Food That Satisfies

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.” What a description of the general state of mankind! “Like sheep without a shepherd.” Everyone running his own way, scurrying to and fro, in a mad dash to dash madly until the end comes and everything stops dead.

In today's Gospel lesson, you heard how the people of the Galilean towns and villages were scurrying about in such a manner to get a glimpse of Jesus, to hear Him preach, and maybe even to have their ailments healed by His sacred touch. In such holy fervor, they were missing the point of actually listening to what Jesus was saying to them, much less doing what He commanded of them.

In this way, they were not so much different than you today. Possibly, you may not spend your life rushing about in holy fervor, but how much time do you spend distractedly busy with the this, that, and the other of this body and life?

After all, there is always something that needs done, and it seems like it needs done right this moment. There are the needs of your family, the needs of your business, the needs of your neighbor, the needs of your community – needs, needs, needs. There are always chores to be done, people and animals to be fed, an house to be picked up and looked after. A million and one things come along each day to invade your world and rob you of a moment's rest.

The people upon whom Jesus looked in today's lesson had another problem – the problem of celebrity-worship. They were rushing to and fro to get a glimpse of the star of the hour, the Son of Man who was healing all their illnesses and who would provide free food for thousands of people. They wanted to see and hear and touch the Man of God who was doing such great works among them. So great was their fervor that they forgot what He was saying to them.

You are not immune from the siren-call of celebrities and the paparazzi who flock after them. The advertising industry is built on this fact. Slap the face of a young, attractive model on the label of whatever product you like, and you can get people to buy it. If an Olympic athlete endorses something, it must be good. Just pick up a newspaper and read the accounts of the every move of this famous person or that. This season, you can find out just about everything you might ever want to know about a few men who want to be president. People run hither and yon to hear the candidates speak about anything and everything.

The problem of busy-ness is not new, nor is it consigned to the past. The people of Jesus' day hurried and scurried, going about the traffic of their daily lives without a thought to the reason or import. How often do you get caught up in the same trap? Wake up each day, plow into the to-do list until bedtime, then wake up the next day and do it all over again. Work, work, work – day in and day out. No rest for the weary, because there is always more to be done. But why? For what purpose? What significance does it have? Have you considered that?

Seeing the people in the midst of their frantic scrambling and scurrying, Jesus had compassion upon these lost sheep of the house of Israel. So He, the Good Shepherd, led those sheep without a shepherd to green grass. He brought them out to the countryside and began to teach them, and when the day was far spent and the people were weary, He bade them sit down on the green grass, and He fed them.

“All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way.” proclaims the prophet Isaiah. Indeed, we have all turned to our own ways. The heart of each man leads him in whatever direction his whims take him, until he is lost beyond finding. You seek after your own desires, your own inclinations, your own thoughts and ideas and tastes. You waste your time running after riches, then throw them away on things that are temporary and transient. You chase after fame and fortune, and covet the wealth and reputation of those who have more than you. And most of all, in the midst of all the chaos, you fail to hear the voice of your Shepherd, who calls to you from the still waters, who would lead you into verdant pasture.

Jesus, your Good Shepherd, has seen you in the midst of your chaos and confusion, and has had compassion upon you. You did not desire Him, nor was there anything in Him to attract your sinful eye, but He offered Himself up for you as the sacrifice for your sins. He entered the maze of human busy-ness and the hustle and bustle of life to lead the lost to the safety of His pasture. And He set Himself in harm's way, lighting the way out of the valley of the shadow of death by the radiance of His cross and resurrection.

While you were yet sinners, Christ died for you. He died for you, the ungodly, the lost, the condemned, the unworthy. While you were without a shepherd, lost and alone, Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd of the sheep, offered up Himself as the spotless Lamb of God who was slain to bear the sins of the world. He was given by the Father, to bear the Father's wrath for sin, that you might be spared. Jesus was offered up so that, “you who were once far off have been been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

Having been brought near by the blood of Christ, you have been brought into green pastures. While you were once alienated from God and far removed from His grace and blessings, you are now reconciled with Him and brought into His banquet hall.

You how have access to the Father of all goodness through Jesus' blood and merit. He bore your sins upon the cross to be your savior, and He rose again to proclaim to you the dawning of the new creation in and among you. He now leads you into the green pastures of which David in ancient times spoke so longingly.

Our Lord Christ now leads you into the place where He has transformed the dry, barren wilderness into the verdant, lush pasture. You were once hungry and thirsty, but now He bids you lie down in the midst of plentiful food and to drink from pure waters, neither of which will ever fail or be used up. He has set His banquet table before you in the presence of all people, and He has anointed your head with the oil of gladness, that you may be made fit to sit and dine with the Lord of the Feast.

Where the Lord once fed five thousand with bread and fish, He now feeds you with food ever so much more precious. He feeds you with His own holy Body and Blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of your sins. This is not a sometimes food. This is not something you do because it is a great and glorious, but isolated, incident. You eat the food which your Lord gives you because without it you would starve in the wilderness. This is the food which feeds you until the next meal, when you will eat of Him again. This is the bread for which you have so long prayed “Give us this day our daily bread!”

Jesus does not feed you once and then send you on your merry way. No, He gives of Himself again and again and again – “as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup.” Every time your soul hungers for forgiveness and thirsts for righteousness, He is there, satisfying the longings of your heart.

Jesus has enlightened your heart and mind with His holy Word, and He fortifies you in body and soul with His blessed Sacrament, that you might not die in the wilderness, but that you have the strength to go back to your towns and villages. He strengthens you to walk through the valley of the shadow of death while fearing no evil. He bids you to come and eat at his Table in the presence of your enemies, that you might be reconciled to all men and to God through His own precious blood.

So sit down in the lush green grass. Rest beside the quiet waters. Recline at table with your Lord. Eat the food for which you are starving; drink the cup which slakes your thirst.

Draw near and take the body of the Lord,

And drink the holy blood for you outpoured;

Offered was He for greatest and for least,

Himself the victim and Himself the priest (LSB 637:1).

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.