Worship Helps for Pentecost 11

Title: The Feeding of the Five Thousand

Artist: Melanie Schuette

Worship Theme: The Christian trusts God to provide. God reveals his mighty power chiefly in showing mercy and kindness. God feeds hungry mouths and hungry souls with his gifts of grace. When we bring our problems to Jesus, he will richly supply all we need.

Old Testament: Genesis 41:41-49

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." ⁴² Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt." ⁴⁵ Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. ⁴⁶ Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout Egypt. ⁴⁷ During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. ⁴⁸ Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. ⁴⁹ Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.

1. What position did Pharaoh give to Joseph?

2. Joseph was 30 years old when he became leader in Egypt. Joseph went from being sold into slavery by his older brothers when he was only 17 years old. No one would have ever dreamed that Joseph would go from slavery to the position of second in command of all of Egypt. … No one except Joseph himself! (Check out Genesis 37:7, 9). How did God protect Joseph for all those years and provide for his people at the same time?

3. What can we learn from the account of Joseph about how the Lord provides for his people?

Epistle: 1 Timothy 4:4-5

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

4. The Gnostic heretics that plagued the early church believed the physical world was evil. They demanded an ascetic life that was at odds with God’s intentions for our existence. How does this differ from what the apostle Paul says in these two short verses?

Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. ¹⁵ As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." ¹⁶ Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." ¹⁷ "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. ¹⁸ "Bring them here to me," he said. ¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

5. Look at each of the following phrases, and note the lesson Jesus’ disciples learned from each about work in the kingdom.

“He had compassion on them” (verse 14).

“They do not need to go away” (verse 16)

“Bring [the five loaves of bread and two fish] here to me” (verse 18).

“He gave them to the disciples” (verse 19).

6. How did what the disciples see differ from what Jesus could see?

Answers:

1. He made Joseph second in command in Egypt - in charge of the entire grain storage program. He gave him his signet ring and fine clothing. He gave Joseph a chariot and demanded that all the Egyptians honor Joseph.

2. God protected Joseph through all his years as a slave. He then raised Joseph from the depths of prison to dizzying heights of power. By the age of 30 he controlled one of the greatest empires the world has known. And it was all so God could provide for his people. He used Joseph as his tool to fill the granaries during the seven fat years that he might give bread to the people during the seven lean. So great was God’s blessing that they stopped counting the grain! The grace in God’s provision can be seen not only in the thousands of Egyptians saved from starvation, but most especially in the grain he provided to Jacob and his sons during the famine. Though he was sold as a slave, God made Joseph vizier that he might be God’s hand providing food to preserve the bloodline of the Savior.

3. How often we look at our lives and see only problems and none of the possibilities that God would work in us and through us! Look at Joseph and learn again to trust God to provide.

4. Paul asserts that God not only cares about our physical existence, but everything we need for it is, in fact, a creation of God and essentially good—not evil. Rather than a life of denial, the Christian life is one of gratefully receiving all that we need as gracious gifts from God.

5. Jesus teaches them to have compassion on people in need, even in their physical needs.

Perhaps the crowd should have left Jesus and found the nearest food store. But the best place to be in a time of need is with Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t need many resources to help others. With Jesus, the smallest of resources will yield the greatest bounty.

This is the first time Jesus asked his disciples to help him perform a miracle. Jesus is letting his disciples personally experience his power.

6. The disciples saw all of the problems and none of the possibilities. They could estimate how many months’ wages it would cost; they could tally the measly resources on hand. Their math didn’t fail them, but their faith did. They did not begin to understand what kind of Lord they had in Jesus. Jesus taught them that a Christian trusts in God to provide when he said, “Bring them here to me!” They should have done immediately; it should be our first response to want or crisis. Bring it to Jesus. And look how he answered! So much food that thousands were fed and there were bushels left over. Here, the Son of God showed that he even cares for the physical needs of his people. Trust in God to provide!

Putting your faith into action

Jesus fed over five thousand people. First, though, he fed their souls with the bread of life. This miracle reminds us that the greatest need is the feeding of souls. The One who fed this great crowd with a meager supply of food is the One who still says, “I am the bread of life.” Compelled by the love of Christ we will manage our possessions to feed the souls of many.

A reading from the Book of Concord for Pentecost 11

Regarding the things that would soar too high, we should, with Paul, place a finger on our lips and say, “Who are you, O man, to answer back to God?” [Romans 9:20].

We neither can nor should investigate and fathom everything in this article.  The apostle Paul after having argued much about this article from God’s revealed Word, comes to the point where he shows what God has reserved for His hidden wisdom about this mystery.  He cuts it off with the following words, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!  For who has known the mind of the Lord?” [Romans 11:33–34].  In other words, we cannot know about matters outside of and beyond what God has revealed to us in His Word.

This eternal election of God is to be considered in Christ, and not outside of or without Christ.  For “in Christ,” the apostle Paul testifies, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,” as it is written, “He has blessed us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:4, 6).  This election is revealed from heaven through the preaching of His Word, when the Father says, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him” (Matt. 17:5).  Christ says, concerning the Holy Spirit, “He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14).  – Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article XI, Eternal Election (paragraphs 63-65)