“The Christian Wallet: Those to Whom We Give” Ps 41: 1 Matthew 14: 13-21

I think most folks would agree that Christians should be using that which God has blessed us with in order to bless others. But the tricky part we get caught up in is the how. What the mechanics of our giving? How much? To whom? And once we get sucked into the details of the questions we can honestly become so paralyzed that we end up not giving at all.

It would be hard to argue that God does not have a heart for the poor using Scripture. In fact, there are 2,003 scriptures between the Old and New Testaments about the poor. In the light of that overwhelming collection of text, is it possible for us, as the people of God, not to have a heart for the poor as well? If we are to be about representing the heart of the Kingdom of God as well? 

Another way to phrase this question is as people of faith how can we live our lives so we are attuned to other people’s needs and suffering?

The story of the feeding of the 5,000 is a story that we may have heard before. In the Gospel of Matthew, shortly before this act of ministry, Jesus has heard that his cousin, John, has died at the hands of Herod. After hearing this news, Jesus needed to get away and grieve. But in the process of going to this desert place, the crowds heard that was going and they started to follow him to the point where he got to this place that was supposed to be empty but instead was greeted by the multitudes.

Think about a time in your life when you just needed space. Maybe it had been a hard week at home or at work, and you were yearning for that space for your soul to breathe. But instead of having time for silence and renewal, the phone won’t stop ringing, people keep knocking on the door, and your soul feels more constrained. How would you react?

For Jesus, he looked at the crowds and he had compassion for them. He started to cure their sick. He met their needs right where they were at. 

But the disciples are starting to get a little nervous. It’s nearing dinner time, and they don’t know where they are going to get food for themselves, let alone a crowd this large. Remember its supposed to be a deserted place - not a bustling town with different shops. So looking up at the sky and maybe feeling the rumbling in their bellies, they try to pull Jesus aside and tell him that the people need to get a move on if they are going to make it to the nearest village that serves food. 

But Jesus looks at the crowds, looks back at his disciples and says that they don’t need to go away. The disciples should feed them. 

They looked around and realized all they had was two fish and five loaves of bread. That wasn’t going to make it very far amongst themselves, let alone a crowd this size. But Jesus took what was offered, had the crowds sit down, and blessed and broke the bread. All all ate until they were filled. All ate and there were still left overs. 

We often don’t think of the story of the feeding of the 5,000 as a stewardship lesson, but is it not at its very core? Jesus took what was offered and multiplied it in order to meet the needs around him. Even if the face of doubt from his very followers. 

If we were faced with the same situation today - a crowd of folks who are hungry - how would we react? Would we start by asking who they were and if they were worthy of being fed? Would we worry that we wouldn’t be taken care of if we fed them? Would we offer what we have, or would we keep for ourselves?

Jesus looked out on the crowds that day and saw in an unmistakable way that they needed to be fed. Fed with food in order to be fed by the very Word of God. And in feeding their human bodies, he was also able to touch their spirits as they were part of this absolute miracle that takes place. 

Sometimes today we look out and see the needs of our neighbors and we want to make a check list for them to complete in order to receive what we have to give. We want to test their intentions before giving from our pockets. And that is somewhat understandable. We only have so much to give. 

But every time I think about that - I think back to a friend of mine who gives without asking. When people ask for food he gives food. When people ask him for money he gives money. One time he gave and it became apparent that the person didn’t use the money in the way that they said they needed. I asked him how that made him feel and he responded in this profound way that it was his job to give not to judge the one receiving the gift.

We also have another struggle when it comes to giving, however. Sometimes we don’t know what folks need. In the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus could see the need, hunger, and the need was met. But what about the invisible needs of our neighbors? Do we know people’s stories and struggles enough to reach out to end an ear in a time of need? Or to be present when they are going through a hard time?

In the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus collected what was present - in that particular story, loaves and fishes. But we have so many other things to offer as well. God does not put needs in front of us that we cannot meet with the help of God. If there aren’t a few feeding of the 5,000 type moments in our churches, is it because we aren’t looking to God to provide? Or because we are simply unwilling to give?

While Jesus used his disciples to feed the multitudes, the work of God was certainly not finished that day. Jesus is still reaching out to the world through us. 

The Charities Aid Foundation does an annual document called the World Giving Index. Essentially they compile ways of giving through different criteria, like helping the stranger, donating money, and donating time. Based off of their criteria, the Untied States is tied for the spot as the most generous country. Guess who we tied with? Burma - also known as Myanmar. Guess which area we were behind Burma on? The percentage of people who donate money. In fact, the US is 9th in the world in the amount of people who donate money - while Burma has 91 percent of its residents donating to others.

Friends, as the Church, do we have a connection in our heart with those in need? Do we give and give abundantly? Do we trust Christ to take what we offer and multiple it for the sake the of the Kingdom? In Psalm we find the words, “happy are those who consider the poor” maybe it is time for us to have our eyes and hearts wide open again. Amen.