Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21 (Pentecost 10: Series A)

“What is on your mind?” she asked. They were eating out at a restaurant. It was date night, the one Friday a month Jaycee and her husband would go out without the kids. But Jake was quiet. He was processing things at work. His co-worker had cancer. He was about the same age. He also had two boys. And Jake could not help thinking “What if that was me?” But he did not want to ruin the evening.

It is strange how circumstances can shape the way we experience a meal. Jake did not want to bring up his co-worker’s situation. That would be like inviting death to the table and it would probably change their meal.

Yet, that is precisely what Matthew does as he offers the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand. He brings death to the table and, when we see this, it changes our appreciation for what is going on.

Matthew begins by saying, “When Jesus heard this, He withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by Himself” (verse 13). How strange to hear about Jesus withdrawing. Normally, Jesus advances. He journeys toward places. But here, Jesus is withdrawing. Not only is he withdrawing, but it is to a desolate place, and it is by Himself.

What did Jesus hear that would cause him to withdraw... to a desolate place... by Himself?

The death of John the Baptist.

Before Matthew speaks of the feeding of the five thousand, Matthew tells us of this great prophet’s death. John the Baptist had been in the custody of Herod and the plots of Herod’s political palace led to John’s beheading. His head was brought into a birthday party on a platter and set before Herod’s niece. Matthew intentionally links this sordid story to the feeding of the five thousand and I would like to ponder why.

Often, when I think about the feeding of the five thousand, the biblical account that comes to mind is the feeding of Israel in the wilderness. With that story hovering in the background, Jesus looks like the prophet Moses. He is the One leading and teaching God’s people, who sustains them when they hunger in the wilderness.

With his reference to the death of John the Baptist, however, Matthew asks us to have another story in mind when we meditate on the feeding of the five thousand: Herod’s bloody birthday party. With that narrative in the background, we suddenly begin to see two kings, two meals, and two different kinds of kingdoms. Jesus is a different kind of King than Herod, and meditating on the difference leads us to rejoice in the Kingdom Jesus brings.

Jesus is a different kind of King than Herod, and meditating on the difference leads us to rejoice in the Kingdom Jesus brings.

King Herod had created a meal for himself. It was his birthday, and he planned a feast to celebrate the occasion, with fine food, fine wine, fine music, and fine girls who danced so fine. Herod provided a meal for himself, where people could bring well-wishes to the king.

The feast of King Jesus, however, is different. No fine food, just bread and fish, the food of a day laborer. No fine music, just the cries of the sick. No dancing girls, just people who could not walk, much less dance, being brought to the feet of Jesus.

Yet, Jesus prepares a meal for them. Why? Because Jesus is bringing a different kind of kingdom. He does not come to receive our well-wishes. He comes to wish us well. His Kingdom is filled not with palace intrigues that lead to death, but with divine mercy that leads to life. Dancing will be done but it will be done by those who have been healed by His mercy.

There will be death, all right, the death of a prophet. Indeed, there will be the death of someone who is more than a prophet: Jesus Christ, the very Son of God. His death, however, will not just be the result of petty games of power among the religious leaders. His death will be the result of God the Father’s gracious plan to use His power to end sickness and death on this earth. The power of God which comes in Jesus is present at this dinner. He has come to bring healing to the sick, food to the hungry, and salvation to all who live under the reign of death.

The Kingdom of Jesus is filled with the poor, the weak, and the suffering because Jesus came to bring such people to Himself. Herod celebrated his birthday, but Jesus celebrates yours, the day you were born by water and the Spirit into the Kingdom of God. The table Jesus has set in the midst of the wilderness upends the kingdom’s of this world and extends the Kingdom of God, even to our congregation today.

In our world, it is so easy to get immersed in the petty power and politics of the ruling kingdoms. These politics have fractured our country and divided our families. We long to get away, to wander out into some desolate place by ourselves, where we can find rest from the constant conflict.

This morning, Matthew tells you when you enter that desolate place, you will find Jesus. He is there, waiting for you. He came to bring the wearied salvation, the wandering a sense of purpose, and the weak a source of strength for the struggles of life. Come this morning to the table of King Jesus. Feast in and on His everlasting love, given for you.

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Additional Resources:

Craft of Preaching-Check out our previous articles on Matthew 14:13-21.

Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Matthew 14:13-21.

Text Week-A treasury of resources from various traditions to help you preach Matthew 14:13-21.

Lectionary Podcast-Dr. Arthur Just of Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN walks us through Matthew 14:13-21.