One of the big features of Jesus’ ministry was what scholars call his table fellowship – in other words, the meals he shared with others.
Now that may not seem all that significant to us – after all, you’ve got to eat - and eating seems like no big deal. But in Jesus’ time, and in Middle Eastern custom there is a lot of significance attached to meals – to what you ate, and - more than that - who you ate with. It might not be a big deal to us – but it sure was for them.
To physically eat with someone meant that you were accepting them. You were saying that this person was your equal. You were saying that this person was important. And as far as the dominant religious view went, it was vital not to eat together with someone who was unworthy – whether socially and economically or morally and spiritually. You would be lowering yourself and you would likely end up contaminated.
So perhaps you can understand why a lot of people had a hard time with Jesus’ eating habits, because he was always hanging out with the wrong sort. He was mixing with ‘riff-raff’. He was consorting with ‘sinners’. According to the religious, he should try to be separate from such people – he should be trying to be “holy”. Their idea of what God wanted most was holiness – that God’s people should be set ‘apart’ – that they should stay away from the corruption of others. But Jesus had a different idea of God. The biggest thing about God for Jesus was not holiness - but compassion and love for people.
There are lots of descriptions of meals in the gospels, and often Jesus is under fire, but this one today has to be the biggest meal of all. This was the most memorable – in fact there is a version of this story in every single one of the gospels. Here is Jesus eating with a huge crowd of people, men, women and children, who have travelled out of their way to hear him. It’s been quite a day, and Jesus has spoken of many things. But now everyone is hungry and Jesus takes food, blesses the food and distributes it to everyone. At this shared meal, hosted by Jesus, everyone is welcome.
I’d like to point out two things about this story today.
THERE IS A WELCOME FOR EVERYONE
An Australian minister called Bruce Prewer wrote about this incident:
“Jesus did not ask whether they were all believers or not. He did not insist on conformity to a set creed. He did not say that only the morally good folk deserved to eat. He did not exclude the young or those second-class citizens who were women, nor the tax collectors or other sinners. All were welcome at his table under the open heavens”.
(Prewer: Good Tucker in the Desert.)
It’s interesting that Jesus never lays down the slightest requirement. There is no demand that people have to promise to change their ways after the meal. There is no demand that people have to part with money or adopt a new lifestyle, or sign up to some programme.
Everyone is welcome. Everyone is accepted.
It’s interesting what people have done throughout the history in the church. We have tried to use Jesus’ meal as a means of control. We have sat on judgement on one another to see who is worthy to receive.
Susan and I did a very unusual thing recently. We were in Spain for a nine-day silent retreat in Salamanca. It was one of the most unusual things I have ever done, but all I want to mention about it this morning is that it was held in what had been a training centre for RC priests – now a conference centre. It was organised by the Ignation Centre in Glasgow – another RC group - though many of the participants in their programmes are not Catholic. However, at our particular retreat most people were Catholic. So the worship each day took the form of a Mass. And a decision had to be taken about those of us who weren’t Catholic as to whether we should be able to participate. And it was unanimously agreed that we could.
Now that may seem no big deal, but that decision was taken in defiance of official church practice. Official Catholic teaching is that Mass is available only to Catholics.
Of course it’s easy to criticise Catholic teaching but we too, in our branch of the church have been guilty of this. Not so long ago people could be excommunicated from church because of their beliefs or (more likely), their behaviour. And being excommunicated means literally being excluded from the meal of Communion.
Of course God cares about our behaviour. Of course God is not honoured or pleased when we behave badly. Of course God wants us to change direction and sort things out. But that has got nothing to do with God’s love and acceptance of us.
We do not take part in Jesus’ meal because we are worthy or because we have got our act together. We take part because we are called and loved. We take part because we are important to God.
We matter to God.
No matter who we are, God cares for us. And God wants to welcome us to the table.
Here is my other thought. At this meal…
THERE IS ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE.
Of course there is a great miracle here in today’s incident. A wee boy appears with his lunch: two fish and five loaves of bread. Five loaves might sound like a lot, but they would look like what five pitta breads would look like today.
This is not enough. This is not enough food.
But what happens when Jesus gets it? Here is what happens when Jesus gets his hands on this offering. Jesus blesses the food and distributes it and it becomes more than enough. On its own the food is insufficient. But when it is given to Jesus then small becomes big.
“All we have here are five loaves and two fish” complain the disciples. It’s hard to blame them. It doesn’t look like much. But when Jesus gets his hands on these things they are transformed.
“All we have here are five loaves and two fish” is still the complaint. We are still fearful today. We look at the scale of the challenge facing us and we reckon we don’t have the resources.
Look at our churches these days. Remember when they were twice the size? How can we make an impact now –
with the smaller number of people –
when the tide seems to be turning against us –
when Christianity is less understood than it has been in years –
when there is growing hostility towards our faith?
How are we going to make an impact? We look at our resources and we say in effect: “All we have here are five loaves and two fish.”
Rather than reaching out and sharing with a hungry world we reckon we are in great need ourselves. We need stuff. We need more money. We need more members. We need more help - of one kind or another.
Like the first disciples before us, we look at our none too impressive resources and we doubt that we can achieve much.
“We can’t further the Kingdom with this!” is our sad response.
“We can’t hope for much! We can’t expect too much!”
But when we think like that we are wrong.
We don’t need to hark back to some imagined good old days. We don’t need to think back to larger numbers, or to other ministers or other people or other ages and times. What we have in front of us is enough. Not on it’s own, but with God’s blessing. It is enough.
For us, in our corner of Glasgow, in our three congregations, at a time of upheaval and change we might not look like we can achieve much – but with God’s help we can. With God’s blessing we can make a huge impact on the world around us.
If, (and this is the key thing), if we give what we are, and what we have to God to bless and use – then we will find there is enough.
If we dedicate ourselves to God then there will be enough to make an impact. The secret is not the quantity of our resources. The secret is in handing the resources to God to be used.
In a way, the blessing and distribution of food we are considering here is a pointer to the meal of Communion. Jesus takes the food; he breaks the food; he blesses the food; he shares the food – it’s all like Communion. Again what matters is not the amount of the meal but who is blessing the meal.
When celebrating Communion we often do use words like meal and even feast to describe it. Now if you think about it, Communion is not much of a meal.
Doesn’t look like much food. It isn’t much food. A wee square of bread. A thimbleful of wine. But when it is blessed by God it has an effect out of proportion to its size.
It is transformed. Small becomes big. It binds us to God and to one another. It turns out to be spiritual food and drink for our journey.
So there are two things to remember.
The meal hosted by Jesus is a time to remember that everybody is welcome. That everyone is invited and loved and important.
The meal hosted by Jesus is also a time to remember that Jesus can take who we are and what we have and use us to great effect in the work of God’s Kingdom.
There is much that we can do - if we will put ourselves into God’s hands.