Satisfaction

The feeding of the five thousand. One of the many miracle stories told about Jesus in the Gospels. This particular miracle story must be one that the early church found extremely important. The story of the feeding of the five thousand is told in all four Gospels, and relatively few events in Jesus’ life actually do make it into all four Gospels. In addition, Matthew and Mark tell the story all over again as the "feeding of the four thousand" just a few chapters after they’ve told about the feeding of the five thousand—probably an account of the same event that made it into the oral tradition in a slightly different version. Clearly this story is one the early Christians wanted to tell and wanted to hear. It spoke to them about something very important in Jesus’ ministry.

What about us? Is it a story that we are bursting to tell and eager to hear? Well, maybe… The miracle stories are difficult for me, and I suspect for many of you. How are we to accept, to interpret these stories? How could it be possible to feed five thousand people with just five loaves and two fish? In Jesus’ day I am sure the bread didn’t come with nutrition labels on it like we are used to today— labels describing the serving size, servings per loaf and calories per serving. We are used to that sort of accounting, though, and surely there is no loaf of bread that contains enough servings or enough total calories to provide sustenance for that many people.

We are not the first generation to have struggled with this story. I read an interpretation of this passage written over a hundred years ago. This interpretation suggests that among those who were with Jesus many actually had food with them amongst their belongings. Human nature being what it is, they were afraid to bring out their food for fear they would be expected to share with others (this being a Christian gathering). But Jesus’ faith, Jesus’ conviction, that there was enough shamed them or inspired them into revealing their stores. And once it was all brought forth, lo and behold, there was enough to go around. This interpretation certainly strikes me as contrived and overly imaginative, but it was offered faithfully. After all, Jesus is the means, indirectly at least, by which the people are fed.

Imaginative as this interpretation may be, it does leave us with one interesting point to consider. Note that in this retelling, Jesus does not miraculously create more bread or more fish. And if you look at Mark’s account closely, you will see that Mark does not suggest that Jesus created more bread or more fish. There is a church that stands today upon the shore of the Sea of Galilee at the site where this event may have taken place. The church is called the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves. And yet… nowhere in the New Testament, in none of the six variations on this story as it is told in the Gospels… nowhere does it say that Jesus multiplied the loaves. Nowhere does it say that Jesus took five loaves and made them into fifty loaves or five hundred or five thousand.

From Mark, which we heard this morning: "Taking the five loaves and the two fish, [Jesus] looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all." Five loaves and two fish.

"And all ate and were filled." Several other English translations read: all ate and were satisfied. Satisfied.

The miracle that interests me in this story is the miracle, or the five thousand miracles, that took place, not within the stomachs of the people gathered on that ancient hillside, but within their hearts. Five thousand were satisfied. Whether or not Jesus multiplied the loaves is not essential to this miracle.  Another translation reads that those five thousand sitting on the green grass achieved their heart’s content. Satisfaction, contentment in their hearts and souls. That is a miracle we still desperately need today.

Now I believe their physical hunger was assuaged. Whether that happened miraculously or in some more mundane way, I do not know. Do not think that I am suggesting that spiritual satisfaction somehow makes the belly-ache sort of hunger meaningless or that God doesn’t care about hunger or that we, as a church, really don’t need to worry about hunger. That is not what I’m saying.

But I do want to hold up the other sort of miracle that Jesus evidently has the power to perform, the miracle of bringing satisfaction into the human heart. The power to still the hunger of the soul.

True, deep inner satisfaction. The sense that, at least in this particular moment of life, no more is needed. What we have been given is abundant. My cup runneth over. It is a rare and wonderful feeling. A satisfied soul. Just think of some of the qualities of life that result from a satisfied soul. A satisfied soul, for example, does not feel envy or resentment. No more is needed.  A satisfied soul does not feel self-doubt or anxiety. We have been given abundance.  A satisfied soul does not judge or measure others; what would be the point? To bring satisfaction to five thousand souls on a hillside in Galilee was a miracle indeed. To bring satisfaction to just one soul here today would be a miracle, too. And that miracle comes in sharing a meal with the Son of God. Only communion with God can bring fullness and satisfaction to our souls.

The culture around us tries to tell us otherwise, of course. It’s almost a cliché, but still we fall for it… popular culture’s message that material or physical satiation is what we really need. We know satiation does not bring satisfaction, but we are drawn in, seduced into believing that if we fill our lives, we will be fulfilled. And so we do. Fill our lives, satiate our lives with activities, entertainment, more and more bits and bytes, more and more material goods and goodies. We cannot resist the pressure to be a part of the newest technology upgrade (that’s me) or we cannot resist the temptation to overstuff our children’s lives with programs and activities (that’s a lot of folk I see around me). Surely if we have it all, we will be complete.  But filling our lives does not fulfill our souls. Satiating our senses does not satisfy our hearts.

"I can’t get no satisfaction. 'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try. I can’t get no satisfaction. Oh, no, no, no. Hey, hey, hey. That’s what I say. I can’t get no satisfaction. I can’t get no, I can’t get no." (I found the lyrics on the internet; there’s a good bit more in this same vein.)  At least those of you more or less my age and younger will recognize the memorable words of Mic Jagger and the Rolling Stones. "I can’t get no satisfaction." Mic Jagger and the Rolling Stones undoubtedly had access to virtually everything that popular culture has to offer a human being. Do you suppose they ever have, or ever will, find spiritual satisfaction, fulfillment for their hearts and souls?

It would be a miracle if they did. It was that very miracle that Jesus performed for the five thousand gathered in Galilee and it is that miracle that Jesus has performed in countless hearts since and it is that same miracle that Jesus continues to perform whenever the Body of Christ gathers at the Lord’s table. A fulfilled heart. A satisfied soul. That is the miracle of communion with God. Let us pray that God may grant us that miracle.

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