Gather at the Table - A Shared Lunch
What if it's not enough either here or in what is to come? Does it matter?
This week is Thanksgiving in the United States. In fact, today, I have to go through my pantry and figure out what I don’t have. I’m cooking at my mom and dad’s house Thursday morning.
To open the service, Pastor Joe Palmer read from Psalm 95. I’m just going to copy the entire thing here. I’m posting it in the King James Version because I think they read better in that one. Feel free to dig it up in the translation of your choice.
1O come, let us sing unto the Lord: Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
2Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, And make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
3For the Lord is a great God, And a great King above all gods.
4In his hand are the deep places of the earth: The strength of the hills is his also.
5The sea is his, and he made it: And his hands formed the dry land.
6O come, let us worship and bow down: Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
7For he is our God; And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
8Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, And as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9When your fathers tempted me, Proved me, and saw my work.
10Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, And said, It is a people that do err in their heart, And they have not known my ways:
11Unto whom I sware in my wrath That they should not enter into my rest.
Psalm 95:1–11 (KJV 1900)
This dovetails nicely with the lesson from Sunday, too. God made it all, knows how it works, and understands how best to get us from where we are to where we need to be on His path. We should trust Him in all things. We do that best by reading His Word, learning His ways, and following His Son.
That’s not what the sermon was on. That’s just a thought. Also, I was tasked with ushering again Sunday so no great thoughts on the scripture beyond this.
Verse 9 has Andrew, I think Pastor Lee said, pointing out the child with the lunch of five barley loaves and two small fishes. I wonder if it wasn’t a small child who, in his or her naivete, offered what they had because they thought it would help. It strikes me as something a child who has no concept of the problem feeding such a large quantity poses might do. It also leads to another scripture that is a good place to start as I write this morning.
13And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.
14But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
15“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”
Mark 10:13–15 (NASB95)
Perhaps I should put that last bit in context. The sermon on Sunday was on the loaves and fishes miracle by Jesus. Let me post that scripture now.
1After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).
2A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.
3Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples.
4Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.
5Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?”
6This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.
7Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”
8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,
9“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”
10Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.
12When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.”
13So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
14Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
John 6:1–14 (NASB95)
My only other note on that scripture is verse fourteen, where the people who were fed openly acknowledged Jesus as a man of God. I looked up the Greek word to see if it was better to be “messiah,” but prophet is accurate. They have not yet assigned Jesus His divine nature.
Pastor Kristen Lee delivered the message Sunday covering the miracle of the loaves and fishes. She opened by setting the stage for a Thanksgiving morning with cooking, etc. At some point, everyone who has ever entertained for a gathering or party has a moment of panic where they think they’ve forgotten something, something isn’t set up right, or, and this was her point, what if the food isn’t enough?
Panic.
She also mentioned something that’s invariably happened to everyone once they’ve done enough holiday meals on their own. Putting away the leftovers and discovering the dish that was supposed to be cooked but never got taken out of the refrigerator.
She said, with God, there’s always enough. She tied it into last week’s “extravagant abundance” and mentioned the overflowing riches of God. That brought a scripture to mind.
A Psalm of David.
1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Psalm 23:title–6 (KJV 1900)
My cup runneth over.
She mentioned mercy, grace, and forgiveness. I couldn’t find a single scripture with all three, but I did find one that was good for mercy and grace, which implies forgiveness.
14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
16Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:14–16 (NASB95)
It is fitting that scripture ties in to Jesus, too. It is He who judges all and He who earned us forgiveness. It is not anything we do or can do that gets that forgiveness. Simply, faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
That is important to understand because as we go into this Thanksgiving holiday (in the US), we need to squash out doubts or “panic” when we begin to question our own faith. What if our faith isn’t enough? That brought one scripture to mind, and in looking for it, a second related scripture came up. There are no coincidences. Here are both.
10as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one;
11There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God;
12All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”
13“Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14“Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
15“Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17And the path of peace they have not known.”
18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Romans 3:10–18 (NASB95)
Psalm 14:1-3; Psalm 53:1-3
Psalm 5:9; Psalm 140:3
Psalm 10:7
Isaiah 59:7
Psalm 36:1
14“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
16‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
17‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
18I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
19‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
20‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
21‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”
Revelation 3:14–22 (NASB95)
The combination of those two selections of scripture chill me to the bone. No one is good enough, and some who think they are accepted will be rejected. What if I’m in the “lukewarm” camp? What if I’ve got it so wrong that I’m in the rejected group? That idea fills me with the panic of a host getting ready for a big event, and I’ve failed some major aspects of the preparations.
Panic.
Pastor Lee took it to a question in her Sermon. She asked, is there enough forgiveness for my sins? What if God runs out? What if I’ve done such terrible things He can’t forgive me? Is there enough grace for my doubts? Will He still love me even when I fail to love others as commanded?
Panic.
Will there be enough?
8The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9He will not always chide: Neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10He hath not dealt with us after our sins; Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11For as the heaven is high above the earth, So great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13Like as a father pitieth his children, So the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
Psalm 103:8–13 (KJV 1900)
God will through our sins as far away from Him as the East is from the West, but it gets better.
10By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;
12but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,
13waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.
14For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
15And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,
16“This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will write them,” He then says,
17“And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
18Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.
19Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
20by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
21and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
24and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
26For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.
Hebrews 10:10–27 (NASB95)
Psalm 110:1
Jeremiah 31:33-34
Isaiah 26:11
Pastor Lee mentioned this miracle as being in all four gospels. What she did not emphasize, which I think she should have, is this. The miracle of the loaves and fishes is the only miracle in all four gospels. John 6:1-14; Matthew 14:13-33; Mark 6:32-52, and Luke 9:10-17. Halley’s Bible Handbook says this about the location.
The exact location of the feeding of the 5000 is not completely certain, but it may have been near the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, possibly a mile or so west of where the Jordan River enters into the sea.
Henry Hampton Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook with the New International Version., Completely rev. and expanded. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 697.
As the sermon moved on, Pastor Lee suggested the people were very hungry. She said, there’s no Aramaic word for “hangry.” We laughed, but the point is a good one. They were very hungry. Jesus saw a need and fed them.
She went on to discuss Phillip and Andrew's failure to recognize what He was about to do, and most of us also fail in this respect. Halley’s Bible Handbook does a great job of pointing out what I think was an important aspect of this miracle.
Notice Jesus’ love of order: He made the people sit down in groups of 50 and 100 (Mark 6:39–40), probably arranged around Him in a circle or semi-circle. This is also reminiscent of the Mosaic camp in the desert (for example, Exodus 18:21). He commanded that the leftovers be collected (John 6:12–13). Bread was regarded by the Jews as a gift from God. It was customary that all scraps be gathered at the end of mealtime. This also served to demonstrate the magnitude of Jesus’ miracle.
Henry Hampton Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook with the New International Version., Completely rev. and expanded. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 698.
Pastor Lee would allude later to the idea that the bread represented the mana from the people’s time in the desert. I think that’s a very apt comparison, especially in light of the idea that Jesus had the people sitting around Him as the tribes sat around the Tabernacle, which housed the Spirit of the Lord in the desert. The human body of Jesus housed the Spirit of the Lord very much like the tent did God’s Spirit in the desert. That changes this scripture a little, or at least it adds weight to it, in my view.
18Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.
19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:18–20 (NASB95)
Jesus is the temple that houses the Spirit of God. I think the point of this imagery Jesus set out for us is that our bodies are the same sort of temple housing God’s Spirit. If we think the Tabernacle was holy and should have been treated with respect, we should think the same thing about our own bodies.
The other point that came to mind with Phillip and Andrew missing the point and the child offering what little he or she had is where Pastor Lee went next. She began looking at things from the perspective of a question. What good can I do when I feel like I don’t have enough? This is about Andrew’s take on the child offering the small lunch. What good is so little?
Starfish.
What good is so little? What good is the little bit of something I have to offer, be it time, talents, or treasure?
Starfish.
The little boy walking along the beach covered in starfish that are going to dry out after the tide rolls out. He’s picking up one starfish at a time, tossing them back into the water. A stranger comes by and says to him, “What difference does that make? You can’t help them all.” The little boy looks at the starfish he’s about to toss back into the ocean and replies, “What I do matters to this one.”
You can’t help everyone, but what you can do matters to the people you do help.
However, that isn’t where Pastor Lee went. She took the questions in another direction. Her point tied in nicely with scripture. She said that Jesus took “What little we have” and multiplied it into enough to accomplish His task and more.
Jesus, I think was making another point with the end of this meal, too. He had the disciples gather all the leftovers. If we go with the time in the desert, the bread then was mana from God, just like it was here. Jesus turned what many saw as nothing into an abundance. However, when the people wandered in the desert, they weren’t allowed to gather and store the mana God provided. I think Jesus had them gather the leftovers to point out that their time in the desert was over. Our time in the desert is over. We are now in a time of plenty. Plenty of what you might ask?
Many look at the poverty in the world and see the want, but that is the fleshly world, the material goods of the world. Jesus was not about that, though He did provide bread and fish on this occasion. The plenty I think Jesus was demonstrating is the grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness offered by the final offering for our sins that gives us abundance in the Kingdom of God, the spiritual realm that embodies the rest of eternity.
Pastor Lee’s point was that if we put our lives into Jesus’ hands, what we see as a scarcity, a lack, “what little we have,” becomes not only enough for His purposes but an abundance that leaves “leftovers.”
By ourselves, we only see “what little we have,” but with Jesus, our lives become “as much as they wanted” (verse 11 from John 6.)
So, what do we do with the leftovers?
At Thanksgiving, leftovers are never insignificant. Pastor Lee said that and tied it into the question of what we do with leftovers. What do we do with them? We savor them as a favorite dish after the holiday until they run out.
That ties into Sunday’s scripture with the idea that everyone who ate that meal with Jesus was satisfied. They got enough to eat from Him. He took the meager offering from the boy and turned it into an overabundance for the multitudes. Jesus took what was given to Him and turned it into enough.
Pastor Lee summed up with this. When is “not enough” enough? When we put it in the hands of Jesus, our lack becomes His abundance. This happens when we put our lives in His hands, walk in His purpose, and follow His ways. If we take what we perceive as insufficient for the task and give it to Him, He turns it into more than enough, as He did with the loaves and the fishes.
So, what will you put in His hands today? What do you have that is not enough that Jesus can turn into “leftovers” for His purposes? God bless and Godspeed.