The Most Desolate Place

Text: Matthew 14:13-21

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

          As we explore this morning’s Gospel reading, you may hear me mention details that you don’t recall hearing as I read the text from Matthew 14. That’s because the entirety of this teaching is only fully known when we put together the account as recorded in all four Gospels. And this is the only miracle that we can do that with because it’s the only one recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each writer adds a little something in the way of detail that the others leave out. Not because they’re recalling this incredible day incorrectly, but because each has their own focus that the Holy Spirit uses to deliver important details that help us to see Jesus a little more clearly. And to understand aspects of His life, ministry and saving work from a little different perspective. But there’s one detail that’s included by three of the four Gospel writers that we might often overlook. Because it doesn’t seem terribly relevant to the feeding miracle that’s at the heart of this account. And yet, when we explore it more closely, it’s an extremely important detail.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all mention twice that the place where the feeding of the 5,000 happens is a “desolate place.” It might seem insignificant, but it sets the stage for Jesus’ presence there and how He takes something that might look like one thing, and in a moment transform it into something new, incredible, and beneficial to us. That word desolate also gives the sense of isolated and deserted. A place where Jesus could get away by Himself after everything that had happened with the death of John the Baptist and Herod’s belief that Jesus was actually John, “raised from the dead.” But Jesus wasn’t actually alone, even without the crowd that took the 8 mile walk around the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. He was encouraging His disciples to “come away…to a desolate place and rest a while.” A place that was isolated, deserted, set apart for what would eventually happen there. And Jesus certainly knew what would happen there.

Jesus knows what the crowds will do and He knows that they need exactly what He’s planning to provide for them. The place is only desolate until Jesus shows up to do what Jesus does. To show compassion on the people who He recognizes “were like sheep without a shepherd.” To “heal their sick.” To “teach them many things.” Just another day in the life of Jesus caring for everyone around Him. And in this way that desolate place became a beautiful landscape filled with the work that only Jesus could do.

Jesus always shows up in the places where His people need Him most. And in a world filled with difficulty and tragedy Jesus shows up when we need Him. I see it every day. You lose a loved one and Jesus is the source of strength to pick you up. You struggle with defending your faith in a hostile world and He gives you the words to say. College students, today you’ll be blessed and sent out into this next chapter of your lives. And I promise you that your faith will be tested by trials and temptations. But I also promise you that if you’ll lean on the Lord, He will give you the words to respond to every objection. And those tests of faith will deliver you on the other side with greater strength of conviction that you have a God who will never leave you or forsake you. Or maybe you’re drained by the pressures and cares of a life that never stops moving and the God who knows exactly what you need fills you up. This world is full of desolate places. And these are exactly where God meets us.

I wonder if those people…all those people…who made that trek on foot to meet Jesus…really knew what He was going to provide. At first, they received what they had come for. Healing and teaching. Which is what they had come to expect from Jesus. But Jesus, as He so often does, took His provision to a whole other level. I’m sure that none of them could have imagined what He would do next. Not even the disciples. Having seen what Jesus had already done, they seem to think that there’s some limit to what Jesus can and will do. They remind Jesus that “this is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus isn’t done providing. Jesus is never done providing.

And Jesus is ready to use the disciples, even in their doubt and skepticism about the ability to feed the people. He simply tells them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” The disciples immediately evaluate the situation and assess that the resources they have wouldn’t even make a dent in the need. I think we often underestimate what God is capable of doing with the limited resources that we think we have. I spoke last night with the pastor heading up our District’s response to the terrible tornado damage in the Fox Valley. And what he said to me was that it was absolutely amazing what God was doing up there. The scenes of total destruction could give us the impression that our meager resources wouldn’t even make a dent in the need. But what he said was that the response of God’s people has been outstanding. And to quote him. “People of all stripes and colors working together. It’s refreshing and beautiful.” But it’s not because the people pulling together are able to do it on their own. It’s because those people see the resources that they have as gifts from God to be used for the work of God here in this world. And when His people do that, God will multiply the effect and the impact.

The disciples said, “We have only five loaves here and two fish. And [Jesus] said, ‘Bring them here to me.’” Whatever it is that we have to give, when shared for the sake God’s work in this world, will be multiplied far beyond what we can imagine. That little boy was willing to share his lunch, and “5,000 men, besides women and children” “ate and were satisfied.” And not only that, but when everyone had gotten their fill “they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.” There’s simply no end and no limit to what God will provide for His people. He showed it in the feeding of the 5,000, but even more importantly He showed it when He gave up His very own life. He spares absolutely nothing to give you more than just a meal. More than simply daily bread. God allowed His Son to give His very life so that you might have life, and have it abundantly.

Rather than trying to figure out how we can live in and walk through this desolate world on your own, let God show up and provide for you. He’s done it before and He’ll continue to do it again. He does it right here today. If what you need is bread, feast on the bread of His Word which comforts and strengthens through every struggle and sorrow and insecurity. Feast on His very body and blood which offers the forgiveness of sins that we each so desperately need. Just like Jesus knew that crowd would show up with all their needs in that desolate place by the Sea of Galilee, He knew you’d show up here today with cares, concerns, and struggles. And He meets you here with the answer to every one of them, making this not a desolate place, but a place of joy and strength. As our reading from Isaiah this morning said, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy, and eat.” That’s the invitation our God offers to us at all times.

At the beginning of our Gospel the place Jesus meets the people is described as desolate. The disciples even call it desolate as they urge Jesus to send the people away to find their own food. And that word evokes this image in our minds, in mine anyway, of a dry, rocky, barren place. But did you notice how that very same place was described once Jesus is there doing what only Jesus can do? As He readied the people for their miraculous meal “He commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.” It’s no longer a desolate place, but a verdant pasture. And it’s all because Jesus was there providing exactly what the people needed. Healing, teaching, and hope. The bread that filled their spirits. And the bread that filled their bodies. What was once a desolate place is now filled up and fruitful. And we can see that

THE MOST DESOLATE PLACE IS ANYWHERE WE ARE WITHOUT JESUS.

          Thanks be to God that our Savior doesn’t leave us in those desolate places. He knows where we’ll be even before we do and He positions Himself right there so that He can provide for us. He sees you and He has that very same compassion on you that He did for those who followed Him to the other side of the lake. A compassion that meets our every need of body and soul. And He’s always there ready to provide even more whenever we need it. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.