21 Jul SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2024

What can we learn from today’s gospel lesson? For starters, that apostles stick together. That they choose to share each other’s company and in doing so, when they find themselves weary, worn out from doing, they collectively search for Jesus and approach him. They gather around him in person, much like you all have done by coming to church today. And once they find him, they begin to explain all that’s been taking place, how busy they’ve been and all that they’ve accomplished. 

And what is Jesus’ response to hearing all that his disciples have been through and all that they’ve accomplished? His response is to reward them with time away and much deserved rest. Prior to coming to Jesus, they had been afforded no leisure, not even time to eat. 

Can you think of a time when you were compelled to work that hard? I can and I’ll bet more than a few of you can also relate to having a demanding job day in and day out. And whether the demands come from children or adults, the results are often the same. Eventually we realize “Hey, I’m not being taken care of,” and perhaps more importantly, “I’m not really taking care of myself.”  

Fortunately, Jesus offers good advice. Try creating physical distance from where your services have been in demand. This is a must. Even aim for a deserted place, a place without the coming and going of crowds: a cabin in the woods, a summer beach house, a camper or tent. So far, this sounds pretty familiar, right? 

But how often do we succeed at actually creating physical distance from crowds? First we must fight crowds on the highway or in an airport. We compete with crowds to purchase groceries, buy tickets, and eat at restaurants. In our dreams, we imagine getting away from it all, walking through a forest or along a beach communing alone with nature, while in reality, we meet more crowds wherever we go. 

In order to really get away, Jesus suggests using a means of travel not readily available to everyone. Go on water by boat. There, less people will have the means to join you. This was the same idea that crossed the minds of royalty and gave birth to the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, the world’s oldest cruise line which first sold tickets to passengers back in 1844. They understood Jesus’ suggestion to go on water by boat.

Unfortunately for the apostles, the boat they had at their disposal did not leave from a major port of call at the edge of a great sea or through closed gates which only passengers with tickets and boarding passes were privy to. The boat that Jesus and the disciples embarked upon left a sandy beach at the edge of a big lake accessible by land on all sides. So, getting totally away from it all, including crowds wasn’t possible that day.

Another reason this was true is the fact that Jesus and the apostles are highly recognizable. We’re told that many who saw them knew who they were. There was something about Jesus and his disciples that stood out and set them apart from men and other boats on the lake that day. And it might help for us to remember that previously, Jesus had sent his disciples out two by two to teach and heal throughout nearby villages. 

You see, during that time, the apostles had done exactly that. They had taught throughout nearby villages, preached repentance, driven out demons, anointed many with oil and healed them. They were like once popular modern health gurus such as Dr. Oz and Deepak Chopra. The disciples were known far and wide for giving sound advice and being competent to offer solutions to common big problems. 

Jesus and the apostles were celebrity stars about to appear on the plaza where The Today Show is about to go live at Rockefeller Center Studio 1A, 35 West 48th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. A crowd gathered and hurried on foot to arrive ahead of the broadcast. As Jesus exits the green room heading ashore to where lights and cameras await, he sees the great crowd and has compassion on them. 

Jesus had compassion on them not because they were a bunch of tourists, fans, or random folks who gathered out of curiosity, but because the people were like sheep without a shepherd. This is why Jesus began to teach them many things. This is the crux of every reading today. The spotlight shines solely upon Jesus in the role of a shepherd, a shepherd with heightened sensitivity to the needs of sheep. 

The spotlight shines solely upon Jesus in the role of a shepherd, a shepherd with heightened sensitivity to the needs of sheep. 

He proves that a righteous LORD, who is a good shepherd, really gets upset at those who destroy, drive away or scatter the sheep of his pasture. Jesus makes a passionate argument for tending to those subjected to evil. He even tends to those doing evil. 

“I myself will gather out of all the lands,” says the LORD. “I myself will raise up shepherds so that none shall be fearful, dismayed or missing. I will do whatever it takes so my sheep may live in safety.” What a powerful message of hope for those currently experiencing fear, dismay, loss of identity, place or security. 

“I myself will gather out of all the lands, says the LORD. “I myself will raise up shepherds so that none shall be fearful, dismayed or missing. I will do whatever it takes for my sheep to live in safety.” How would we have to start thinking differently about immigration or the war between Israel and Hamas, if Jesus really meant that people from every land deserve to live in safety?

In the second reading, emphasis is placed upon Christ and the fact that his blood brings near those who were once far off, those who had no hope without God in their world. While it’s true that this way of thinking inspired colonization, making Christian converts of every tribe and nation, the takeaway really is that Christ alone is the source of peace; his flesh breaks down dividing walls and makes separated groups one, eliminating hostility, putting hostility to death, creating one humanity.

The means to oneness (which is Christ himself) cannot involve hostility, only peace. It cannot involve building walls and separating groups. Jesus came and proclaimed peace to those who were far and near, for through him both have access to one Spirit and Father. In other words, Jesus proves that there are not two groups: apostles and villagers, but one. 

Artificially constructed barriers such as vehicles, houses, fine neighborhoods, voting districts, erected walls, hired boats and bodies of water are falsely utilized in a world where Jesus sees only one thing: a sea of people waiting to be unified by one shepherd.

There are no strangers or aliens, only citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. The household of God is built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets. The household of God is purposely joined together to grow into a holy temple. It is built together spiritually to form a dwelling place for God. 

Do you get it? God is all about building a place for all to dwell together. The compassionate nature of God in Christ Jesus cannot refuse anyone who recognizes who God is. The compassionate nature of God in Christ Jesus cannot refuse those who are willing to go out of their way to follow wherever God goes. The compassionate nature of God in Christ Jesus cannot refuse those who are desperate and who drop everything to leave where they are to seek freedom, wholeness, safety and security. 

One further thing to note: Today’s gospel reading is drawn from two nonconsecutive passages. The first passage precedes Jesus feeding the five thousand in spite of protests by the disciples to send the crowd on their way before the day grew any longer. 

And right after that, before reaching Gennesaret and mooring the boat, Jesus had walked upon water to meet his disciples on board. And he had made the wind die down. But even after witnessing back-to-back miracles by Jesus and exercising authority over demons themselves, the Book of Mark states, “The disciples were amazed, but had not understood; their hearts were hardened.”

No wonder regular folks struggle to understand what God is up to, also become hardhearted, and sometimes are more amazed than faithful. The apostles/disciples who were with Jesus 24/7, had attended all of his temple talks, listened to all of Jesus’ parables and had them explained, had witnessed tremendous divine power triumph over forces of nature, evil, and death, even they, those closest to Jesus, didn’t understand God’s intentions.  

Their hearts remained unsoftened; they were “surprised”, which is another way of saying they noticed something but really had no insight. Being surprised is an instantaneous superficial reaction deserving little credit. Being surprised does not investigate a situation further or take responsibility. 

Sometimes we, like the disciples, get our hardened hearts set on demanding more evidence. Like the disciples, a part of us argues that we haven’t seen enough of Jesus demonstrating power and authority firsthand. We haven’t witnessed enough times when circumstances that we wish would’ve changed did change as hoped for. And like the disciples, even though we experience healing at our fingertips or see others delivered from life-threatening circumstances, the evidence just isn’t enough. 

May I present further evidence of what Jesus is about? Jesus is about having compassion on anyone who’s like a sheep without a shepherd. And whether that person recognizes that they are like a sheep without a shepherd or not, Jesus recognizes them as persons in need. 

This is not only good news but terrific news for many of us who have family members and who love people who don’t recognize that they are sheep without a shepherd, who don’t recognize their need for Jesus or who are seeking every way possible to fulfill their needs in other ways. 

In response to seeing their need, Jesus begins to teach and feed them, touch and heal them. He recognizes that some are more than willing, persistent and able to find him on their own, while others must be carried to where he is and laid at his feet. 

How willing, persistent and able are you at seeking Jesus? Do you prioritize meeting him wherever he might show up? Or who do you wish that you could carry to where Jesus is and beg him for the opportunity to be touched? God knows how rare these moments are: where people admit to being powerless to change an outcome or admit that there’s nothing else they must do or can do. 

I see this all the time in the hospital. Nobody wants to give up doing what seems possible or within their capacity. Humans do not like to be underestimated or to allow nature to take its course for the course of nature sometimes involves returning to dust and who knows what God’s will is? 

In every case, God wills to be with us bringing hope and the promise of a covenant relationship where God is faithful to pursue us, to bring us near, to be our peace. God’s will is to break down dividing walls, laws, commandments and ordinances that break humanity up into any other group than one group in which all are reconciled. 

Through the cross, God wills to put to death hostilities. Jesus shows up to proclaim peace and provide access in one Spirit to the Father. The end goal is for all to become citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, joining a whole structure together and growing it into a holy temple, a spiritual dwelling place for God. 

You see God could live anywhere, but where God desires to live is within a collective body brought into being through unity of purpose. To preserve life without factoring in the extreme cost. And when preserving life is no longer possible, focus is shifted to that of facilitating a person’s good death. Let us pray. 

Dear God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, only you understand and respond to humanity’s deepest needs and we’re thankful that you do. We know that you see us headed in all directions seeking to fulfill our longings, to insure our futures, to solve our problems and live full lives. Continue to shepherd us, to teach, feed, touch and heal what ails us. Continue to gather the world into one flock so all may be claimed as your very own sheep. In your holy name we pray, Amen.