Fulfillment of the Word of the Lord
Matthew 14:13-21
Our scripture for today teaches us that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Word of the Lord. How long the Israelites had waited for the Messiah to come. It had been centuries, four centuries to be exact, since the last prophet had spoken in the Land. Malachi called a backsliding nation to repentance 400 years before Christ. It had been longer still since Israel and Judah had a leader like David or Solomon or Moses. The scriptures were alive in the life of the Jewish people, as children they grew up hearing the stories of their ancestors and being told that one day God would send the Messiah who would fulfill the hopes and promises of all those years. The "hunger" of the group of 5,000 men gathered to hear Jesus teach, who are following this man from Nazareth are all asking the same question , "Is this the one?" It is true there were as many reasons for coming to hear him as there were people there that day but they all asked the central question: Is this the Messiah or one of the prophets?
And then the sun began to wane and the end of the day drew near. They had listened for hours. As many as 20,000 people, 5000 men and and their families, a stadium full, sitting within a valley, were listening, trying to answer the question. It was now time for dinner and the disciples, perhaps out of care for their Master or feeling hungry themselves, wanted to send the people away.
Then Jesus surprised his disciples by asking them to feed the crowd. There were many occasions when the disciples responded as many of us would. We have here only five loaves of Bread and two fish. But Jesus offered the twelve an opportunity to see God at work, to see something other than the world they had come to know and understand. He asked for the food, blessed it. broke it, and broke it again, and again. The food went out like a piece of paper folded many times and now being unfolded, a geometric progression of growth. And then the people thought they understood. This is one of the prophets who has returned.
Elisha, the heir to Elijah's ministry during the time of King David once fed 100 men with twenty loaves of Barley. In that story a servant in a time of famine brings 20 loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in a sack as an offering to Elisha. Suddenly Elisha says, "Give it to the people and let them eat." But the servant said, "How can I set this before a hundred people?" It sounds familiar doesn't it?" We have nothing here, five loaves and two fish, a small church in a changing neighborhood, an elderly congregation and a changing neighborhood. But Elisha says, "Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord: "They shall eat and have some left."
The Messiah would come in the spirit of the Prophets of old. That's what the people had been told. Jesus one day asked his Disciples, "Who do the people say that I am?" They replied, Some say you are Elijah, some say you are Jeremiah, others say you are one of the prophets." And so there stood Jesus on the hillside in the shadows of that history and feeds not 100 but 20,000, and not with 20 loaves but five and two fish. It was clear to all this man was fulfilling the word of the Lord. That this was God's messenger.
It is remarkable to me how much the past is tied to the present. And how much the future depends on that connection. We see it in the life of our Lord. Jesus reveals who he is and teaches who God is by repeating or acting out the stories and lessons of the recorded experiences and the yearning of the people. In this way, Jesus fulfills the word of the Prophets. Jesus steps into their lives and brings the past, the Old Testament past, to life. He is the Law and the Prophets incarnate. The old stories breathed to life again. In a word, he is the fulfillment.
There is great theology, yes, but don't miss the other message. It teaches us about our Lord. It is interesting to note how the story ends--and they all were satisficed. Jesus feeds the multitude out of compassion. There is no final teaching at the end. Matthew simply says they were satisfied.
Questions to Ponder
Are you hungry and thirsty for more of Jesus?
Are you satisfied?
In His Service,
Terry Phillips
