Trinity 7

Mark 8:1-9

In our Old Testament reading, we hear that God made man from dust. But man wasn’t just created to stand like a statue; he was created to have feelings, emotions, and physical needs—to eat and drink. Man was created to breathe and to live. However, when the day comes that man no longer eats or drinks, his body will return to the ground to await the coming of Christ on the final day. This is the journey you have been given. This is the journey God gives you a pastor for—to shepherd you towards green pastures and still waters.

God provides pastors as shepherds to preach God’s Law and His Gospel to you, so that you can face the last day with confidence and certainty. Faithfully looking toward the paradise of heaven, where you will one day eat and drink in the courts of the Lord forever.

Yet, death breeds fear in your life. The simplest thoughts of not tasting sweet corn again from the harvest soon to come, or the sweetness of strawberries fresh off the vine, might bring you sadness. There is so much in this life you have grown to love, from the tastes of food and drink to the comfort of friendships and family. The warm embrace of a loved one or the comfort a familiar voice brings to you. For this reason alone, you cannot bear the thought of death.

The reality of life is that our bodies break down, our ability to enjoy food and drink diminishes as we age, emotional wounds between friends and family can run deep, and relationships are often torn apart. In many ways, this pain makes you feel exposed to the elements of the world. To the harshness of the wilderness called life. You no longer see peace in this life. As a result, you follow preachers of the world who promise peace but can never deliver. You see, their words often lead you to look to yourself for compassion and redemption instead of following Jesus.

By following television or YouTube preachers around the world, the talking heads on your TV, and self-help books that leave you still hungry and empty, Jesus is no longer the focus, the object of your faith. Jesus no longer has a place in your life. He is not the focus of your healing and peace among family members, friends, or coworkers. We want peace in this life, but too often, peace is sought on our own terms and in our own ways. 

But look at this crowd following Jesus today in the Gospel. They aren’t exactly in an oasis. They lack the food or water needed for the journey they’ve embarked on. They have no shelter from the earthly elements to protect themselves. Still, there are no complaints from the crowd. Just peace.

You might wonder what the crowd has been doing these past three days while they follow Jesus. Well, they've been listening—that’s what they’ve been doing—listening to every word that comes from Jesus's mouth. They heard how man was created from the dust of the ground in Adam, how the fall barred man from paradise, and how Israel was led to safety and the Promised Land. He taught them that they are still subject to the Law and that the wages of sin are death. Yet, He also taught them that the Father has compassion on His creation and sent Him, the only Son of the Father, to deliver these faithful followers from their sin. Jesus would be the great Shepherd who has come to die upon the cross of Calvary and lead them to paradise—a place where they will live forever with their heavenly Father, no longer worrying, suffering from hunger or thirst, but instead enjoying the constant provisions of the Lord.  

Still, three days without food or drink is a tough pill to swallow when you’re in a wilderness wasteland, as they were. We don’t hear about their complaints, and maybe there’s a reason for that. Perhaps there’s a lesson here—to trust in the Word of God above all, and not to take life into our own hands. You see, these followers of Jesus aren’t the first to face such a situation as described in the Gospel, nor are you. Think back to the Jews who escaped from Pharaoh and wandered into the wilderness. They doubted, they complained, and they wanted to return to the bonds of slavery.

However, today, these followers of Jesus do nothing of the sort. They don’t complain, but rather, they do exactly what Jesus commands when He tells them to sit down. They sit and listen. They sit and wait. They wait for Christ to speak. This is the Gospel. We listen to Jesus’ command and we sit down to hear His Word. It’s passive. It doesn’t depend on us, but on Jesus. We wait on Jesus, even when it’s difficult. 

You see, the people who doubt in today’s Gospel are those closest to Jesus—His disciples. We are more like them than the followers in the Gospel. We doubt that God is really God; we doubt He will provide and care for this body and life. We doubt that He will send faithful shepherds to watch over us as we journey from the font of Baptism to the day we join all the saints, angels, and archangels in the company of heaven. 

In many ways, our doubts lead us to believe that everything is impossible, even while the Scriptures say otherwise. We forget that God created the world, the animals, and all that occupies the earth. We forget that God formed man out of dust. That He created each and every one of us.

Yes, we also find ourselves more like the disciples than the faithful followers of Jesus. We’ve heard the story of Jesus’ life countless times, from Christmas to Easter. Like the disciples, we know Jesus fed the 5,000. And today, we hear how He fed the 4,000, yet we doubt He can do it again just as the disciples did, but He does. In just a few minutes, He will feed you too, and He will continue to nourish you with His flesh and His blood for the forgiveness of all your sins every time you gather. It’s here at the rail He says to you, “Take, eat. This is my body.” “Take drink, this is my blood.”

Jesus knew the crowd that followed Him was suffering in this wilderness. So, He had compassion on them and fed them. His compassion still remains today for you. It comes to you at this altar. He feeds you here to save you from your sins, to grant you forgiveness and eternal life. He comes to give you a foretaste of the feast that is to come, the life that is to come when our time on earth, our journey in this wilderness, ends and we enter the joy of heaven.

That is what compassion looks like. Jesus standing before you, speaking words of comfort into your ears. Feeding you with His flesh and His blood. The world changes; one wilderness ends and another begins. The church changes: births happen, funerals happen, pastors come and go. Yet, Jesus remains. Jesus remains and cares for you. 

This life is a journey. It’s best to see it this way because it shows there is a destination we are heading toward. Your Lord and Savior will one day call each of us to be with Him in heaven forever. But for now, you are vulnerable to the world, and you may hunger and thirst in this life. However, learn from followers of Jesus today who hunger and thirst for the Words of Christ. These words and promises give you His righteousness and His forgiveness. For this, you can rejoice, even in the wilderness of life. 

God created man in His image. You were created to have feelings and emotions. You were created to be His child. So, thirst and hunger for Him. Don’t fear this life, but rejoice in the life Jesus speaks into your ears. Rejoice in the nourishment He now provides you. In this way, your Savior cares for you. In this way, you are led into the eternal joy of heaven. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI