The Gospel for October 13th, 2004
Luke 9:1-17
He called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and do not have a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave let your departure be from there. As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as evidence against them.’ So they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere. Meanwhile Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was going on; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. But Herod said, ‘John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?’ And he was anxious to see him. On their return the apostles gave him an account of all they had done. Then he took them with him and withdrew towards a town called Bethsaida where they could be by themselves. But the crowds got to know and they went after him. He made them welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he cured those who were in need of healing. It was late afternoon when the Twelve came up to him and said, ‘Send the people away, and they can go to the villages and farms round about to find lodging and food; for we are in a lonely place here.’ He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves.’ But they said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go ourselves and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. But he said to his disciples, ‘Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty.’ They did so and made them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd. They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps left over were collected they filled twelve baskets. -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study
The sending of the Apostles, Herod's inquisitiveness, and the feeing of the five thousand (men) [whew!]: all in so few lines. And so much has been written about each episode, by so many.
We are given yet another window in which to look at Jesus, through this reading. This writer links the preaching and healing accomplished by the twelve directly with Herod's "anxious" feeling about it. Herod thought that he had extinguished this new brand of repentant Jewish philosophy when he killed John Baptist -- but now there were twelve new preachers each proclaiming the kingdom, and healing! This writer has Herod wondering who this could be. He doesn't wonder if it's John Baptist, because he saw the Baptist's head, and we are given to believe in this reading that he is not much concerned with a resurrection, either. Likely, it is more about politics than religion, as John's beheading was more about politics than the fanciful story told about his beautiful niece's dance.
Moses and Elijah fed "the people." Now Jesus outdoes even them. This writer has Jesus, at this stage of his earthly walk, as at least "super-prophet" in the eyes of men.
We are shortly to hear how Peter views him.
A Reflection
The Hebrew Bible reading for today is all about Jonah and his big fish. YHWH, you recall, wanted Jonah to travel to Nineveh and decry their sinful acts. Jonah, fleeing from YHWH, is vomited onto the beach out of the big fish that rescued him from the seas that YHWH caused to get Noah off the boat on which he was escaping.
God is always pushing us, like Jonah. Sometimes he speaks in an inescapably loud voice, we are told, as to Jonah, or, as Jesus to the Apostles. Or feeds the anxiety of guilty people like Herod the tetrarch. Or puts up tiny stumbling blocks to let us know that the way we have chosen is less desirable than the one He would have chosen.
And like Jesus, God seems to answer the questions we forgot to ask, or should have asked.
I'm still wondering about the answers-to-prayer thing. Trying to be faith-full in times that seem so barren of hope is my greatest challenge these days. Where's that danged hem, anyway?
A Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
10:05:27 PM 
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