Tuesday 21 October 2025

Psalm 81

Background
Context can and should change how we understand Scripture. Reading this well-known miracle story, in which Jesus feeds the 5000, in the light of what happened immediately before (the death of John the Baptist at the hands of Herod, which we read about yesterday) gives us a different perspective to reading it on its own.

In the light of this, we can frame 'the feeding of the 5000' as being four responses to the tragedy, violence and destruction of authoritarianism.

In verse 13 we see Jesus' first response. It is to withdraw, to seek silence (typically for Jesus going alone to a deserted places is to seek God's presence). Wanting to run away (as a negative framing) or seek silence and God (as a positive framing) is a common response to authoritarian violence (how many of us hearing about the genocide in Gaza have wanted to withdraw in hurt and despair)? If this is how Jesus responds, then why do we so often see this response in a negative way? If the withdrawing is to mourn and seek God's presence, wisdom, guidance and strength then maybe we should be encouraging each other to follow the example of Jesus.

Also in verse 13, we read the crowds respond to hearing 'it'. I wonder if Matthew is referring to what Herod did or to Jesus withdrawing (or maybe to both). As I focus on the context, I wonder how it changes things if we explore the crowd responding to the frightening violence of the authoritarian Herod by seeking Jesus. This way, the crowd show us something that we could learn a great deal from. How would things change if our response to injustice, to violence is first to find Jesus in a quiet place to learn from him?

What will we find if we respond to the hate and violence being stirred up against migrants or our trans siblings by seeking Jesus, away from the noise of the media and our society? How will encountering the presence, the welcome and the self-sacrificing love of Jesus change us and our reactions?

From verse 14 onwards we see Jesus' second and ongoing response to unjust, abusive, violent power. "He had compassion for them" and he acted. I think the ordering is important. His first response (to seek silence, to mourn, to seek God) is what enabled him to make the second response (to act with compassion). Responding to hateful violence and injustice with immediate action is unsustainable, it will burn us out. We need to prepare (to sharpen the axe before cutting down the tree), to be strengthened so that we can act with compassion that will last. In this way the initial withdrawing and then the acting with compassion become acts of spiritual resistance and defiance. Jesus is showing that the way of God's kingdom is to prepare and then act.

By contrast, the disciples have failed to prepare the ground for their response so they feel overwhelmed (and how often is that our response to news?). It is something that those spreading hate and violence hope to see as a response.

The fourth response I want to consider is God's. God responds to Jesus with the transforming miracle. I think we still see that God is faithful and miraculous when we seek her away from the noise and then act out of compassion.

To Ponder:

• Which parts of the example of Jesus (withdraw, seek God, act of compassion) are we struggling with, which come easily? Why? What might we do about it?
• Which areas of tragedy, violence and destruction in the world are needing us to model the way of Jesus right now? Why? What are we going to do?

Prayer
Loving Jesus, help us to seek you and be open to your presence and love when the authoritarians in the world are hurting so many vulnerable people. Give us more strength and renewed hope so that we can respond with you in compassion and love. Amen.

Bible notes author: The Revd Dave Warnock
Dave is now a Methodist minister without an appointment. He and his wife Jane are finishing a very extensive refit of a 1977 sailing boat so they can sail around the world for five years as sustainably as possible. The intention is to model sustainable living and help encourage connections between sustainability and faith. He wants to move from negative to positive impacts of sailing on vulnerable coastal communities. See their blog and YouTube channel