"Five Loaves, Two Fish, and Stone Soup " (Matthew 14:13-21)

I believe that we can create miracles.

A simple definition or understanding of “miracle” is any act that reveals the presence of God.  Our scripture reading this morning is definitely a “miracle” story . . . Jesus feeds a crowd of five thousand according to the writer of the Gospel of Matthew.  And he does it with five loaves of bread and two fish!  Pretty impressive stuff!  It is a miracle and God is revealed in the great feast that is provided.

 

I’m impressed.  Shoot I am impressed whenever our whole family gets together and all fourteen of us get stuffed on a meal that is prepared by Nana . . . and Jesus did it for five thousand.  Ask Dana about the moaning and groaning when I must fix the meal for the two of us.  What Jesus did is impressive.  And it is called a miracle because it reveals the “holy” . . . reveals God . . . to those who witness it.  My cooking is not miraculous . . . being here to tell you about it might be, but my cooking is not.

 

We know this is a “miracle” story—and a pretty important one at that—because it shows up in two of the gospels.  We heard Matthew’s version of the story this morning, and then there is the Gospel of John’s version.  The Gospel of John is a little different.  In Matthew’s version it is the disciples who produce the five loaves and two fish which enables Jesus to feed the five thousand.  In John’s version it is a young boy who offers to share his five loaves and two fish allowing Jesus to pull off the miracle.  But in both stories the people are fed, and God is revealed.  Only in the Gospel of John is the act acknowledged as a miracle or revelation of the “holy”.  The writer tells us:  After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

 

Because of this story, I believe that we can create miracles.

 

Many years ago, when I was a child, I heard the story of Stone Soup.  Stone Soup is a European folk story.  In the version I heard it was about three soldiers making their way home from a war.  As they are traveling all they have is what is on their backs—nothing else.  Their travels towards home had made them hungry because they had not eaten for many days.  Coming upon a village they knocked upon a door and inquired if the residents had any food they could spare for some hungry soldiers on their way home.  They were denied.  Over and over, they knock on doors and at each they are turned away empty handed and hungry.

 

Despondent, one of the soldiers gets an idea.  Instead of asking for food they should ask for a cauldron at the next house.  When asked why they needed a cauldron the soldier says, “Tell the people it is to make some wonderfully delicious stone soup.”  Having succeeded in getting the cauldron, the soldier proceeds to start the stone soup . . . first comes the water and then the stones.

 

Of course, the actions of the soldiers catch the curiosity of the villagers who begin to gather and ask questions.  Each question is answered with “wonderfully delicious stone soup.”  Then one of the villagers says that the stone soup would be even better if they threw in some carrots and that he would donate the carrots if he could have some when it was ready.  Then someone offered potatoes . . . another cabbage . . . another meat.  Soon the cauldron was filling up with all sorts of delicious ingredients for soup.

 

When the village had emptied out all the ingredients for the soup into the cauldron and the soup had cooked, the soldiers doled it out and shared it with everyone.  At the same time the soldiers filled their own tummies with a wonderfully delicious stone soup made possible from all the ingredients shared by the villagers.  Everyone was satisfied.

 

Of course, the moral of the story is that the wonderful meal and the feeding of everyone is made possible because of sharing.  I’d say it was a miracle.

 

Through my years of ministry, I have witnessed countless miracles revolving around food thanks to potlucks.  As you know a potluck is a gathering of folks who bring food to share with everyone.  Well, if you have ever been involved in a potluck then you have seen a miracle.  I cannot count the many times that I looked out at the spread of food across the tables at a church potluck and then looked at the number of people who had to be fed, and thought to myself, “No way!”  There is not enough food to feed all these people.

 

And guess what!  There has always been enough food to feed everyone.  In fact, there has always been enough to feed everyone and plus a whole bunch left over.  I have never seen anyone leave a potluck hungry.  And what do we say?  God will provide.  Sure enough God does and it is a revelation of the “holy”.

 

If you have studied this story before you probably know that there are two explanations about how the miracle occurs and five thousand are fed.  One explanation, based on the Gospel of John, is that those gathered were moved by the boy’s willingness to share what he had.  Seeing his compassion to share, everyone else then becomes willing to share from what they have.  It is a sort of “stone soup” occurrence.

 

Author Tom Mullen, in his devotional book, When Two or Three are Gathered . . . Someone Spills the Milk, writes a series of devotions based upon how difficult it is to get any group to agree on something and work together.  So, think about it . . . five thousand people working together for everyone to eat.  That is miraculous!

 

That is one explanation of the story, and it works for both Matthew and John.  The other explanation is more magical.  Both writers tell us that Jesus received the bread and fish, prayed over them, and then . . . POOF!  Sending his disciples out to distribute the food there is more than enough to feed everyone with a whole bunch of leftovers to spare.  I think we would all say that it a miracle.

 

God makes it happen.  God is revealed.  It is a miracle plain and simple.  There is no denying that.  And, again, because of this story, I believe we can make miracles happen.

 

Anthropologist Margaret Mead said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”  People working together can make a difference.  We see it in the feeding of the five thousand.  It is a miracle.

 

I want to invite all of us to become miracle makers . . . to get into the business of making miracles . . . of revealing God.  I want us to believe that if we work together, we can make a difference . . . that we can change the world . . . that we can make miracles happen.  I want us to do this together.

 

In the scriptures we are told that whenever two or three are gather in the name of Jesus that he is there with them.  And if Jesus is for us who can be against us?  If it is God’s will . . . so be it.  Coming together.  Working together.  Doing it for one another.  Having love for one another.  Showering grace upon each other.  Revealing the “holy” . . . revealing and acknowledging God.  That is the key to it all.

 

Who would have thought that five loaves of bread, two fish, and stone soup would reveal God . . . would expose the “holy” . . . would be called a miracle.  I don’t know.  Maybe we should ask those who were there . . . the five thousand.  Or maybe we should ask any survivor of a church potluck.  If they could do it, so can we.  We are the followers of Jesus, God is with us, and we only have to believe.  Jesus tells us: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20, NIV). 

 

We can do it . . . we can make miracles happen.  Amen.