hand. This is the security we have in Christ. If our hearts belong to Him, He
will never lose them. 13 Therefore they gathered them together,
and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which
remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Have you ever
gone out and befriended some hungered stranger? Have you noticed that you may
have approached the fellow with a reluctant love? But do you remember the
heart, brimming with love, with which you departed from him after answering the
needs of his soul. That is the LOVE of god. The more you serve, the greater the
reservoir remaining. This defies the law of physics, doesn’t it; but this is
not a natural, but a spiritual, law.
What result does the labors of Christ and His servants have upon the hearts of
men? 14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus
did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
That is the result! Faith! When people see what Jesus is able to do through
your own life, they will know Him to be “that prophet that should come!”
Though we may take good counsel from the examples given of the disciple Philip,
those other disciples about Jesus, and of Andrew who sought when the need was
revealed, the greater lesson – in my view – is from the little boy who gave all
in spite of hunger, to Jesus for the feeding of others. He surrendered fully
His all. And he did not go away hungry for, when you give your all to Christ,
you cannot lose. Have you done?
