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‘You do it…yes, you can with help!’

August 2, 2026

Scriptures: Genesis 32:22-31, Romans 9:1-5, Matthew
14:13-21

‘You give them something to eat’, said Jesus to his
shocked and stunned disciples at the end of what had been
a very long and tiresome day. And though at first they
questioned his request, they were soon to find out that
Jesus had the whole day firmly in his control, and that his
response was planned out well in advance. And while this
passage is one of the most well-known stories in the
gospels, in fact being the only one recounted in all four of
the gospel accounts, it also offers multiple points of entry
for one seeking to learn more of just what Jesus was up to
that day.
I would like to focus in on two aspects which are
probably often overlooked or ignored. The first of these is
the generosity of Jesus when it comes to giving of
himself, even when it is an inconvenient or difficult time
to do so…and second, I want to consider the actual words
he spoke to his disciples late that afternoon. And while

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these are two distinct points, in truth they are fully
dependent on one another, they each need each other in
order for the story…and for our own call as disciples of
Jesus, to hang together.
I have often spoken of ‘busy-ness’, and of how hard
it is to find quiet time away from all that seems to be
pressuring us to do this or that, as well as to do so in the
proper order and priority. I have said that in order to be
true to the ministry we are called to we need to find a
balance between all of the exterior calls upon our lives,
and the interior urgings of the Holy Spirit…urgings which
constantly call us into a deeper relationship with all that is
holy. There is this push-pull between God and self both
within our story…as well as in our own lives.
For you see, the back story of that day is that Jesus
had just received the very troubling news of his cousin
John the Baptist’s senseless death at the hands of the
Jewish King Herod. Seeking to find a place where he
could just be alone as he reflected on the terrible cost of
his ministry, Jesus set off for the hill country beside the
Sea of Galilee.
Other people, unaware of the day’s tragic events saw
where they were going however and followed them,

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seeking to see and to hear this Jesus they had heard so
much about. And in spite of all that was troubling him so
very deeply, Jesus had compassion on the gathering
crowd and in fact came down and spent the whole day
preaching and teaching. Not his original plan or
desire…not what he felt he needed just moments
before…but rather his response to the call on his
innermost being to continue to be God’s love incarnate.
So you see…even there that day there was that push-pull
between personal need or desire, and the call of the Lord
on one’s soul.
For you see, with a life given over to faith there is
often a struggle between the urge to care for oneself, and
the Spirit’s uncompromising demands to truly ‘love one
another’…in effect to love ‘others’. And much like Jesus
in our story today, we too may get to a point at times
when we just need to stop, to get away from it all for a bit,
to find a quiet place where we might take a breath, and
perhaps even be renewed.
I remember as a child, much like most children I
would imagine, when the things I was asked to do by my
mom or dad seemed bothersome. In fact at times they
were downright objectionable…not unreasonable mind

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you looking back…but just so untimely! For it seemed
like they were often tasks that could just as easily be done
later on, perhaps when it was more convenient for
me…when it would not impact my ‘personal schedule’ so
pointedly. But the insistence was there, and eventually, if
a bit begrudgingly, I would get up and do whatever had
been asked of me…(often a bit less than graciously than I
should have I am sure!). However, as I grew older, and
especially when the roles were reversed as I sought to
raise my own children, I realized that those early and
insistent voices of guidance and direction, those requests
given to me at times which I felt were inconvenient, were
in fact important lessons seeking to teach me to make
good and right decisions throughout my life and faith.
Later on, as I grew older and found myself being
pursued more deeply by this Lord of ours, I realized that
the quite persistent, and frequently very insistent voice of
the Holy Spirit was also asking me to do things that were
not always comfortable or convenient. And even though I
know deep within that I am fully capable of doing
whatever it is the Lord is asking of me, I need to remind
myself that if the Spirit asks me to give of myself, or of
my resources, that those resources are in fact a gift given
for a reason. Remember our Lord’s words to Abraham at

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the very beginning of their relationship…‘I will bless
you’, God told him, ‘so that you may be a blessing to
others’. As such, I really have no right to ever worry that
giving will somehow leave me wanting. For I know that I
know, that God provides for God’s work to be done, even
if it means using things we thought were for our use, or
our security alone.
In truth, even if God’s call may at times seem
inconvenient…it is only because I have lost sight of the
fact that it is not just about me. Rather it is all about how I
am being asked to stand in that sacred place between the
inflowing grace of God, and a person in need. It is all
too easy to forget that each day we have, is in fact a gift.
And as such, it really is best to offer it back to God each
morning as each new day presents a chance to participate
in the work of God all over again, rather than simply
pursuing our own agenda or desires.
And so I imagine that the disciples, much like Jesus,
were also tired and wrung out there in the field on that hot
and dry afternoon. I am pretty sure that they probably
wanted to be left alone for a change as well…also wanted
to have some time away from the press of the crowds. I
imagine that when they came to Jesus and presented him

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with the ‘problem’ of the crowd’s hunger and thirst, they
may actually have hoped that he would go along with the
solution they had come up with…that he would agree that
they all should go off into a nearby town and fend for
themselves.
But instead, Jesus acted…so like Jesus, and turned
the incident into a profound teaching moment. I think that
we probably have heard this story so many times that we
may no longer really listen to it. I think we tend to quickly
focus in on the multiple baskets of bread and fish virtually
overflowing as excited and amazed disciples tried to push
their way through the crowds…I think we look only at the
miracle of multiplication, rather than on everything else
that was going on.
To be sure the bread and fish thing was amazing in
itself, but the gospels are not trying to tell us simply of the
powers of this one man from Nazareth, but rather seeking
to show us that Jesus truly was and is Immanuel…that
Jesus is fully God with us, and, that the things he was
doing were fully and truthfully reflective of the true
nature of our God. And actually, I think a case can be
made that this story is as much about us and our own
calling as it is about Jesus. Which brings us to our second

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point of focus…to the words Jesus actually said to his
disciples. Jesus said to them in response to their dilemma,
‘You give them something to eat’.
Which I am sure was not at all what they expected to
hear, and in fact, was not at all something that was
convenient, or comfortable. In fact, their first reaction to
Jesus was actually to say, ‘ummm…I don’t think we can
do that!’ And while they may have not actually said ‘no’
to Jesus, they made it clear that this was not something
they were prepared for, not something which they felt
they were at all equipped to do. Jesus had crossed a line
here…this was a job for him, not for them!
But Jesus persisted saying, ‘Bring the bread and fish
to me’. You see, he was still teaching the disciples that
their calling as disciples was to be in constant
relationship with him. So that, and in order that he
might work wonders through them, allowing the
steadfast provision of God, to be a tool of their own work
and ministry.
You see, it was not just about another mid-day
sideshow put on by this Rabbi from Galilee. Rather, Jesus
was their teacher, he was the one seeking to fashion
disciples who would be able to carry on his work of love

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long after he was gone. This was a moment of instructive
grace meant to prepare his disciples for the work ahead.
‘You give them something to eat’, he said, knowing that
they were truly capable if they put their heart and soul
into it, and, if they would turn to God in their need, if
they would just draw deeply from the well of living water
that never runs dry. Jesus had complete faith in his
disciples, he had given them the tools required to do the
work of God…they just needed to start doing it.
And, just as Jesus taught and trained his hesitant
disciples that afternoon, so also he does with us. We too
are called to faithfully share and give of all we have, and
all we are to others…trusting that the few small loaves
which we have, and the couple of fish we offer in faith
will be fully sufficient to accomplish the task the Spirit
has asked of us.
Indeed the ‘miracle of the feeding of the five
thousand’ is still awesome and amazing, and it is always
fun to imagine the surprise of all who were there that day
as everyone was fed by the disciples and all the leftovers
were gathered up. But let us remember that this other,
instructive way of hearing what went on, is perhaps the
most important lesson Jesus sought to share.

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And so, if we find ourselves asking, ‘what should we
do Lord? How is it that you want us to care for those
around us in need? There are so many, and the needs are
so great, their hunger and thirst is so far beyond our own
limited resources’…
Then listen carefully, for Jesus surely will reply once
again…‘You go, you give them something to eat, you go
and feed them. For I have taught you, I have trained
you, I have given you the means, the passion, and the
ability. And perhaps most importantly, I have given you
an example, so go, and do the same’
…I pray that our response will always be, ‘Yes Lord,
I will go there for you…I will do that for you, I will feed
them and comfort them…for you…
…amen

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