马太福音14:13-21

愿恩惠、平安从父神和救主耶稣基督归于你们所有时常围绕主耶稣聚会领餐的人。阿们。

“耶稣听见了，就上船从那里独自退到野地里去。”（太14:13）主耶稣听说了什么呢？就是施洗约翰被希律王斩了头，“约翰的门徒来，把尸首领去埋葬了。”（太13:12）这件事情无论从政治上还是宗教信仰上来说都是头等大事，不仅对约翰的门徒们来说，更是对耶稣和祂的门徒们来说，都是大事，因为约翰的事工一直以来都是指向耶稣，“看哪，神的羔羊，背负世人罪孽的。”主耶稣听到这个消息之后的第一反应是独自退到野地，就是没人的僻静地方，去做什么呢？我们知道，是要独自向天父上帝祷告，这个在13章的后面第23节经文有交代。

主耶稣从人群中退去，不是畏缩逃避逼迫，而是给我们做天国门徒的一个榜样，就是在世事动荡、逼迫，各种大事件和新闻到处淹没我们的眼目和耳朵的时候，我们不要迎头而上，沉溺于属地的事物，尤其是政治。无论是约翰的门徒，还是主耶稣的门徒，他们这个时候最期待的就是这位弥赛亚能够担当起领袖的角色，甚至能够反击报复这样的残酷暴政，能够主持公义，推翻邪恶的政权，毕竟施洗约翰能够大声疾呼，斥责希律王强取自己的弟媳希罗底，为什么耶稣这位真正的弥赛亚大君王不能够站起来履行先知的角色呢？今天也有好多基督徒、牧者或者教会领袖同样期待耶稣能够在地上执行政治公义，甚至有提倡“信仰抗命”这样口号的，公然挑战政府，并且以施洗约翰批评希律王为圣经依据。当然，这不是我们今天经文的重点，我们熟悉一下这个背景就可以了，以后有机会再讲解。

然而，主耶稣自己说过，祂的国不属于这个世界，而是属于天上的。主耶稣要独自退到旷野，野地，并且专注于祈祷，因为神的国也是藉着祈祷不断降临在地上的，祂教导我们如此祷告说“愿你的国降临”。当世界的各种潮流涌动，牵着人群的心往各个方向撕扯，给人带来不安躁动，甚至煽动人群做出极端的事情的时候，主耶稣却带领门徒，带领教会从世界上的事物上转离自己的视线，往天上看。这就是今天福音经文所发生的事情。主耶稣用五饼二鱼喂饱了五千人，虽然我们常常关注的、很可能也是吃饼吃鱼的人群所关注的是神迹，然而，主耶稣乃是藉着这个神迹把天国带给百姓，也是带领人群仰望天上。这也是为什么在分饼分鱼之前，主耶稣吩咐众人“坐在草地上，就拿着这五个饼，两条鱼，望着天祝福，擘开饼，递给门徒，门徒又递给众人。”（太13:19）

事实上，这样的神迹并不是天天发生，那怕主耶稣在地上传道的时候，也并不是每天都要施行这样的神迹奇事，因为神迹本身不是目的，教导众人天国的道理并且把天国、神的怜悯和医治，拯救的应许和与上帝的吃喝团契才是主耶稣施行神迹的目的。这些跑到旷野跟随耶稣的人是有福的，因为他们不跟随世界的潮流漂浮，让世界的喧哗所侵蚀，甚至不愿意被暴政所恐吓，而是紧紧地跟随主耶稣，连一日的三餐都不顾了。“耶稣见有许多的人，就怜悯他们，治好了他们的病人。”（太13:14）主耶稣来到地上，就是要把怜悯带给世人，尤其是带给我们跟随祂的门徒们。天国的君王怜悯世人，因为祂的属性就是怜悯人的。“耶和华-你神原是有怜悯的神；祂总不撇下你，灭绝你，也不忘记他起誓与你列祖所立的约。”（申4:31）神怜悯施恩施慈爱的属性在圣经中多次出现，尤其是在施行拯救之后，以色列人就会如此称赞神。有时候是神自己宣告自己，比如出埃及记34:6“耶和华在他面前宣告说：‘耶和华，耶和华，是有怜悯有恩典的神，不轻易发怒，并有丰盛的慈爱和诚实。’”（出34:6）

这里有一个重要的问题，我不得不问大家，包括我自己，我们做耶稣门徒的，来教会朝见神的面，聚会敬拜神的，是带着寻求怜悯的心来的吗？还是我们时常认为自己很厉害，很坚强，不需要怜悯？怜悯这个词在今天的文化当中是一个非常不好的、贬义的词。打个比方，你会愿意其他人对你说，“我好可怜你、我怜悯你”吗？不会的。我们自然而然会觉得这是一种侮辱。我们总是带着极大的自尊心和骄傲来与人相处，事实上我们所处的社会和文化，都在反对这种“怜悯”的关系，然而“怜悯”恰恰是我们最需要的，也是我们所不配得的恩典。怜悯要远远大于“同情或者同理心”，虽然后者是今天的社会所能够接纳包容的词汇。尤其是在上帝面前，我们常常需要的就是怜悯，不只是同情或者同理心，因为我们是不配得到上帝的恩惠，也是因为我们不靠着自己任何的功劳或者资本来朝见神。

如果我们知道主是怜悯我们的，并且我们也是可怜的，时常好像没有牧人的羊，漂泊不定，被世界的各种诱惑牵引着，是不是被罪所绊倒、缠累，我们就不会沉溺于世上的事务，或者说，不会沉溺于吃喝，因为神的国不在乎吃喝，乃是在乎公义，神的义，而神的义是藉着信心领受而来的，并不是我们赚取来的。神的公义彰显也是靠着神的道临到我们，并不是靠着眼睛可见的武力或权势临到世上的。我们也就会心甘情愿地为着主名受苦，受逼迫。我们会愿意废寝忘食地跟随主耶稣，聆听祂的话语，与祂一天祈祷，愿意“退到旷野”，脱离舒适的环境，甘愿吃苦，让天国不断地降临到我们身上。

在今天的五饼二鱼的神迹当中，主耶稣祝福普普通通的五个饼，两条鱼，藉着祷告和话语的祝福，喂饱五千人，众人吃饱了，还有余剩的，零碎都装满了十二个篮子。这十二个篮子也代表以色列的十二个支派，代表整个的新约基督教会。事实上，另一个祝福和喂饱众人今天常常在教会中发生，在信徒中间不断地施行，就是主耶稣吩咐门徒们时常如此行的圣餐礼。在圣餐礼中，主耶稣用普普通通的饼和酒祝谢了，递给门徒们吃喝，今天也是借着牧师的手分递饼和酒，就是耶稣基督的真身体和血，让我们吃喝，属灵地吃喝，在神面前吃喝，并且吃饱了，让神的生命充满我们，充满整个的基督教会。不仅吃饱，而且还有余，要分给后面藉着信心和洗礼加入教会的其他信徒。

弟兄姐妹们，我们明白吗？每一次我们聚集聆听主的话语，并且在主的餐桌前吃喝，就是在神的国里面吃喝。主耶稣在最后的晚餐、也是上十字架之前对门徒们说：“我实在告诉你们，我不再喝这葡萄汁，直到我在神的国里喝新的那日子。”（可14:25）主的国什么时候降临了？就是主耶稣在十字架上得国的时候。那位悔改信主的强盗不是说，“你得国降临的时候要记得我吗？”主耶稣对他说，“你今日就在乐园里了。”意思是，今日在十字架上，神的国就降临了。

让我们坚守天国的道理，主耶稣基督的教训，时常遵守主耶稣的吩咐，若我们这样行，神的国就在我们中间，我们也在神的国里面不断地吃喝，吃的饱足，灵粮不断，灵命茁壮成长，也是向世人，向动荡不安的世界见证这属天的平安，天国的权能都藉着教会彰显出来，宣扬给世人听，或许他们也能够信，成为天国的一员。奉耶稣基督的名。阿们。

Matthew 14:13-21

May grace and peace from God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ be with all of you who frequently gather around the Lord Jesus to receive the Holy Supper. Amen.

“Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.” (Matt 14:13) What did the Lord Jesus hear? It was that John the Baptist had been beheaded by King Herod, and “his disciples came and took the body and buried it.” (Matt 13:12) Whether politically or religiously, this event was a matter of utmost importance—not only for John’s disciples, but even more so for Jesus and His disciples. This is because John’s ministry had always pointed to Jesus: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Upon hearing this news, the Lord Jesus’ first reaction was to withdraw alone to a desolate place—a quiet place away from the crowd. What was He going to do there? As we know, He went to pray to God the Father alone, as indicated later in verse 23 of chapter 13.

The Lord Jesus’ withdrawal from the crowd was not a fearful avoidance of persecution. Rather, He was setting an example for us as disciples of the kingdom of heaven: when the world is in turmoil, when persecution rages, and when major events and news overwhelm our eyes and ears, we should not charge blindly ahead or become immersed in earthly affairs, especially politics. At that moment, whether it was John’s disciples or the Lord Jesus’ disciples, what they most anticipated was for this Messiah to assume a leadership role—perhaps even to retaliate against such brutal tyranny, uphold justice, and overthrow the evil regime. After all, if John the Baptist could cry out boldly and rebuke King Herod for taking his brother’s wife Herodias, why couldn’t Jesus, the true Messianic King, stand up and fulfill the prophetic role? Today, many Christians, pastors, or church leaders likewise expect Jesus to execute political justice on earth, some even championing slogans like “faithful civil disobedience,” openly challenging the government and using John the Baptist’s rebuke of Herod as their biblical justification. Of course, this is not the main focus of our text today; it is enough for us to familiarize ourselves with this background, and we will have the opportunity to explain it further in the future.

However, the Lord Jesus Himself said that His kingdom is not of this world, but belongs to heaven. The Lord Jesus needed to withdraw alone to the wilderness, to a desolate place, and focus on prayer, because the kingdom of God also continually comes down to earth through prayer. He taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come.” When the various tides of the world surge, tearing at the hearts of the crowd in every direction, bringing anxiety and restlessness, and even inciting people to commit extreme acts, the Lord Jesus leads His disciples and His Church to turn their eyes away from worldly affairs and look toward heaven. This is precisely what takes place in today’s Gospel text. The Lord Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. Although we often focus on the miracle—as did the crowds who ate the bread and fish—the Lord Jesus actually used this miracle to bring the kingdom of heaven to the people and to lead them to look up to heaven. This is why, before distributing the bread and fish, the Lord Jesus commanded the crowd to “sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.” (Matt 13:19)

In truth, such miracles did not happen every day; even during the Lord Jesus’ earthly ministry, He did not perform such signs and wonders daily. A miracle itself is not the ultimate end. The true purpose of the Lord Jesus’ miracles was to teach the people the truth of the kingdom of heaven, to bring them the kingdom, God’s mercy, the promise of healing and salvation, and table fellowship with God. Blessed are those who ran into the wilderness to follow Jesus, for they did not drift along with the tides of the world, nor were they eroded by the clamor of the world, nor were they terrified by tyranny. Instead, they followed the Lord Jesus closely, disregarding even their three daily meals. “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” (Matt 13:14) The Lord Jesus came to earth precisely to bring mercy to the world, and especially to us, the disciples who follow Him. The King of the heavenly kingdom has mercy on the world, for His very nature is merciful. “For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.” (Deut 4:31) This attribute of God—His mercy, grace, and steadfast love—appears repeatedly in the Scriptures; especially after being saved, the Israelites praised God in this way. At times, God declared this about Himself, as in Exodus 34:6: “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.’” (Exod 34:6)

Here is an important question that I must ask all of you, including myself: When we, as Jesus’ disciples, come to church to seek God's face, gather, and worship Him, do we come with hearts seeking mercy? Or do we often think of ourselves as impressive and strong, having no need for mercy? In today’s culture, the word "mercy" is viewed very negatively, as a derogatory term. For example, would you be willing to hear someone say to you, "I have pity for you; I show you mercy"? No, you wouldn't. Naturally, we would feel that this is an insult. We always interact with others carrying immense self-esteem and pride. In fact, the society and culture we live in are entirely opposed to this kind of "mercy-based" relationship. Yet "mercy" is precisely what we need most, and it is grace we are completely unworthy to receive. Mercy is far greater than "sympathy" or "empathy," even though the latter are words that modern society can accept and tolerate. Especially before God, what we constantly need is mercy—not merely sympathy or empathy—because we are unworthy of God’s grace, and because we do not come into God's presence relying on any of our own merit or leverage.

If we know that the Lord is merciful to us, and that we are indeed wretched—often like sheep without a shepherd, wandering aimlessly, led astray by the various temptations of the world, constantly stumbled and entangled by sin—then we will not indulge in worldly affairs. That is to say, we will not indulge in food and drink, for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness—God’s righteousness, which is received through faith and not earned by us. The manifestation of God’s righteousness comes to us through God’s Word, not through visible force or worldly power. Then we will also be willingly prepared to suffer and be persecuted for the Lord’s name. We will be willing to forget sleep and food to follow the Lord Jesus, listen to His Word, pray with Him all day, and be willing to "withdraw to the wilderness"—stepping out of our comfortable environments, suffering willingly, and letting the kingdom of heaven continually descend upon us.

In today’s miracle of the five loaves and two fish, the Lord Jesus blessed the ordinary five loaves and two fish. Through prayer and the blessing of His Word, He fed five thousand people. Everyone ate and was satisfied, and the broken pieces left over filled twelve baskets. These twelve baskets also represent the twelve tribes of Israel, representing the entire New Testament Christian Church. In fact, another blessing and feeding of the crowd frequently occurs in the Church today, continually administered among believers: the Holy Supper, which the Lord Jesus commanded His disciples to do often. In the Holy Supper, the Lord Jesus uses ordinary bread and wine, gives thanks, and hands them to the disciples to eat and drink. Today, through the hands of the pastor, the bread and wine—which are the true body and blood of Jesus Christ—are distributed for us to eat and drink, spiritually, before God. We are fed to satisfaction, allowing the life of God to fill us and the entire Christian Church. Not only are we satisfied, but there is also a surplus to be distributed to other believers who later join the Church through faith and Holy Baptism.

Brothers and sisters, do we understand? Every time we gather to listen to the Lord’s Word and eat and drink at the Lord’s table, we are eating and drinking in the kingdom of God. At the Last Supper, before going to the cross, the Lord Jesus said to His disciples: “Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” (Mark 14:25) When did the Lord’s kingdom come? It came when the Lord Jesus received His kingdom on the cross. Didn't the repentant thief who came to faith say, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom"? The Lord Jesus said to him, "Today you will be with me in paradise." That means today, on the cross, the kingdom of God has come.

Let us hold fast to the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven and the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, constantly obeying the Lord Jesus' commands. If we do so, the kingdom of God is among us, and we are continually eating and drinking in the kingdom of God—eating our fill, constantly supplied with spiritual food, growing robustly in spiritual life, and testifying to the world, to this turbulent and anxious world, of this heavenly peace. The power of the kingdom of heaven is manifested through the Church and proclaimed to the world, so that perhaps they too may believe and become members of the kingdom of heaven. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.