Speaking of Life 5037 │ Prevailing with God
This week we’re sharing a Speaking of Life message from our archive as a supplemental resource. We encourage you to use this for reflection and preparation, or small group discussion. For your worship gathering, consider how a call to worship from a local voice or contextualized introduction to the theme might serve your congregation well.
Watch video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYzQnzNh3lg
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 5037 │ Prevailing with God
Cara Garrity
If you’ve ever spent any time in a park, you’ve probably observed a parent with a toddler who wants to race. The three-year-old doesn’t care that her legs are about a third of the length of her parent’s legs – she simply wants the joy of running and connecting with her parent. You may have watched the parent let the toddler get a head start and then take smaller steps to give the little one a chance. The parent may have even let the toddler win despite being superior in size and coordination. When I see something like this, it makes me think of how God approaches us with humility, compassion, and kindness, wanting us to boldly wrestle and engage with him. There’s no better story to illustrate this than Jacob wrestling with God as told in Genesis 32.
The chapter begins with Jacob receiving the news that his brother Esau is coming to meet him with 400 men. Jacob is worried because he schemed to get Esau’s firstborn birthright, and he was sure Esau was coming to take revenge. Jacob divided his camp to make it look smaller, and he sent his wives and children ahead of him, along with gifts for Esau. That night, alone and in his solitude, Jacob wrestles with an unidentified man until daybreak. Let’s see what happens next:
When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then [the man] said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” So [the man] said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But [the man] said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed [Jacob]. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, yet my life is preserved.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
Genesis 32: 25-31 (NRSVUE)
Up to this point in his life, Jacob had relied on scheming and manipulation to get what he wanted. These methods weren’t without consequence, though. He was estranged from his family and fearful of his brother’s wrath. Jacob’s wrestling match with the man, whom Jacob identified as God in verse 30, resulted in his transformation because Jacob refused to let go of God, and God was willing to let Jacob prevail to help him change.
The evidence of this radical transformation is both physical and emotional. Jacob’s damaged hip caused him to limp, and though we don’t know how long his hip injury persisted, we do know that the Israelites would not eat that hip muscle of a sacrificial animal, out of respect for Jacob’s wound from God. We also see that Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which means “one who prevails with God and humans.”
We can learn from this story that some of our transformations come through perseverance and wrestling with God. More importantly, God wants us to engage this way – boldly asking for blessing, unafraid, not because we deserve it but because we know God wants to give it. Jacob’s face-to-face confrontation with God shows us the intimacy God desires from us. God comes to us in humility, letting us prevail like a toddler racing a parent.
May we boldly wrestle with God when the mysteries of life confront us, like great beauty and great sorrow. May we offer the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the intimacy they desire by allowing ourselves to be sculpted, renamed, and transformed by the Love that won’t let us go.
I’m Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 5037 │ Prevailing with God
Cara Garrity
If you’ve ever spent any time in a park, you’ve probably observed a parent with a toddler who wants to race. The three-year-old doesn’t care that her legs are about a third of the length of her parent’s legs – she simply wants the joy of running and connecting with her parent. You may have watched the parent let the toddler get a head start and then take smaller steps to give the little one a chance. The parent may have even let the toddler win despite being superior in size and coordination. When I see something like this, it makes me think of how God approaches us with humility, compassion, and kindness, wanting us to boldly wrestle and engage with him. There’s no better story to illustrate this than Jacob wrestling with God as told in Genesis 32.
The chapter begins with Jacob receiving the news that his brother Esau is coming to meet him with 400 men. Jacob is worried because he schemed to get Esau’s firstborn birthright, and he was sure Esau was coming to take revenge. Jacob divided his camp to make it look smaller, and he sent his wives and children ahead of him, along with gifts for Esau. That night, alone and in his solitude, Jacob wrestles with an unidentified man until daybreak. Let’s see what happens next:
When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then [the man] said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” So [the man] said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But [the man] said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed [Jacob]. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, yet my life is preserved.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
Genesis 32: 25-31 (NRSVUE)
Up to this point in his life, Jacob had relied on scheming and manipulation to get what he wanted. These methods weren’t without consequence, though. He was estranged from his family and fearful of his brother’s wrath. Jacob’s wrestling match with the man, whom Jacob identified as God in verse 30, resulted in his transformation because Jacob refused to let go of God, and God was willing to let Jacob prevail to help him change.
The evidence of this radical transformation is both physical and emotional. Jacob’s damaged hip caused him to limp, and though we don’t know how long his hip injury persisted, we do know that the Israelites would not eat that hip muscle of a sacrificial animal, out of respect for Jacob’s wound from God. We also see that Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which means “one who prevails with God and humans.”
We can learn from this story that some of our transformations come through perseverance and wrestling with God. More importantly, God wants us to engage this way – boldly asking for blessing, unafraid, not because we deserve it but because we know God wants to give it. Jacob’s face-to-face confrontation with God shows us the intimacy God desires from us. God comes to us in humility, letting us prevail like a toddler racing a parent.
May we boldly wrestle with God when the mysteries of life confront us, like great beauty and great sorrow. May we offer the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the intimacy they desire by allowing ourselves to be sculpted, renamed, and transformed by the Love that won’t let us go.
I’m Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.
Psalm 145:8–9, 14–21 • Isaiah 55:1–5 • Romans 9:1–5 • Matthew 14:13–21
The theme for this Sunday is Jesus is the miracle worker. Our psalm for this Sunday shows us who God is. He is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and very loving. He is good to all, including every part of his creation. He provides for each human person, plant, and animal. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that if we hunger or thirst, God is the source of all we need. We are encouraged to eat what is good by listening to God so that we may live. In Romans, the apostle Paul yearns for the transformation of his people. He longs for them to receive the gracious gift of salvation given to all in Christ Jesus. The Gospel passage tells how Jesus preached to a large crowd. When he saw they were hungry, he fed all of them. This miracle began with five loaves of bread and two fish. And it ended with thousands having their hunger satisfied. Jesus satisfies; he is more than enough.
Reminder: This introductory paragraph is intended to show how the four RCL selections for this week are connected and to assist the preacher prepare the sermon. It is not intended to be included in the sermon.
How to use this sermon resource.
Jesus is the Miracle Worker
Matthew 14:13–21 ESV
[Read or ask someone to read the pericope.]
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “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.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14:13–21 ESV
Today we hear a story about hunger, grief, and the generous love of God. We will see how Jesus is the miracle worker.
Verse 13:
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.
Sometimes it’s a real challenge to find time alone. Has this ever happened to you? You plan to get away to rest, to reflect — maybe take a day trip or a minivacation. But obstacles keep popping up. A work issue. A family emergency. Or maybe everyone you know decides they want to come with you. There goes your quiet solitude. [You may want to share a personal story about not having been able to find time alone so you could rest.]
In our story today, Jesus withdraws to be alone. He has just received terrible news. King Herod has killed John the Baptist. John was not only a prophet. He was Jesus’ relative and friend. John was the one who pointed people to Jesus as the Messiah and said, “This is the Lamb of God,” meaning the One sent by God to rescue the world from sin and evil.
So, Jesus is grieving. He wants to be alone for a while. He gets into a boat and heads to a quiet place. But the crowds follow him.
The thing about grief is life keeps on going. Even though loss devastates us, life moves forward. The earth keeps revolving. And difficulties and challenges still happen. Maybe you’ve experienced this.
When a loved one dies, the loss is significant. While being fully God, Jesus is fully human also. He experiences grief just as we do. In Jesus, we have a God who understands what we are going through when someone we love dies.
So, Jesus cares for the crowds even though he wants some time alone to grieve.
Verse 14:
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
And when Jesus steps onto the shore, he does not push the people away. He heals them because Jesus is the miracle worker.
Matthew says, “He had compassion on them.” Compassion means his heart moved toward people in pain. Jesus heals the sick and cares for the crowd, even while carrying his own sorrow.
Here we see the heart of God. Jesus does not turn away from suffering people. He moves toward them. He’s not thinking of himself — he’s thinking of them and their needs.
Here Jesus demonstrates that love is unselfish. Long before he lays his life down on the cross, he lays down his life to serve these people in need. He shows them the love of his heavenly Father through his ministry to them. The Holy Spirit enables him to love and care for others in the middle of his own personal loss and grief.
Verse 15:
Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “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.”
As evening comes, the disciples seem worried. Thousands of people are far from town, and there is no food nearby. The disciples want Jesus to send the people away. Jesus says something surprising.
Verse 16:
But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
The disciples count their food; it is not enough for thousands of people. Do you think they felt panic?
Verses 17 and 18:
They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.”
The loaves and fish are enough to feed one person, maybe two. They clearly are not enough to feed thousands. It’s obvious the disciples are unable to do what Jesus has told them to do.
But Jesus is not troubled. Jesus knows the generosity of his Father. So, Jesus tells them, “Bring the food to me.”
Verse 19:
Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
Jesus takes the bread and fish into his hands. Then he offers up the small meal of five loaves and two fish to his heavenly Father. A miracle begins to happen. Out of his infinite resources, the Father multiples the loaves and the fish for Jesus. Jesus is the miracle worker.
The astonished disciples begin to hand out what they have to the waiting crowds. Soon everyone has had something to eat.
Verses 20 and 21:
And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Suddenly there is enough. Not just enough for a few people. Enough for everyone. More than enough — twelve baskets left over. Everyone eats. Everyone is satisfied.
Christians have long called this “the feeding of the five thousand” or the miracle of the fish and loaves. And it was a miracle. The disciples had only two fish and five loaves of bread. They did not have enough.
Maybe you feel like the disciples and think, “I do not have enough.” Not enough strength. Not enough wisdom. Not enough money. Not enough faith. Not enough time.
Yet amazingly, Jesus invited the disciples to join him. And God invites us to join him too. God wants us to participate in his ongoing mission of love.
See Jesus continues his mission in the world. The Father is still restoring lives. The Son is still welcoming sinners and healing the broken. The Spirit is still drawing people into the love of God.
Notice this carefully: the disciples’ actions or choices did not set the miracle in motion. Jesus is the miracle worker. But Jesus did invite them to join in, and they responded with trust. That is still how life with God works today.
This is what it means to live missionally. God is already at work restoring the world through Jesus Christ, and the Spirit invites us to join that work in everyday life. We do not bring people to God the Father; Jesus already has. We do not change hearts ourselves; the Holy Spirit does. We do not carry the weight of saving the world; Jesus already carries it.
So, we can live with peace and generosity. We can trust the Father’s care. We can follow the Son. We can walk in the Spirit.
And when we feel empty or overwhelmed, we remember this story: the God who fed the crowd is still faithful. The Father still provides. The Son still welcomes. The Spirit still works. And there is still more than enough in Jesus Christ for the life of the world.
The feeding of the five thousand is not mainly about the crowd. It’s not mainly about the disciples — what they did or how we need to imitate them. It is about Jesus. He is always the main character.
This story in Matthew 14 helps us understand who Jesus is and what he came to reveal about God, his Father. It also helps us understand miracles. Miracles are signs that reveal who God is.
When modern people hear the word “miracle,” they may think of something strange, magical, or impossible. But in the Bible, miracles are never random displays of power meant simply to amaze people. Miracles are signs that point beyond themselves to reveal the presence, character, and kingdom of God. We understand God’s kingdom as God’s gracious rule, already present in Christ. It’s the reality of God renewing the world according to his love and purposes.
A miracle in Scripture is an act of God in which the Creator’s power breaks into the ordinary world. This breaking in reveals that God is restoring what sin and evil have broken. The world as we experience it is not the world as God intended it to be. Human beings experience sickness, grief, fear, injustice, hunger, loneliness, and death. The Bible describes this as the result of sin and the brokenness that flows from it.
So, when Jesus heals the sick, feeds hungry people, calms storms, or raises the dead, he is not performing tricks. He is giving signs of God’s kingdom — glimpses of creation being restored under the reign of God. You see, in the kingdom, in the fullness of God’s reign, there will be no more illness, no more hunger, nature will no longer be destructive, and everyone who has every died will be raised to life.
The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand reveals that Jesus is not merely a teacher or prophet. Throughout the Old Testament, certain miraculous actions belong uniquely to God. God feeds his people in the wilderness. God rules over nature. God provides life. God rescues and sustains his people.
Yet in the Gospels, Jesus is the miracle worker. Jesus begins doing the very works associated with God himself. This is why the miracles shocked people so deeply. Jesus acts with divine authority. He commands creation, and creation obeys him.
Jesus’ miracles revealed that he was the Son of God. And this mattered because he was also the Son of Man, fully human. When he cut his foot, he bled. He got tired and needed rest. He got hungry and needed food. People knew who his mother and father and siblings were. How can this son of Mary and a carpenter be God?
In this miracle, the connection to God’s work in the Old Testament is especially important. In three weeks, we will begin a series of sermons in the book of Exodus. We’ll see how Israel once wandered in the wilderness hungry, and God fed them with manna from heaven. Now Jesus stands in a deserted place with another hungry crowd, and once again bread is provided in abundance.
The writer of the Gospel of Mathew wants all to recognize that the God who fed Israel in the wilderness is now present among his people in Jesus Christ. The miracle reveals that Jesus is God — the eternal Son of God who has come in human flesh.
Yet the miracle does more than reveal Jesus’ divine power. It reveals the heart of the Father. Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Jesus came not only to save humanity but also to show us what God is truly like.
Many people imagine God as distant, harsh, impatient, or reluctant to care for human beings. But when we watch Jesus in this story, we see the exact opposite.
In this miracle, Jesus reveals the compassion of the Father. God is not cold toward human suffering. God moves toward struggling people in love. The meaning is deeper than merely showing us the God is capable of multiplying food. We see that the heart of the Father is abundantly generous. God is more than enough. He is overflowing in goodness and provision.
This miracle also points ahead to the cross. Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to the people. Later, at the Last Supper, Jesus will again take bread, bless it, break it, and say, “This is my body, given for you” (Matthew 26:26–29). The feeding of the crowd becomes a picture of the gospel itself.
Humanity is spiritually hungry and unable to save itself. We cannot heal our own brokenness or restore ourselves to God. So, the Father sends the Son into the world. Jesus becomes human for us. He lives the faithful life we failed to live, and at the cross he gives himself completely for the life of the world. In his death and resurrection, Jesus does for us what we could never do for ourselves.
The miracle also reveals the life of the Trinity. The Father is the source of all provision. The Son receives from the Father and gives generously to the people. The Holy Spirit empowers and reveals the work of God. Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus lives in loving fellowship with the Father through the Spirit. And through Jesus, humanity is invited into that same relationship with God.
The feeding of the five thousand shows us that Christianity begins not with human effort but with God’s generosity. Before the crowd asks, Jesus already sees their need. Before the disciples understand what is happening, Jesus is already preparing provision. Before humanity even knows it needs rescue, the Father already sent the Son.
Miracles are signs that God has come near and that Jesus is the divine Son sent by the Father. And miracles are signs that Jesus’ kingdom is arriving — and this is what the kingdom looks like: a world made whole.
Finally, the miracle of the fish and loaves points us beyond bread itself to Jesus. The bread mattered because the people were hungry. But Jesus is the greater gift. He is the true Bread from heaven given for the life of the world.
Jesus is the miracle worker.
Cory Rice—Year A Proper 13
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR078-Rice-YearA-Proper13.mp3
Program Transcript
Cory Rice—Year A Proper 13
Anthony: Let’s do this. Let’s dive into the lectionary text that we have for this month. Our first pericope is Matthew 14:13–21. I’ll be reading from the New Revised Standard Version, the updated edition. It is the Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 13 in Ordinary Time, August 2.
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Cory, for the start, let’s think about God’s side of this. What does the Lord’s act of multiplying loaves and fish reveal about the nature of God, his divine provision, and especially as it reveals the relationship of God’s abundant grace?
Cory: Man, just listen to that. So, I’ve got two thoughts on this, maybe three. But first, like, the miracle begins with honesty. I love, “we only have five loaves and two fish.” I like that part because that reveals the humanity in people, because I think like that. Even in my education I still deal with doubt and frustration.
“All right, God, I only have this situation.” So, I’m a big key on that only thing. Grace begins with honesty, and Jesus always meets people there. And so, the rhythm of the kingdom is found in Jesus’ response to that honesty is, “Yeah, bring them to me.” He doesn’t rebuke them for the fact that they only said “only.”
And so, what looks like lack in our hands often is what becomes abundance in his. I would say that the second one is this miracle reveals the nature of God, right? Not that he is transactional, but that he is self-giving love himself. The Trinity has always existed in abundance, generosity, overflow, you name it. So, this miracle to me is not God meeting a need reluctantly, but rather Jesus revealing what God is — always abundant, always compassionate, always generous. And that word compassion is very interesting in the Greek. One of my funniest stories of all time …
Anthony: Come on …
Cory: … has to do with the Greek word for compassion, which is where in the English it gets translated as your inner bowels. And five times in Scripture, it tells us that Jesus is moved with compassion, and all five times when it specifically says that, he does a miracle. And it’s almost like this uncontainable reaction that happens internally that flows outward expressively.
And so, I always talk about because I was a college athlete, and I got food poisoning on a road trip in Oklahoma once, and I got violently sick. And I woke up one evening covered in poo, and I realized it was my own. I had pooped my own bed, which is like wildly insane to talk about. I usually preach a really funny story around this, and then I tie it into — that’s compassion. If literally the Greek word is our inner bowels, something happens that we can’t contain it, it has to come out. And that’s the love of Christ, that’s the compassion of Christ, that’s the miracles of Christ. I know way too much information, but …
Anthony: I did not have it on my bingo card for today that we were going to talk about poo, but here we are. And he couldn’t …
Cory: You never know.
Anthony: … he can’t contain it. Hallelujah. So, let’s talk about the flip side of that same coin.
God’s abundant grace — but he’s always kind of inviting us into what he’s doing. “Come along. Come and see.” So, what about human participation, especially with the imperative, “You give them something to eat”? What does that unveil? What does that tell us about God?
Cory: Yeah. Honestly, I’m still learning this because there’s aspects of me that it’s, “All right, God, what are you doing?”
And I think that his response every time is, “Yeah, I’ve given you the power to do it. What are you doing about it?” And so, this miracle, to me it reveals, yes, human participation matters 100%, but participation is not pressure. Honestly, it’s the overflow of divine love and you have to understand your union to be able to overflow in divine love.
And so, the Church as a whole, big letter Church, it doesn’t create bread because Jesus is the Bread, but we do get to distribute what we’ve received. We’re not the source. We’re the resource. And so, sometimes we reduce ministry to information rather than nourishment. I kind of like to use that word, especially since Jesus calls himself the Bread of Life and I’m not just talking about literally.
You’ve got physically, emotionally, spiritually. The Church co-labors when we participate in the healing, in the reconciliation, in mercy, in justice, in compassion, in presence — you name it, right? And I think that our participation is massive. I know one of my spiritual fathers, Jamie Engelhardt, he always talks about when people talk about, “Oh, God doesn’t need you,” … Without us, he chooses to do nothing because he has no body except yours. So, if you want to see the manifestation of Christ on the earth, then the sons and daughters have to recognize their power.
Anthony: Yeah, there is this tension, isn’t there, Cory, about …
Cory: Oh, yeah …
Anthony: … knowing God’s grace and yet participation. There’s such joy in it. God loves you regardless, but there’s just something that that eyes can only see when they see it, when they do and participate, right? Without it ever being pressure. It’s this … I can almost always see the Spirit going, “Come on. This is going to be so good. Let’s go.”
Cory: Yeah. So much.
Program Transcript
Cory Rice—Year A Proper 13
Anthony: Let’s do this. Let’s dive into the lectionary text that we have for this month. Our first pericope is Matthew 14:13–21. I’ll be reading from the New Revised Standard Version, the updated edition. It is the Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 13 in Ordinary Time, August 2.
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Cory, for the start, let’s think about God’s side of this. What does the Lord’s act of multiplying loaves and fish reveal about the nature of God, his divine provision, and especially as it reveals the relationship of God’s abundant grace?
Cory: Man, just listen to that. So, I’ve got two thoughts on this, maybe three. But first, like, the miracle begins with honesty. I love, “we only have five loaves and two fish.” I like that part because that reveals the humanity in people, because I think like that. Even in my education I still deal with doubt and frustration.
“All right, God, I only have this situation.” So, I’m a big key on that only thing. Grace begins with honesty, and Jesus always meets people there. And so, the rhythm of the kingdom is found in Jesus’ response to that honesty is, “Yeah, bring them to me.” He doesn’t rebuke them for the fact that they only said “only.”
And so, what looks like lack in our hands often is what becomes abundance in his. I would say that the second one is this miracle reveals the nature of God, right? Not that he is transactional, but that he is self-giving love himself. The Trinity has always existed in abundance, generosity, overflow, you name it. So, this miracle to me is not God meeting a need reluctantly, but rather Jesus revealing what God is — always abundant, always compassionate, always generous. And that word compassion is very interesting in the Greek. One of my funniest stories of all time …
Anthony: Come on …
Cory: … has to do with the Greek word for compassion, which is where in the English it gets translated as your inner bowels. And five times in Scripture, it tells us that Jesus is moved with compassion, and all five times when it specifically says that, he does a miracle. And it’s almost like this uncontainable reaction that happens internally that flows outward expressively.
And so, I always talk about because I was a college athlete, and I got food poisoning on a road trip in Oklahoma once, and I got violently sick. And I woke up one evening covered in poo, and I realized it was my own. I had pooped my own bed, which is like wildly insane to talk about. I usually preach a really funny story around this, and then I tie it into — that’s compassion. If literally the Greek word is our inner bowels, something happens that we can’t contain it, it has to come out. And that’s the love of Christ, that’s the compassion of Christ, that’s the miracles of Christ. I know way too much information, but …
Anthony: I did not have it on my bingo card for today that we were going to talk about poo, but here we are. And he couldn’t …
Cory: You never know.
Anthony: … he can’t contain it. Hallelujah. So, let’s talk about the flip side of that same coin.
God’s abundant grace — but he’s always kind of inviting us into what he’s doing. “Come along. Come and see.” So, what about human participation, especially with the imperative, “You give them something to eat”? What does that unveil? What does that tell us about God?
Cory: Yeah. Honestly, I’m still learning this because there’s aspects of me that it’s, “All right, God, what are you doing?”
And I think that his response every time is, “Yeah, I’ve given you the power to do it. What are you doing about it?” And so, this miracle, to me it reveals, yes, human participation matters 100%, but participation is not pressure. Honestly, it’s the overflow of divine love and you have to understand your union to be able to overflow in divine love.
And so, the Church as a whole, big letter Church, it doesn’t create bread because Jesus is the Bread, but we do get to distribute what we’ve received. We’re not the source. We’re the resource. And so, sometimes we reduce ministry to information rather than nourishment. I kind of like to use that word, especially since Jesus calls himself the Bread of Life and I’m not just talking about literally.
You’ve got physically, emotionally, spiritually. The Church co-labors when we participate in the healing, in the reconciliation, in mercy, in justice, in compassion, in presence — you name it, right? And I think that our participation is massive. I know one of my spiritual fathers, Jamie Engelhardt, he always talks about when people talk about, “Oh, God doesn’t need you,” … Without us, he chooses to do nothing because he has no body except yours. So, if you want to see the manifestation of Christ on the earth, then the sons and daughters have to recognize their power.
Anthony: Yeah, there is this tension, isn’t there, Cory, about …
Cory: Oh, yeah …
Anthony: … knowing God’s grace and yet participation. There’s such joy in it. God loves you regardless, but there’s just something that that eyes can only see when they see it, when they do and participate, right? Without it ever being pressure. It’s this … I can almost always see the Spirit going, “Come on. This is going to be so good. Let’s go.”
Cory: Yeah. So much.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- What stands out to you most about Jesus’ response to the crowd in the middle of his own grief?
- Why do you think it matters that this miracle reveals not only Jesus’ power, but also the heart of the Father?
- Where do you most relate to the disciples’ feeling of “not enough” in your own life right now?
- How does this story help you understand miracles as signs of God’s kingdom rather than just displays of power?
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