Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 2, 2026
Matthew 14:13-21

It was a deserted place. The hour was late. The people were hungry. Real world, legitmate concerns. So the disciples plead with Jesus – “send them away so they can feed themselves.” But that’s not who Jesus is. He’s teaching, he’s healing, so of course he ought to also be feeding.

And so the story goes. Jesus turns five loaves of bread and a few fish into an extravagant meal, enough for thousands and thousands of hungry people. It’s a story of God’s overwhelming generosity, a story of abundance, it’s about how God can do so much with so little. 

But it’s more than that. 

Remember, in the ancient world, the vast majority of humans would have known hunger in ways that you and I have not experienced. I get cranky if I miss lunch – what we’re talking about in time of Jesus was soul-crushing, physically debilitating, desperation. Crops could fail, locusts could eat whole fields, enemy armies could take all you had – entire cities would starve to death. That gnawing, aching in the human belly was a constant threat. We’re talking about being so desperately hungry that you would be willing to do just about anything to get a bite.

And the people who owned the food, they knew this. And if you wanted to get more power, you used food. For the rich and powerful, hunger was actually your friend. Because if you were trying to work your way up the social ladder, if you were trying to get ahead, if you had any extra money at all, you used that to buy food to give away to people who were hungry. In return, the people you fed would become dependent on you. So by filling an empty belly, you gained a supporter. This wasn’t charity, it was manipulation. Then, when you wanted to take down a political opponent, when you wanted the crowds to rise up against someone else, you could depend upon the people you had fed because they owed you something. Make no mistake. For the Roman Empire, for the authoritarians and bullies of the world, food was a weapon. Bread was a tool. 

This story about Jesus feeding the crowd in the wilderness, yes, it’s a story about God’s miraculous abundance; yes, it’s a story of how God can do so much with so little; yes, it’s about generosity – but it’s also a story about how Jesus turns that world upside down. This story is a direct challenge. Jesus is exposing the corrupt system, he’s shaming those who would use hungry people, who would use the most basic human necessity for their own devices. That’s the subtext to the feeding of the five thousand. The rulers of the world gave people bread so they would get something in return; but the true ruler of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, he just fed the people, for the only reason that they were hungry. 

Imagine, just imagine if you were among that crowd that had come out to hear Jesus. You’re hungry, you’re tired. You’re beat down by this system that will always keep you down. You’re used to getting scraps and crumbs; you’re sick and hopeless. You’re used to getting bossed around by the people who could care less for you because they only care for themselves. 

And then, there is this man. He just gives you food. And heals you. And tells you that you are loved. And offers a vision for something better. And gives you hope and a reason to live. And doesn’t ask for anything in return. So why does Jesus feed the crowd? The scripture says that “He had compassion for them.” I’m not so much concerned as to how Jesus managed to make so much out of so little – God can do whatever God wants; but why Jesus did that, makes all the difference in the world. Because the Kingdom of God is not like the sick and twisted mainpulative systems of this world.

It’s a dynamic, actually, that you know quite well. I wake up every morning only to hear that I need something else. I’m told that I could be healthier if only I buy that new supplement. I’m told that I could enjoy life more if only I got that new credit card. I’m told that I should be worried about the next thing, that I need to keep watching the news to see what that next thing is. We have this gaping, gnawing hole in our lives – we’re worried, we’re anxious, we’re feeling alone and scared and like we don’t have it all together. And the power brokers of this world, are all too happy to give you a little something to fill that hole…but in return for your souls. Because they are the ones who are set to gain from it. It’s why no matter how much you scroll the internet, you’ll never actually achieve happiness. It’s why no matter how many hours of the twenty four hour news channels you watch, you’ll never feel completely informed. It’s why no matter how much you buy, it’ll never be enough. They’re giving us a little bread for our empty bellies – they’re giving us just enough for our anxious souls – and in return, they take more from us. 

So here we are – like that hungry crowd of ancient times. We’ve left our homes, we’ve come here this morning because we are desperate. We are hungry for something else, for someone who won’t just use us. It’s why I’m here. Because Church, with Jesus, is the only place where I am loved, and known, where I’m fed. And it’s why Jesus makes all the difference. God does not use us to get his own way. Jesus simply takes the five loaves and the two fish, he looks up to heaven, and blesses and breaks the loaves, gives them to the disciples, and the disciples gives it all to the crowds. No transaction. No expectation for anything in return. Sheer grace, because that is the true nature of God. The Lord God sees our deepest needs – our needs for belonging, and love – and Jesus just gives it away. Grace – it’s what you have given me over these last three months. To rest, to read, to write, to study. It’s what Chase gave me by stepping into this role, by exercising his full ministry as a priest. It’s what Olivia, our Senior Warden, gave me by her prayers and leadership, as a pillar of this church. And it’s what I intend to continue to give in return in this place; to keep on preaching about this One compassionate God, who turns the world upside down.

Now of course, I could use this sermon to make the next obvious move. To talk about we should all give, charitably, and without strings attached. I could talk about the crushing poverty and food scarcity that is everyday reality for so many in this community. I could talk about the critical ministries of places like St. Vincent’s House, and how they make so much happen with so little. And all of that is true and commendable. Because I know, that some child in Galveston went to bed hungry last night. I know that someone is waking up right now, not knowing where their next meal is going to come from. And I know that someone like you is going to do something about it. I know that this Church will continue to give and make a difference and feed the hungry.

But most of all, today, I ask you to sit with the why. The Church doesn’t feed the hungry in order to get good publicity. We do it out of compassion. The world hasn’t changed much from when those crowds came out to Jesus for bread; and that Jesus is still turning the world upside down, for good.

Because the Kingdom of God is different. Our proclamation, our faith is different; and the Church ought to be different. We believe that people belong, simply because they are people. We believe that God gives, because that’s who God is. We are here this morning, like that crowd thousands of years ago. We have come out to hear from Jesus. To be fed, to be healed. Because Jesus sees you, he knows you, and he has compassion.

See also

Kim, Dong Sung. “Feeding the Poor and Disrupting the Empire: An Imperial- Critical Reading of Feeding Narratives (Matthews 14:13-21; 15:32-39).” 한국기독교신학논총, vol. 103, Dec. 2017, Atla Religion Database with AtlaSerials PLUS, ATLAiG0V170320000076, pp. 399–419.