Matthew 14:13-21 on August 2nd, 2026
Above is audio of the sermon pulled from the video and amplified.
Below is transcript pulled from the video and formatted by artificial intelligence. There may be inconsistencies or errors.
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The Feeding of the 5,000: God's Abundance and Our Purpose
The story of the feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle story recorded in all four gospels. And because it is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels, there must be something pretty important about it. There must be something to this story that spoke to those writers, something that made them say, yes, we need to confess this about Jesus and about God and us.
What Does This Story Reveal?
So what is that confession? What do all four writers want to convey to us? The most obvious answer is that maybe they wanted to share about Jesus's power and ability. And while I think that's true, there are lots of stories that could be told about Jesus's power, yet all four told this particular story with only minor differences.
Maybe it had to do with the sheer number of people that were following—5,000 men besides the women and children. It's kind of a lot. But again, anytime Jesus is teaching, there are crowds. Surely this wasn't the only time that he had a following like this.
Or maybe they were trying to show Jesus's compassion for those who did not have. Or Jesus being able to do a lot with the little. Or maybe it has to do with food.
The Significance of Food
Food. Could it be that simple? Could it be that something we in modern day America take for granted is the whole point of this story? And yet while most of us do take it for granted, we can't do without food. Food is of the utmost importance. That is as true now as it was in Jesus' time.
And as something that God knows throughout the biblical story, God insists that all people be fed. Jesus talks about it. Prophets make that claim. And going way back, God even provides food for the Israelites in the wilderness. Food and meals are essential to life, to relationship. So much so that being fed abundantly is a sign of the kingdom of God being fulfilled. Heaven is a banquet feast.
The World in Jesus' Time
In Jesus' time there weren't any food stores. Many people had but only enough to survive. And to add to the problem, the world was split very definitively between those who had and those who didn't. Those who ate lavishly and those who barely had enough nutrition to survive. Kings and peasants, elite and lesser, more than enough and only just enough.
So when Jesus takes food and feeds regular people—feeds regular people so much that they're full, feeds regular people so much that they are full and there are left overs—well now you have the attention of some first century listeners because most of them had only enough.
God's Kingdom Revealed
This miracle reveals God's intentions. It reveals God's abundance. It reveals God's kingdom. It confronts head on the injustices of the world and says that in God's kingdom people are fed. It contradicts the status quo of what worldly abundance means and instead shows that for God there is no such thing as only just enough.
Jesus enacts God's kingdom in a way that was real for those who were there. And while King Herod was having a party to flaunt his power and influence, Jesus used who he was to provide, to do beyond what was right for the people to meet their most deep set needs.
The Role of the Disciples
But believe it or not, there's a little bit more to the story than even that. While it does show us Jesus's power and generosity, he doesn't do it by himself. That multiplying stuff, yes, sure, he does that. But in order to do it, Jesus looks to the disciples. He uses the disciples to bring the kingdom.
"You, you give them something to eat."
And probably a little flabbergasted, the disciples examine their inventory and find they only have five loaves and two fish to feed over 5,000 people. "We have nothing here but nothing but not nearly enough only."
And that argument holds no water with Jesus because Jesus can do so much with just a little. Just a little bit of bread, just a little bit of willingness, just a little bit of compassion. Jesus can turn that into a whole lot.
What We Can Do With Our Little
Over the years, we at St. Philip have used our little to do a lot. Our meals for the homeless started out as only sandwiches in the parking lot. And now we prepare at least 60 home cooked meals for guests who come here for food and hospitality. A little bit has grown tremendously.
Christmas in July used to be only a few names on a tree. And now this year has been multiplied to donating over $7,500 to ministries that support and have compassion for children. A little bit has grown into great joy.
Our growing congregation, while not transformed in anything resembling a mega church in any way, continues to renovate, to welcome, to grow, to do a whole lot. And I think that's because we take what we have and we trust Jesus to do some pretty great things with it. And even when we feel like we don't have much to give, much to offer, Jesus gladly takes our little bit and does something miraculous.
Beyond the "But Only" Mentality
But just because Jesus can do a lot with the little doesn't mean we shouldn't do more. Jesus doesn't mean for us to only offer up five loaves when we really have 10. Instead, Jesus wants us to get beyond the "but only" mentality.
"But we only have this. I can only supply that."
It is often our "it's up to me" attitude that blinds us to what God can do and does do in our world. So when things seem too big and we don't seem like enough, we get to hand it over to Jesus. Because while Jesus involves us, it is not up to us.
The miracle story reminds us that it's not my effort. It's not my gift, but it's whose hands that gift goes into. And our gifts given over to Jesus work some pretty amazing things.
A Little Goes a Long Way
A little bit goes a long way. A little bit of effort, a little bit of faith, a little bit of action, a little bit of giving. It goes a long way because we are not doing this ourselves. We are doing it with Jesus.
And that starts with Jesus first giving to us. Jesus makes sure that we are fed. The Messiah hosts a meal for us. Just as Jesus took the bread from the disciples, blessed it, broke it, gave it to them, Jesus does the same for us. He gives us Himself in bread and wine.
Jesus hosted thousands at that miracle meal. He hosted His 12 disciples at the last supper and Jesus hosts us at His table today, feeding us with abundant forgiveness and grace. And those lowly gifts of bread and wine—Jesus comes to us to help us live out His disciples, to live out His call.
"You give them something to eat."
Jesus includes us, uses what we have, including just us, to do miraculous things which show the abundant love of God.
The Promise and Our Purpose
And so we trust. We trust that Jesus is who we claim Him to be. Trust that He will do what He says. And that is the promise in this story: that Jesus takes who you are and assures you that you are more than enough.
No buts, no onlys. You are more than enough.
And so now we all are part of living out that love. And that's the miracle here. Not what Jesus does with some bread and some fish, but what Jesus does with us. He feeds us and He calls us to feed. He loves us and He calls us to love. He takes you in His hands and tells you that you are more than enough.
And that truly shows God's intentions, God's abundance, God's love so that all are filled.
Amen.