Simple Compassion

Jeremiah 16:(1-9)10-21

John 6:1-15

In the reading from Jeremiah for today we find words of judgment and of warning. Because of their sinfulness, following after other gods, the Lord will banish the people from the land (Jeremiah 16:9). The details are gruesome as to what will happen, but tucked in Jeremiah’s account, just after the mention of unburied bodies and unshaven heads, we read, “No one shall break bread for the mourner, to offer comfort for the dead; nor shall anyone give them the cup of consolation to drink for their fathers or their mothers” (vs. 8). Even simple gestures of compassion will cease, says the Lord.

The feeding of the five thousand is one of a few accounts contained in all four gospels. But each gospel writer has a particular insight into the event. John alone provides us with this detail: “One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’” (John 6:8-9). We have no way of knowing whether the bread and fish had been offered freely by the boy, or if Andrew had asked if he could take it. But no matter. This remains a simple gesture of compassion in the midst of a teeming crowd. I’m not sure what I find more important to the story, Jesus’ miraculous ability to feed the multitude, or the offering of fish and loaves by an unnamed boy.

The warning of the prophet was valid, and his word was true. But in the end, when God is at work, acts of generosity abound. Gifts are shared, wounds are healed, lives are changed for the better. In a moment of need someone steps forward and offers what they have, and by God’s grace it becomes enough. It is easy to condemn the church for its hypocrisy, for its divisiveness and its ugliness. But let us never forget the Spirit-filled acts of love that also spring from God’s people. The acts, like the people themselves, are imperfect, but in God’s hand they become limitless expressions of grace. There are those who will break bread for the mourner, who will give a cup of consolation to the one in distress. May we, too, share in this blessed activity, giving what we have to the work of God.

Prayer: Lord, help us to care for those who mourn and to offer what we have to those in need. In Jesus’ name. Amen.