Table in the Wilderness (Mark 6:30-44)

 The wilderness is not a welcoming place. It is far from any city or town; far from civilization. There are few plants there, and the plants that do grow there are tough; some are covered in thorns or needles.

In the wilderness, there is little food for you to eat, though if you are unlucky, you may be eaten yourself.

In the wilderness there is little water to drink. One could easily die of thirst or hunger in the wilderness.

So it is significant that the feeding of the multitude took place in a deserted wilderness.

The season of Lent is a wilderness season.

Many of the scripture stories that are often read during Lent take place in the wilderness. 

Sometimes during Lent, we hear about Moses leading God’s people out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and into the wilderness, where they wandered for 40 years.

Often, during Lent, we hear the story of Jesus in the wilderness; he was in the wilderness, fasting, and facing temptation, for 40 days.

The 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness, are why Lent is 40 days long. 40 days of fasting. 40 days of focusing on the things that bring us back to God, and back to ourselves.

Lent is a wilderness season.

If you are planning a trip to the wilderness, you take what you need, and nothing more. Anything extra will slow you down, wear you out. 

***** Many years ago, I had the opportunity to volunteer on board the Endeavour, a replica of the ship that James Cook sailed around the world in 1768. The ship didn’t go anywhere while I was on board; it was docked, and I helped give tours. But I learned a lot. 

I learned that James Cook invited a naturalist named Joseph Banks to join him. Together, they sailed across the sea, and sailing across the sea in 1768 was a lot like taking a journey into a wilderness. In some ways, even more so. 

They were certainly traveling far from civilization. They took just what they needed, and nothing more.

On their journey, they made many discoveries and observations that added greatly to European society’s knowledge of the world.

Their voyage was a huge success, and the two men were hailed as heroes. They quickly began planning for a second voyage. 

However, fame went to Joseph Banks’ head. For this second voyage, he wanted to bring more than a boatload of scientific gear and personal items; so he added an extra deck to the Endeavour in order to accommodate all the stuff that he was determined to bring.

An entire extra deck!

I’m no ship expert, but even I can see that this is not a good idea.

The extra deck made the ship top heavy and wobbly. Any sensible person would know that this was not going to work.

Cook had that extra deck removed.  

Banks was so upset by this, that he refused to go on the voyage. If he couldn’t go with all his stuff, then he wasn’t going to go at all.

When you are traveling through the wilderness—or across the sea—you take only what you need. You don’t take more than you need. You don’t bring along extra stuff that’s going to slow you down… or threaten to capsize your vessel.

As we journey through the wilderness of this Lenten season, we are invited to consider the “extra stuff” in our lives, the stuff that keeps us from making progress on our spiritual journey, our journey with God. 

We are journeying through the wilderness, and we are to take only what we need. Everything else is a distraction and a danger to our voyage. 

Lent gives us the opportunity to do a little “spring cleaning” in our lives, to clear away the clutter, so that we can more effectively journey with Jesus.

***** So what is the significance of the fact that the feeding of the multitude took place in the wilderness? Well, the people were hungry. They were hungry for spiritual food. They were hungry for physical food. Yet they were in the wilderness, where no food was to be found.

The scripture says that the people were like sheep without a shepherd. They needed a shepherd, to show them where to find food; a shepherd who would lead them to green pastures.

A lot of people today are looking for those green pastures. We need someone to show us where that food is, that good, nourishing food, that will help us on our journey.

For this world is like a wilderness. There is so much all around us… so much everything. This world is a lot. You know what I’m saying?

And yet, despite this, many are lacking what they truly need. Food that is good. And real. And nourishing. 

Not the junk food that is all around us. But good, nourishing food that sustains the body; and good, nourishing food that sustains the soul. 

***** The prophet Isaiah said: “Eat what is good. Delight yourselves in rich food” (55:2). There is junk food all around, but let God lead you to the food that nourishes, the food that sustains.

It’s so hard to find good, nourishing food. Everything that is offered to us contains harmful ingredients. Refined carbs. Toxic oils. Harmful sweeteners. Carcinogenic nitrates… 

…And I’m not just talking about the food we put into our mouths. I’m talking about the spiritual food we consume, spiritual junk food that is sold to us by opportunistic influencers peddling their spiritual quackery. 

They are false shepherds. Wolves in disguise. Leading us to pastures that appear to be green, but that grass is fake.

The good food that Isaiah speaks of—the good food that nourishes and sustains—is hard to find.

When Jesus saw how the people longed for some good, real food, he had compassion on them. He told his disciples to give them something to eat. 

The disciples were confused. What is he talking about? They didn’t have any food!

Then Jesus told his disciples to have the people sit down on the green grass.

***** That, I think, is an often overlooked detail in this story.

Jesus had the people sit down on the green grass.

Green grass… in the middle of the deserted wilderness.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all mention the green grass. A lush pasture, in the middle of the desert.

Where did this green grass come from? Green grass doesn’t grow in the desert! 

In the deserts and foothills of southern California, places where I’ve gone on many hikes, and where our southern California Disciples camp is located, we have yuccas and prickly pears, and trust me, you don’t want to sit down on those!

The desert wilderness Jesus experienced also has prickly pears. Yucca plants are not native to that part of the world, but other similar plants do grow there. 

Yet somehow, out there in that desert wilderness, there was a field of green grass. A lush pasture, if you will. 

And it is there that the people receive the food they need, from the one who leads them like a shepherd. 

Are you in the desert? 

Are you wandering, tired of chasing after false shepherds, and receiving food that does not nourish?

Are you weary from the long journey?

***** Well, Jesus has prepared a table for you, right where you are, right in the middle of the wilderness.

Jesus has prepared a table for all who are lost, all who are tired, all who are hungry. 

Jesus invites to this table people from the north and the south, the east and the west; people from every nation, speaking every language. 

Jesus invites the poor, the lonely, the forgotten and the left out. Jesus invites those who have more doubt than faith, and more questions than answers. Jesus invites those so burdened by the weight of the world that they walk bent over, and have forgotten what it is like to stand up straight.

We come to this table, and we feast together. No one has to dine alone. 

Our Lenten devotional talks about the importance of eating with one another… and how some people experienced more of that during the COVID pandemic, eating at home with their family members instead of eating on the run… and how, during the pandemic, some people experienced less of that, because they lived alone, and could no longer get together with friends or loved ones outside of the house to eat.

Ginger and I were quite fortunate, to have had some neighbors who became good friends. In the little patio between our two homes, we would often eat outside, they on one side of the table, us on the other. Our friendship grew even stronger during the pandemic. We didn’t go inside each other’s homes, but we did gather regularly for meals together on the patio.

When we had our Ash Wednesday worship last week, we gathered for soup at 5:30, and worship at 6:30. I’ve thought to myself: we really don’t need an hour for people to eat a bowl of soup. 

But we weren’t just feeding our bellies. We were feeding our souls. And the extra time was a blessing as we nurtured our friendships through conversation around the tables.

The meals we share in together—and especially, the meal where we remember Christ’s broken body and shed blood—are glimpses of life in the kingdom of heaven. 

No matter who you are, or where you come from, you are welcome here.

The gospels tell us of many of the meals Jesus ate. Some were in the wilderness. Some were in the homes of influential, powerful people. 

At some, he acted as host. At others, he was an invited guest.

But at every single one of those meals, there was love and there was compassion.

And when someone showed up who wasn’t supposed to be there, who didn’t have an invitation, or who didn’t have anything with which they could repay the hospitality offered to them…

Jesus let them know that they were welcome just as they were. They didn’t need an invitation, for all are welcome. They didn’t need money to pay for the meal, because what Jesus offers, he gives freely. 

As long as they were hungry, there was food for them. As long as they were hungry, they were allowed to receive their fill of the food that nurtures and sustains… the real, rich, good food… of Jesus.

The Heart of the Gospel (Matthew 7:21-29)

 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.’

“Everyone, then, who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”

Now when Jesus had finished saying these words, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as their scribes.

Sermon

I must confess: I really didn’t know what I was getting into when I decided to preach a series of sermons on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. I mean, I did… I knew it would be powerful. But it has been even more powerful—and even more challenging—than I expected.

Week 1: we heard the beatitudes, and learned that God’s blessings are not given to the wealthy and the powerful; those who have already been blessed in this world. Neither Caesar, nor Herod, nor the high priests, nor any of the more influential or prominent secular or religious leaders are mentioned as recipients of God’s blessings… Isn’t this just the opposite of how the world works? The wealthy and powerful are blessed… at least in our eyes. 

But in God’s kingdom, it’s the poor, the meek, the persecuted, the hungry, and those who mourn who are blessed. The last shall be first, and the first shall be last. The mighty are cast down, and the lowly are exalted. 

Week 2: we heard about Salt and light. Your particular variety of salt is something unique to you, and God calls you to spread your salt upon the earth. And the light within you is also unique, and it is holy. 

God calls upon you to shine your light and not hide it. The things that make you unique and different are exactly what this world needs.

Week 3: we heard how Jesus doesn’t overturn the ancient teachings, but instead expands on them,… encouraging us to go even further when it comes to loving our neighbor… to not look to those ancient teachings to limit our love, but to go beyond the letter of the law, and embrace the spirit, the intent, which is to love your neighbor as yourself. 

Rabbi Yoachim Prinz said: “Neighbor is not a geographic term. It is a moral concept. It means our collective responsibility for the preservation of man's dignity and integrity."  

Or as Barack Obama once said, before he ever became president: “We are connected as one people. If there’s a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there’s a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandmother. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It’s that fundamental belief – I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper – that makes this country work.” 

That is the essence of God’s law; that’s how things are in the kingdom of heaven. And that is how we are to fulfill the law and love our neighbor as ourself.

Week 4: we heard Jesus reiterate that this kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, is to be our first priority. It is what we are to seek first, above all else. 

And by week four, the overarching themes stood out: caring for the poor, and lifting them up; loving one’s neighbor as you love yourself; working for what is right and just in the world.

*****  That brings us to today. Jesus knows that there are many who claim to follow God, who speak God’s name, who go around quoting scripture, yet who fail to embody God’s ways… which I suppose is why Jesus reiterates all these things in his Sermon on the Mount. He’s reiterating the teachings that are present in the law given to Moses, as well as the words of the prophets, but he’s saying these ancient things in new ways, with new words, and doing it louder, for the folks in the back (one might say). 

Because those who claim to know God and who make a habit of speaking God’s name… even though they have studied the law, and they have studied the teachings of the prophets, and they have accepted the responsibility to teach these things to the people, they themselves do not follow the way of living that God calls people to follow. 

They are the ones who say “Lord this” and “Lord that,” and “Praise God,” and “Be righteous;” 

the ones who make a spectacle of their faith, praying with a loud voice on the street corners and in the temple and in the halls of government, 

drawing all kinds of attention to themselves, begging you to see just how holy they are, and how strong their faith is… 

yet they fail to do the will of God. 

They fail to actually embody God’s love, 

they fail to love their neighbor, they limit their definition of who is a neighbor, and they do not lift up the poor and lowly, but seek only to exalt themselves.

They quote scripture, but they twist its meaning so that scripture becomes nothing more but a justification for their unholy ways. 

Then they dare to claim that those who are against them are against God, when, in reality, their actions are so far removed from the loving, compassionate lifestyle God commands;

and instead of maintaining justice, and doing what is right, they subvert justice, and have become the very ones that the prophets warned the people about.

Yet, because they speak the Lord’s name, there are many who follow them, who believe it is right to obey them, and who will even defend them, saying that they are people of God.

But Jesus sees through all of this. He says that not everyone who speaks the Lord’s name will enter the kingdom of heaven. 

They will boast of their righteousness, but Jesus will say to them: “Go away from me. I don’t even know you. And I certainly don’t recognize the faith you claim. It has nothing to do with me. It has nothing to do with God. It has nothing to do with the kingdom I came to establish.”

And then, because he spoke these words against them, those in positions of power, who boast of their faith, will accuse Jesus of blasphemy, of heresy, and of acting against God and against the government. 

Him calling out their hypocrisy and their false displays of faith will so offend them, that they will seek to have him arrested; and eventually, they will have him executed.

The teachings of scripture are indeed powerful. They guide us to the kingdom of God, the kingdom of peace, the kingdom of all that is right and just. 

But because there are many who will twist and pervert the law of God and the teachings of scripture, it is important that we read and understand the scripture for ourselves, that we study and learn to embrace the vision of the prophets, which Jesus embraced and called the kingdom of God.

That’s why our General Minister, Terri Hord Owens, has stressed to the church that we read and study the Bible. And that’s why we have our small group ministry, providing the opportunity for you to dive deeper into scripture.

We need to be Bible-literate. We need to understand the consistent vision, presented throughout scripture, of a kingdom or realm where love is the guiding force for all of life; that we learn to love our neighbor as ourselves; that we seek God’s justice, the justice that ensures that every person is treated with dignity and honor, reflecting their identity as a child of God.

*****  We need to understand the Biblical concept of Jubilee, instituted in the law of Moses. Jubilee is described in Leviticus, and is mentioned in Numbers, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and elsewhere. It is what Jesus refers to in Luke 4 as “the year of the Lord’s favor.”

In early Greek manuscripts, Jubilee is called a “trumpet blast of liberty.” 

Jubilee involves the forgiving of debts and returning of land to its original owners, as a way of preventing the accumulation of wealth in the hands of just a few people. 

Jubilee limits their amount of wealth, because if just a few people are able to amass obscene amounts of wealth, that makes it harder for others just to survive.

It makes it hard for society, for civilization, to survive.

Jubilee does not seek to ensure that everyone has the exact same amount of everything. But Jubilee does seek to ensure that a few don’t hoard so much that there is none left for the poor. Jubilee seeks to ensure that the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few doesn’t become so obscene that the poor are left destitute. 

And this idea of Jubilee is behind everything that the prophets stood for.

And this idea of Jubilee extends to the teachings of Jesus, and to the Sermon on the Mount. 

It even forms the background to the Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus introduces in the Sermon on the Mount. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

This is a Jubilee prayer. 

This is a prayer for justice. This is a prayer that the poor and the vulnerable are taken care of.

Yet in Jesus’ time—as well as in our own time—many of those who speak the Lord’s name and claim to follow the Lord’s ways, are the same people who craft or support policies that do the exact opposite of what Jubilee calls for. They remove protections for the poor and the vulnerable, and allow those who are already obscenely rich to amass even more wealth and power and control.

And that’s why Jesus says: “I never knew you. Go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.” You may be following the government’s laws, or the laws you helped create, but you are not following God’s laws. You may give lip service to God, but you offend God by the things they do. 

*****  And then Jesus says “Look. I have told you how you are to act. The teachings of the prophets, and the law of Moses—which I came to fulfill—have told you how you are to act.

Take these teachings to heart. Live by them. Let them be the foundation of solid rock on which you build your house. 

If you build your house on any other foundation, then it doesn’t matter how great and luxurious your house is; it will wash away when the floods come.” 

This, friends, is the heart of the gospel. And this is why I’ve spent a little extra time this winter, preaching on the Sermon on the Mount.

So that we can make sure our house is built on a solid foundation. So that when Jesus sees us, he will greet us with warmth and gladness, and say to us: 

“I recognize you. I recognize the work you have done. 

“You have cared for the poor and the vulnerable. You have worked for justice. You have loved your neighbor as yourself. 

“So come; there is a place for you, here in the kingdom of heaven. And the joy and the love and the happiness of God’s kingdom will be yours, now and forever.”