Today’s reading features the second of Jesus’ miraculous feedings. As a kid, this section of Scripture always confused me. Just one chapter earlier, Jesus fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. (14:13-21) Yet here—with fewer people—the disciples still ask “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?” (15:33)
I always thought of this as an example of how unbelievably dense Jesus’ apostles must have been. After watching one miraculous feeding of a multitude how they could they still not get it?
During my graduate studies, however, I learned something that helped make better sense of the apostles’ reaction. Apparently, the context for the feeding of the 5,000 was the land of Israel. Jesus was among His people—God’s people; But the setting for the feeding of the 4,000 is among Gentiles. These were folks who were “outside the camp” of Israel. If this distinction is correct, I think it’s a little easier to understand why the apostles reacted as they did. They may have been thinking: “Sure, God showed up to help us before, but that was because He was feeding the chosen nation…just like He did for Moses and our ancestors in the wilderness…but these guys are another story. Who knows if God even wants to bother with stirring up a miracle for them?”
After feeding the 5,000 Jews the apostles gathered up 12 baskets of leftovers. As I’m sure you’re aware, twelve was a number with significant meaning in Jewish tradition. It could be taken as symbolizing wholeness…completeness…the idea that Jesus represents all that Israel needs now and forevermore. Similarly, the seven baskets gathered after the feeding of the 4,000 communicates a similar message for Gentiles with a number that was of symbolic significance for them.
The notion that God might hear the prayers and bless the lives of those outside the “chosen circle” was one that Christ’s followers continued to struggle with for some time. For many it was incomprehensible that someone could be a follower of Jesus without first being a follower of Moses. In fact, this mindset was so entrenched, that God found it necessary to take the step of imparting the Holy Spirit to some Gentiles just to get the point across. (see Acts 10)
Christians today can fall prey to this same temptation to assume that God only works amongst us…that in order for the LORD’s merciful power to be unleashed upon a person’s life he/she must first become like us. Let us disabuse ourselves of the notion that God is constrained by our “boxes.” He is Sovereign of all. It is not our job to bring God to the rest of Creation so that He can start working there…it is to open our eyes to the work He is already doing, and join Him in it.
-- Justin
No comments:
Post a Comment