The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, 2 August 2026
A Sermon on Matthew 14:13-21 by Rev. Robert Alan Shivers

Matthew 14:13-21 Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

13 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. 15 When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” 16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Holy Worship: Giving in the Midst of Grief

Grace, Mercy and Peace to you, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Grief. It is something that everyone eventually struggles with in their lives, and it causes a great deal of mental and emotional anguish in a person. The pain is more than can be described, especially with the loss of a loved one. That is what we find here in our Gospel lesson today. But where in the lesson does it mention that Jesus is dealing with grief? If you have your Bibles with you, I encourage that you look back at the first twelve verses of chapter fourteen. In these verses, we find the recounting of Herod promising that he would give his niece anything she desired while she danced and entertained the guests during his birthday celebration. At the urging of her mother, Herod’s niece demanded the head of John the Baptizer. Though Herod was grieved over this, he kept the oath and promise that was made in front of his guests. John was executed.

And this is where we find ourselves now, verses thirteen through twenty-one. We find that Jesus Christ, who walked on earth both as God and man, felt an overwhelming amount of grief and sorrow after being told about John’s death. One reason we believe Jesus would have felt such grief over John’s death is through the belief and understanding we have that John and Jesus were related through their mothers. And if we look at all four Gospels, John is mentioned in the first few chapters of each book. He was not only kin to Jesus, he also played a part in Jesus’ ministry. How is that? God brought John into this world to prepare the way for Jesus. His mission was to prepare the hearts and minds of the people so that they may be opened to Jesus and His teachings. John confessed, when he was asked, that he was not the Christ, but rather he was the one to prepare the way for the Christ. It was not, therefore, just their bond as kinsmen, but it would have been the connection of John’s preparation of the people, that would have bonded the two together. So, when John was executed by Herod’s order, it created a tremendous amount of grief within Jesus. Our Gospel lesson tells us that He retreated into a deserted place by Himself. It is important that we take note that scripture does not say anything about Jesus needing time to refocus himself on the plan and end goal of what He was sent to accomplish. Rather Jesus needed time alone to pray, to meditate, and to grieve. Jesus was not a stoic man as some would have us think. He had feelings just like everyone else has feelings. The difference is that Jesus was and is sinless while we are not. And while He wished to be alone, he was not going to be given that opportunity. He was followed by a great crowd. Upon seeing the people and their need for healing, He had great compassion for them. And with that compassion he felt, He put aside His grief and He healed them. Take a moment to think about that. This is a man filled with grief, filled with sorrow, and He desires to be alone. Many would react with anger for not being allowed to grieve in peace, some would break down because they are not given time to heal. But not Jesus. His love for those in need was too great to have anger or frustration overtake him. His compassion moved Him to give in the midst of grief. And that is a beautiful thing to see. The love Jesus had for the people who put the trust and faith in Him is the same love Jesus has for us today, though we are sinful and feel unworthy. But it does not end there.

Jesus provided more than just healings to the thousands that were present on that day. He provided food for the thousands that were there. The disciples thought feeding those thousands of people would be a hopeless task. It just simply could not be done. First of all, where are they going to get enough food to feed these people? A measly five loaves and two fish is all that could be scrounged up. Surely that cannot provide for these people. But Jesus takes the two fish and five loaves, He looks up to heaven and He gives God the Father thanks and blesses His name for providing the meal which they are about to receive. And Jesus gives this meal to the thousands. They ate until they were satisfied, and there was an abundance left over. Jesus, again, gave in the midst of grief. That giving is the story of Jesus from birth to death. Later in the gospel, He knew His time on earth was short. He knew the pain which He was about to be subjected to. And Jesus knew His death was coming soon. Yet He says, “This is my body, this is my blood. Eat of it all of you, drink of it, all of you, for the remembrance of me.” Christ says that the bread and the wine are His body and Blood. They are not representations, but they rather are His body and blood. How great it is, then, to come to table and to commune with your brothers and sisters. Jesus gave in the midst of grief while preparing himself for the suffering and death He was going to face in just a short period of time. Again, His giving does not end there.

Where does Jesus give himself once again? He gives himself on the cross. Jesus was in agony and yet He gave us His death so that we may live. Jesus gave of himself in the midst of grief until His last breath. And upon His resurrection, His giving in the midst of grief ended. It was then and it is now that He gives of Himself with joy. How does He do this? By His most precious body and blood. He comes down from Heaven to be present in the bread and wine. You will receive Him, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Let that knowledge give you peace and comfort. Though you may be grieving today, Christ is present to give of himself. He does so not in the midst of His grief, but in the midst of your grief. Whether it is a son or daughter, husband or wife, or any other relative or friend that you are grieving, Jesus is giving Himself to you. And after you have received Him and you leave here today, I ask you to go, share the old old story of Jesus Christ and His love. Tell the good news of Jesus and His sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins. For though we were born into sin, and though all of us sin daily, we have forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Rev. Robert Alan Shivers
rshivers@stmatthewsch.org
St. Matthews Evangelical Lutheran Church (AALC)
Wilmington, North Carolina USA

Bulletin insert

Holy Worship: Giving in the Midst of Grief

Praying

“Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen” (The Daily Prayer of the Church, 618).

Listening

Matthew 14:13 “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place…”

St. John Chrysostom (late 4th – early 5th century Patriarch of Constantinople): “But why did he not withdraw before they brought the news to him? Didn’t Jesus know the fact of John’s death even before they reported it to him? He did not want to make his identity known at this point…For it was not by his appearance only but by his actions that Jesus would have his identity confirmed. He knew the devil’s craft and that he would leave nothing undone to destroy Christ’s revelation (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Matthew 14-28, 6-7).

Matthew 14:16 “But Jesus said, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’”

St. John Chrysostom (Great preacher and Doctor of the Church): “Note carefully the Teacher’s skill. Observe with what discretion he draws them toward believing. Observe how deliberately this unfolds. For he did not simply say, ‘I will feed them.’ The deeper significance of that would have not been easily understood. So what does he say? ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat’…at this point their regard for him was essentially as to a man” (7).

Matthew 14:19 “…he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and …to the crowds”

St. John Chrysostom: “In this miracle Jesus was teaching them humility, temperance, charity, to be of like mind toward one another and to share all things in common. He did so in his choice of location, by providing nothing more than loaves and fishes, by setting the same food before all and having them share it in common and by affording no one more than another” (8).

Matthew 14:20“And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.”

St. Hilary of Poitiers (4th century Bishop of Poitiers; Doctor of the Church): “The loaves were given to the apostles, for through them the gifts of divine grace were to be administered. The crowds were then fed…and they were satisfied. The leftover fragments…after the people had their fill, amounted to twelve baskets. Thus, by the word of God coming from the teaching of the law and the prophets, the multitude was satisfied; and an abundance of divine power, reserved for the Gentiles from the ministry of the eternal food, was left over for the twelve apostles” (8-9).

Reflecting

1. In the wilderness of my life, in my powerlessness and fear or anxiety, do I hunger for Jesus who alone can provide what He sees and knows I need?

Learning

Table of Duties (from Martin Luther’s Small Catechism)

Certain passages of scripture for various holy orders and positions, admonishing them about their duties and responsibilities

To Parents

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction
of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

To Children

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and your
mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—”that it may go well with you and
that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3

Doing

1. Pray for every unbaptized child, youth, and adult you know and for the child’s parents, too.

2. Pray for your unchurched loved ones and friends. Invite one or more of them to worship.

3. Discuss with your spouse, your family, or a friend what God expects of Christian parents and Christian children in their relationships with each other. When God is the center of each life, how does that change and shape parent-child relationships? How can parents teach faithfulness to God without the extremes of harshness or disregarding their child’s (or children’s) bad behavior? How can children and youth balance respect without disregarding their parents’ bad behavior? What part does mercy play in all of this?

4. Pray daily for every relative by birth, by adoption, or by marriage. As a new week begins, set aside time to nurture the relationships within your household. If you live alone, resolve to communicate, as you are able, with family members at a distance. If, because of brokenness in your family, you are unable (which is not the same thing as unwilling) to be reconciled with family members, pray for God’s mercy to enfold and change the hearts and minds of those who remain comfortably adamant in their brokenness. Set aside time to nurture your relationships with members of Christ’s family, the Church.

5. Read the daily lessons for this week (Pentecost 10, Year Two) on LBW p. 190. Pray at least one of the daily prayer offices in the LBW (Morning or Evening Prayer, Prayer at the Close of Day, Responsive Prayer 1 or 2).

For Husbands and Wives

Repeat daily: “I (name) take you (name) to be my wedded wife (husband), to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish until death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge you my faith.”