What do we do when bad things happen? How do we process our feelings about things like people invading our space, like when people break in?
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
Going back in the text, we read that Jesus just found out that his cousin, his predecessor, the one who was the voice crying out in the wilderness saying prepare the way of the Lord, John the Baptist, had died, brutally killed for speaking truth to power. Jesus wanted to take a moment to himself, to pray, to process his feelings, to find a sense of comfort and peace. It must have been overwhelming, knowing that his cousin was dead, and also knowing that his death was a consequence of his ministry. Can we imagine the conflicting emotions Jesus would have been feeling, not only processing the loss but also the fear that he was travelling along the same path, speaking truth to power and creating some of the same enemies? Is it any wonder Jesus withdrew, at least for a moment?
Jesus withdrew to a deserted place, but he didn’t stay hidden. He doesn’t allow his grief and fear to undermine his ministry. What happened to John the Baptist doesn’t change who Jesus was and is. When the crowds follow, he doesn’t run away. He leads with compassion, curing the sick, preaching, and teaching. And, when the time comes, he does not hesitate. When people are hungry, he tells the disciples to feed them.
Feed them. It is no small suggestion. There are thousands of people present and the only thing the disciples can muster up is five loaves and two fish. What is that for so many people? Somehow, by the Grace of God, it is enough. In fact, it is more than enough.
Kind of sounds like us – we are constantly working with not much and yet, somehow, by the Grace of God, it is enough. We have a few stories about this, don’t we? We have examples from the clothing cupboard, pasta dinners, Pride flag BBQ, even our budget. How often have we brought to God five loaves and two fish and it has been enough?
There is a lot about this week’s Gospel that resonates for who we are in this moment. When bad things happen, like a break-in, we can feel those feelings. We can take a moment to pray and find comfort and peace. Like Jesus, we do not allow those bad things to keep us from being who we are. We will continue our ministries. We will continue to serve those on the margins. We will continue to be outward looking, working with and supporting the community. And, like the disciples we will continually trust that God will ensure the gifts we have will be enough to do the work we are called to do.
This is our work and our prayer. May we continually choose to keep on keeping on, trusting that every time we bring to God our five loaves and two fish, by the Grace of God, it will be enough, and perhaps even more than enough. This we pray as we sing: 404 The Trumpets Sound the Angels Sing