ooooppppsss! As the Feast of the Transfiguration takes precedence over the regular cycle of readings, it looks like a spent a lot of time preparing a homily which I will never preach. So, I share this as a reflection and start on a new one for next week.
The 55th chapter of Isaiah was composed around 540 BC, toward the end of the Babylonian Exile. The people who heard these words were existentially at risk, for the gods of other nations appeared more powerful than YHWH their God. In response to this, the preacher proclaimed several oracles which emphasized Israel's unique status. "I am God, there is no other," the prophet declared on behalf of the Creator. This prophetic circle offered the people hope that God had not deserted them. In Isaiah 54, this hope is expressed as the promise of new birth and an expanding populace. "Do not fear!" (54:4) he commands, "God is your Redeemer," the time of punishment is ended and now a new age dawns.
One striking element to these prophecies is their generic character. There are few details which assign this word of God to a particular situation, in fact, some see a broader audience than the Jews, to expand and include Gentiles. This resonates with God's promise to Abraham.
The invitation is open to all and reflective of grace. The social standing does not determine eligibility, only desire. If you want it, come and get it, says the Lord. Yet the reference, as always with God's word, has many levels. There are the biological needs all humans share, but it extends beyond physicality to include the spiritual. Water, in the Jewish mind, was a symbol of Torah--God's instruction. We see this later in the same chapter of Isaiah (55:10ff) where God says, "for as rain and snow fall from the heavens and... water the earth...producing grain and bread, So is my Word that goes forth from my mouth, it does not return to Me empty but accomplishes my purpose."
This is the bread and water which we truly need... It is why YHWH our Father asks why we are satisfied chasing after things which will not truly satisfy our thirst and hunger or sustain us body and soul. All the Scriptures call us back to the relationship with the Creator Redeemer who would make us His own, if only we listen to the depths of our hearts and respond to Him.
In the end, this is also the central issue in today's Gospel story. Jesus has fled (the Greek anachoreo-where we derive the term 'anchorite' for monks and those who withdraw from the world) in a boat to a "eremos" (Greek for lonely, uninhabited, isolated place, or desert. This is where the word hermit derives) but the crowd tracks Him down. Jesus responds with splanchnizomai--literally this means bowels, which were thought to be the seat of love and pity. It is translated as compassion. The heart of God is mercy compassion. He sees us with eyes of loving compassion. Perhaps the intensity of divine wrath in judgement is actually an outgrowth of this even more intense desire to heal us, and healing is what Jesus did. The day long healing service ends with the worried, practical disciples suggesting that Jesus send the people away for food.
We secularized Christians share the disciples willingness to let common sense and pragmatism rule us. No one can feed all the hungry, needy people multiply to get free stuff. So we are reluctant to get involved and especially careful with protecting our own resources. So Jesus' word is a challenge. You give them something to eat. They give Jesus all they have. Ponder that. Twelve disciples had five loaves and three fish, hardly a feast, yet Jesus takes it all.
Feeding people in the desert evokes Exodus and Moses and the Fourth Gospel makes that connection overtly. However, the language "he took the bread, broke it and gave it to His disciples" echoes the Last Supper. As we know, the food is sufficient and the apostles who offered all they had each end up with one basket of left overs. A remarkable return.
You and I are called to seek not just to fill our bellies, but to seek first the Lord. We are also challenged to trust the Lord will provide if we are willing to serve others in His Name. It doesn't make sense to a secular world, but we must overcome our fears and just do it. Eucharist is a superabundant gift. Word and sacrament-- symbolically water and bread-- are God's gift to all who hunger and thirst. They are free, but we must decide to come to the Lord to receive.
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