Hadley Kifner
“Where are the Miracles?”
July 21, 2024
Mark 6:30-34 and 53-56
Prayer of Illumination
Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. Open our ears and our hearts to your teachings, Lord, that we may be strengthened in our faith and equipped for ministry in your name. Amen.
Scripture
The apostles gathered around Jesus,
and told him all that they had done and taught.
He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place,
all by yourselves and rest a while.”
For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
Now many saw them going and recognized them,
and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.
As he went ashore, Jesus saw a great crowd;
and he had compassion for them,
because they were like sheep without a shepherd;
he began to teach them many things.
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret
and moored the boat.
When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him,
and rushed about that whole region
and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.
And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces,
and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak;
and all who touched it were healed.
This is the Word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
Sermon
My partner Drew tells the story of an ice storm in the early 90s. Both of his parents worked for Duke Power, near Lake Lure, and winter weather had moved through their small town, freezing roads and downing powerlines. Businesses were closed and families were without heat or electricity. Drew’s dad, while mostly had a desk job, bundled up with gloves and toboggan and down coat, packed a toothbrush, and joined the work crews on the ground trying to restore the power outages. The teams worked through the night, in the dark, taking breaks when sleet came, eating sandwiches and drinking coffee from thermoses, huddling in the cabs of the company trucks for restorative catnaps here and there.
After about 3 days of this, power had mostly been restored to the region and Drew’s dad returned home to shower, thaw out, eat a hot meal, and rest in a real bed. He was tired.
On the day that Drew’s dad returned home, it just happened to be the same day that he had promised, weeks earlier, to take Drew to a college football game, just the two of them. It was Drew’s favorite college team at the time and he had been looking forward to this outing with his dad for weeks. He figured his dad would need to rest after working such long, hard shifts and the game probably wouldn’t happen but still, he had on the team sweatshirt and the tickets in his wallet, just in case.
Drew tells the story that his dad walks into the house, takes off his boots, falls onto the couch and closes his eyes for a moment, and then, like a bolt, as if he has just remembered something, stands right back up and says, “We have a game to get to. You ready to go?”
(Pause) You know what it feels like to be wrung out, bone tired, in need of rest, right? And then to look around and be reminded that there is still work to be done.
And you have experienced times in life when you just didn’t have much more to give, and yet you couldn’t take a breather, have you not? But you pressed on. Because of love or responsibility or stubbornness or calling.
And…can you envision a world where people – all kinds – people who live in cities, farms, villages, old and young – are sick and in need of healing in body, mind, or spirit? People who feel lost, discouraged, uncertain of the future, in need of a trusted leader, and desperate for hope, can’t you?
This is the context of our Scripture this morning.
Jesus and the disciples have been traveling,
meeting people all over,
healing and teaching and feeding and serving.
They are tired.
They needed to take off their sandals, chill out,
wash their faces, rest, and share a good meal.
As soon as all of that happened,
they would be refreshed and get back to the work of being disciples again…
But that was not to be.
The needs of the crowd were too great.
People were desperate for healing.
They were looking for a miracle.
You may have noticed that the gospel lectionary reading for today
is a split collection of verses.
First, we read verses 30-34,
and then we skip over some bits,
and then we read verses 53–56.
It is not uncommon for lectionary readings to have excerpts of verses,
omitting some parts of a chapter;
but today’s text selection is unusual.
In the nine verses that we do not read today,
much happens.
In fact, two miracles happen:
Jesus feeds the 5,000 with a couple of crusty loaves of bread and some salty fish – and the disciples collect the leftovers into baskets;
and Jesus walks on water – and the disciples recover from thinking they saw a ghost.
So it’s no wonder Jesus and the disciples need time to rest, reflect, and recharge.
Miracle working requires a lot.
And bearing witness to miracles does, too.
But why would the lectionary reading give us chapter 6 of Mark’s Gospel
and leave out the best parts?
Why would we be given this passage,
void of its most dramatic events?
And how might a pastor preach on this text with something worth hearing, knowing that hidden within its left-out verses are the most well-known stories in all of the New Testament about Jesus’ early days with the disciples? (pause)
Biblical scholars explain that excluding Jesus feeding the 5,000
and walking on water from the assigned text
is theologically significant:
in omitting these incredible acts,
the designated reading from Mark does not point us toward the miracles of Jesus but rather toward the compassion of Jesus.
In other words, this text is presented in a way
that requires us to pay attention not to what Jesus does
but who Jesus is.
My favorite seminary professor, Dr. Teresa Berger, taught us:
there are texts that speak to the “person of Christ,
and there are texts that speak to the work of Christ.”
When we read about the work of Christ,
we are reminded of God’s power;
And when we read about the person of Christ,
we are reminded about ours.
In paying close attention to who Jesus is, then,
we learn how to live ourselves.
So, back to the passage at hand, the verses we actually have…
…and Jesus had compassion for them,
because they were like sheep without a shepherd;
he began to teach them many things…
…and all who touched him were healed…
Early chapters in the Gospel of Mark emphasize
the pressure of the crowds on Jesus.
Throngs of people look for Jesus
and come to where he is because
the message about him has spread far and wide.
He is a healer, a teacher. A carer.
Jesus’ response when he sees the crowd in Gennesaret is noteworthy.
Even though he and the disciples are exhausted,
they do not turn away from the crowd and sail in another direction.
They do not hide in the belly of the boat and pretend like they don’t see them. They do not convene a meeting to decide that they will engage the crowd
but only after they have had a chance to rest.
No, Jesus sees the crowd and had compassion for them.
The Greek used here (splagchnizomai) tells us that his response is one of “sympathy, mercy, and loving concern.”
Without resentment or judgment or pity,
without ego or agenda or expectation,
without righteousness or authority,
Jesus sees the gathered people. As they are.
And he teaches them. They come close enough to touch him. And they are healed.
The last time I preached in this pulpit, it was on the parable of the mustard seed – a text that required scholarly interpretation, some holy imagination.
As you recall, I even reached out to several of you
conducting some congregational research.
That text was not straightforward;
the wisdom within it was more gray than sharply colored.
But not today. This text is clear. No metaphor, no simile.
No need for much expert research on who Jesus is and what those follow him are to do.
Our verses from Mark’s Gospel are clear: Jesus is compassionate.
“Mark’s gospel emphasizes Jesus’ identity as the true, divine shepherd, the one who will guide his sheep into wholeness and peace.”
And another thing is clear:
Those who follow Jesus are called to a balanced life of rest and reflection
AND action and caring.
We are pressed “to see the compassion of Jesus not merely as a matter of temperament but as an orientation of discipleship.”
To be short, we must practice resting and reflecting when we are weary –
for this keeps us healthy enough for the ongoing service of caring for each other.
And we must exercise caring hearts in the name of justice as often we can. Both things, together.”
In the meantime, we are not called to walk on water.
Or feed thousands.
We are called, as Jesus did, to love each other,
Especially those who are lost and in need of nurture.
When we do this, healing and wholeness happens.
Not just for the sheep but for the whole pasture.
And that might just be a miracle after all…