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(Steve Hamer)
Morning Prayer (2nd August 2020)
The God of Miracles
May my words be in the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Amen
What of the Old Testament lesson we had read to us from Jeanette? It’s a psalm about the Lord being our protector.
The opening verse from the King James Version bible says
'I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help'.
Later Bible versions have corrected the grammar and shows that it is a question not a statement.
From whence cometh my help is asking where does our help come from? It isn’t the hills - as v2 tells us
'My help will come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.'
The psalm goes on to say in v.3 -
'He will not let you fall; your protector is always awake'.
In the next verse 4 it says that
'The protector of Israel never dozes or sleeps'.
In fact it is part of a Jewish bedtime prayer.
In the same way there are similar prayers within the Anglican liturgy of Compline at the end of a day.
In verses 5 & 6 the psalmist repeats the promise
'The Lord will guard you; he is by your side to protect you. The sun will not hurt you during the day, nor the moon by night'.
The final two verses are in fact a blessing:
'The Lord will protect you from all danger; he will keep you safe.
He will protect you as you come and as you go now and forever.'
The psalm is marked as being a Song of Assents, probably sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem.
In Hebrew there are three major Pilgrimage Festivals which would have taken you to Jerusalem
- Passover, Pentecost (Shavuot) and Tabernacles/booths (Sukkot)
There they would join in the festivities and ritual worship with the services led by the priests (Cohen) at the Temple.
But why a Song of Assents you’re probably asking? There are other psalms also marked as such.
A little geography of the Holy Land – if you were able to fly to Tel Aviv, the business centre and main international airport of Israel, your approach is from the sea and over the Mediterranean coast shortly before you land.
At present one cannot fly there as the Coronavirus has grounded most aircraft, (including their national airline El Al).
To get to Jerusalem you set off in a coach, or a sherut (a shared taxi based on an 8-10 seat minibus), and head directly east into the centre of the country. Soon you’re climbing gently uphill and after about 45mins you arrive at Jerusalem which is 2,500ft above sea level (higher than Snaefell).
If you were to continue further to the east of Jerusalem you end up at the Dead Sea, which is over 1,000ft below sea level – the lowest place on earth. I’m told that pilots of small planes flying over the area initially find it disconcerting to see their altimeters reading below zero.
You really appreciate Jerusalem being a city built on a high ridge of the Judean Hills when you approach it from the Dead Sea –
about half an hour constantly climbing in a coach with the parched hillsides of the Judean Hills on either side, and maybe a few camels and brown canvas Bedouin tents. This feeling of ascending to the Temple in Jerusalem is deeply ingrained and Jewish families moving back to live in Israel refer to it as Aliyah – to go up to their spiritual home.
Geography lesson over ! Just remember God as our protector.
The second lesson, read to us by Ann, is known as The Feeding of the 5,000 or as the ‘miracle of the five loaves and two fishes’.
This miracle is recorded in all four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
When an event is recorded in a number of the Gospels I like to look at all the detail available and see if a larger picture emerges. Other than the Resurrection it is the only event in the Bible recorded by all four evangelists, and when numbers are given in scripture it is for good reason. As for fine detail, for example, the Gospel of John reports that Jesus used five loaves and two fishes
supplied by a boy, to feed a multitude.
According to Matthew's gospel, when Jesus heard that that his second cousin and friend John the Baptist had been killed, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Luke specifies that the place was near Bethsaida on the northern shore of Lake Galilee. This was the hometown of three of the Apostles.
The crowds followed Jesus on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said,
"This is a remote place, and it's already getting late.
Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."
Jesus said that they did not need to go away, and therefore the disciples were to give them something to eat. They said that they only had five loaves and two fishes, which Jesus asked to be brought to him.
Jesus directed the people to sit down in groups on the grass. Luke records that Jesus instructs the crowd to sit in groups of 50 – the number confirmed by Mark and that there were 100 such groups.
What happened next? It says that taking the five loaves and the two fishes and looking up to Heaven (not the hills as in Psalm 121), he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces that were leftover. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, beside women and children.
In John's Gospel, the multitude has been attracted around Jesus because of the healing works he was performing.
The feeding of the multitude is taken as a further sign that Jesus was the Messiah - the prophet who is to be their saviour and liberator. They were at this time under Roman rule. This would fulfil a promise written by Moses about seven centuries earlier in the Book of Deuteronomy, just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land of Canaan. In Deuteronomy 18: 15 Moses says this -
'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet'.
In the Gospel of John, he records the following
'Then those men, when they had seen the signs that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”'
In fact there are two separate occasions recorded in the Gospels where Jesus fed a large crowd. The second time was to a slightly smaller number of 4,000 and used seven loaves plus fish. The number of baskets to collect that left over also varies.
It’s easy to think that there might have only been one event and the numbers and details mis-recorded
– after all a large crowd is difficult to count.
However, in Matthew 16:7-11 and Mark 8:16-21 Jesus distinguishes between the two miracles in a conversation with his apostles. St Matthew records Jesus saying -
'Do you not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up?
Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?'
Why did Matthew and Mark include two miracles of the same kind? After all, if Jesus has already fed 5,000 people, what is really added to the Gospel story by including a second feeding of a smaller number? It seems odd.
Wouldn’t it have been better to use that precious ink and parchment to record some different miracle?
There is more to these events than just how many were present – Jesus was well aware in his subsequent conversation with the apostles. It is important to note the locations of where the feeding of the multitudes took place. The feeding of the 5,000 took place near Bethsaida, close to the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee. In contrast, the feeding of the 4,000 took place in the region of the Gerasenes to the east of the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan.
The location of today’s feeding of the 5,000 was Jewish and the second occasion was Gentile. There are some numerical clues in the text which also point to this distinction - as mentioned earlier, numbers in the Bible are rarely accidental.
Feeding of the 5,000
In this miracle, Jesus takes five loves and feeds five thousand, which is reminiscent of the five books of the Jewish Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). Not only that, but when everyone had finished eating, twelve baskets of left-overs were collected, which was probably alluding to the twelve tribes of Israel.
Feeding of the 4,000
In this second miracle, seven loaves are used and seven baskets are collected. The number seven is symbolic of completeness
(i.e. not just Jews but Gentiles too) and the number seven is suggestive of the seven days of creation when God created all humanity.
So, what is the significance of the two feedings of the multitudes? Both miracles show the provision of the Lord, his love for all his people - both Jew and Gentile. In these miracles he feeds them with miraculous bread, maybe in preparation for the day when his people (that’s us) would be fed sacramentally during a service of Holy Communion. In that service, the liturgy uses the words from 1 Corinthians 10:17 -
'Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.'
Jesus performed over 40 miracles. They range from dealing with illnesses to resurrection of the dead and control over nature. The miracle of feeding the multitude is one of many showing Jesus’s control of nature. The first miracle at Cana in Galilee was to change water into wine, there was the large catch of fish, the cursing of the fig tree, calming the storm and walking on water, etc.
Such events are not explainable by natural or scientific laws – but they can and do happen. As son of God, Jesus was the real Miracleman, not the fictional superhero of the same name who appeared in comic books published by Marvel Comics in the 1950s. In the Biblical book of the Acts of the Apostles are recorded miracles after the ascension of Jesus. And throughout history some of the saints have demonstrated a little of the God given miraculous power shown by Jesus.
A Bible linguist friend of ours says that when the gospel is being established in a place
there are powerful forces for good at work - to counteract the forces of evil.
I believe in miracles,
I believe in the God of miracles – but what about you ?
Amen
What of the Old Testament lesson we had read to us from Jeanette? It’s a psalm about the Lord being our protector.
The opening verse from the King James Version bible says
'I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help'.
Later Bible versions have corrected the grammar and shows that it is a question not a statement.
From whence cometh my help is asking where does our help come from? It isn’t the hills - as v2 tells us
'My help will come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.'
The psalm goes on to say in v.3 -
'He will not let you fall; your protector is always awake'.
In the next verse 4 it says that
'The protector of Israel never dozes or sleeps'.
In fact it is part of a Jewish bedtime prayer.
In the same way there are similar prayers within the Anglican liturgy of Compline at the end of a day.
In verses 5 & 6 the psalmist repeats the promise
'The Lord will guard you; he is by your side to protect you. The sun will not hurt you during the day, nor the moon by night'.
The final two verses are in fact a blessing:
'The Lord will protect you from all danger; he will keep you safe.
He will protect you as you come and as you go now and forever.'
The psalm is marked as being a Song of Assents, probably sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem.
In Hebrew there are three major Pilgrimage Festivals which would have taken you to Jerusalem
- Passover, Pentecost (Shavuot) and Tabernacles/booths (Sukkot)
There they would join in the festivities and ritual worship with the services led by the priests (Cohen) at the Temple.
But why a Song of Assents you’re probably asking? There are other psalms also marked as such.
A little geography of the Holy Land – if you were able to fly to Tel Aviv, the business centre and main international airport of Israel, your approach is from the sea and over the Mediterranean coast shortly before you land.
At present one cannot fly there as the Coronavirus has grounded most aircraft, (including their national airline El Al).
To get to Jerusalem you set off in a coach, or a sherut (a shared taxi based on an 8-10 seat minibus), and head directly east into the centre of the country. Soon you’re climbing gently uphill and after about 45mins you arrive at Jerusalem which is 2,500ft above sea level (higher than Snaefell).
If you were to continue further to the east of Jerusalem you end up at the Dead Sea, which is over 1,000ft below sea level – the lowest place on earth. I’m told that pilots of small planes flying over the area initially find it disconcerting to see their altimeters reading below zero.
You really appreciate Jerusalem being a city built on a high ridge of the Judean Hills when you approach it from the Dead Sea –
about half an hour constantly climbing in a coach with the parched hillsides of the Judean Hills on either side, and maybe a few camels and brown canvas Bedouin tents. This feeling of ascending to the Temple in Jerusalem is deeply ingrained and Jewish families moving back to live in Israel refer to it as Aliyah – to go up to their spiritual home.
Geography lesson over ! Just remember God as our protector.
The second lesson, read to us by Ann, is known as The Feeding of the 5,000 or as the ‘miracle of the five loaves and two fishes’.
This miracle is recorded in all four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
When an event is recorded in a number of the Gospels I like to look at all the detail available and see if a larger picture emerges. Other than the Resurrection it is the only event in the Bible recorded by all four evangelists, and when numbers are given in scripture it is for good reason. As for fine detail, for example, the Gospel of John reports that Jesus used five loaves and two fishes
supplied by a boy, to feed a multitude.
According to Matthew's gospel, when Jesus heard that that his second cousin and friend John the Baptist had been killed, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Luke specifies that the place was near Bethsaida on the northern shore of Lake Galilee. This was the hometown of three of the Apostles.
The crowds followed Jesus on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said,
"This is a remote place, and it's already getting late.
Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."
Jesus said that they did not need to go away, and therefore the disciples were to give them something to eat. They said that they only had five loaves and two fishes, which Jesus asked to be brought to him.
Jesus directed the people to sit down in groups on the grass. Luke records that Jesus instructs the crowd to sit in groups of 50 – the number confirmed by Mark and that there were 100 such groups.
What happened next? It says that taking the five loaves and the two fishes and looking up to Heaven (not the hills as in Psalm 121), he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces that were leftover. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, beside women and children.
In John's Gospel, the multitude has been attracted around Jesus because of the healing works he was performing.
The feeding of the multitude is taken as a further sign that Jesus was the Messiah - the prophet who is to be their saviour and liberator. They were at this time under Roman rule. This would fulfil a promise written by Moses about seven centuries earlier in the Book of Deuteronomy, just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land of Canaan. In Deuteronomy 18: 15 Moses says this -
'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet'.
In the Gospel of John, he records the following
'Then those men, when they had seen the signs that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”'
In fact there are two separate occasions recorded in the Gospels where Jesus fed a large crowd. The second time was to a slightly smaller number of 4,000 and used seven loaves plus fish. The number of baskets to collect that left over also varies.
It’s easy to think that there might have only been one event and the numbers and details mis-recorded
– after all a large crowd is difficult to count.
However, in Matthew 16:7-11 and Mark 8:16-21 Jesus distinguishes between the two miracles in a conversation with his apostles. St Matthew records Jesus saying -
'Do you not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up?
Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?'
Why did Matthew and Mark include two miracles of the same kind? After all, if Jesus has already fed 5,000 people, what is really added to the Gospel story by including a second feeding of a smaller number? It seems odd.
Wouldn’t it have been better to use that precious ink and parchment to record some different miracle?
There is more to these events than just how many were present – Jesus was well aware in his subsequent conversation with the apostles. It is important to note the locations of where the feeding of the multitudes took place. The feeding of the 5,000 took place near Bethsaida, close to the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee. In contrast, the feeding of the 4,000 took place in the region of the Gerasenes to the east of the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan.
The location of today’s feeding of the 5,000 was Jewish and the second occasion was Gentile. There are some numerical clues in the text which also point to this distinction - as mentioned earlier, numbers in the Bible are rarely accidental.
Feeding of the 5,000
In this miracle, Jesus takes five loves and feeds five thousand, which is reminiscent of the five books of the Jewish Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). Not only that, but when everyone had finished eating, twelve baskets of left-overs were collected, which was probably alluding to the twelve tribes of Israel.
Feeding of the 4,000
In this second miracle, seven loaves are used and seven baskets are collected. The number seven is symbolic of completeness
(i.e. not just Jews but Gentiles too) and the number seven is suggestive of the seven days of creation when God created all humanity.
So, what is the significance of the two feedings of the multitudes? Both miracles show the provision of the Lord, his love for all his people - both Jew and Gentile. In these miracles he feeds them with miraculous bread, maybe in preparation for the day when his people (that’s us) would be fed sacramentally during a service of Holy Communion. In that service, the liturgy uses the words from 1 Corinthians 10:17 -
'Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.'
Jesus performed over 40 miracles. They range from dealing with illnesses to resurrection of the dead and control over nature. The miracle of feeding the multitude is one of many showing Jesus’s control of nature. The first miracle at Cana in Galilee was to change water into wine, there was the large catch of fish, the cursing of the fig tree, calming the storm and walking on water, etc.
Such events are not explainable by natural or scientific laws – but they can and do happen. As son of God, Jesus was the real Miracleman, not the fictional superhero of the same name who appeared in comic books published by Marvel Comics in the 1950s. In the Biblical book of the Acts of the Apostles are recorded miracles after the ascension of Jesus. And throughout history some of the saints have demonstrated a little of the God given miraculous power shown by Jesus.
A Bible linguist friend of ours says that when the gospel is being established in a place
there are powerful forces for good at work - to counteract the forces of evil.
I believe in miracles,
I believe in the God of miracles – but what about you ?
Amen