Echoes
Scripture: 2 Kings 4:42–44 and John 6:5–14
Elisha lived in Israel after its split from Judah but prior to its being conquered by the Assyrians. There is a backdrop of war in the land, with Israel fighting the Moabites and Arameans. As a result, many people are struggling, and Elisha is helping in miraculous ways. His miracle in today’s Kings passage probably sounds familiar to us, but not because most of us have read or heard it many times. Rather, it reminds us of similar events that occurred centuries later. It’s an example of how echoes sometimes ring longer and louder than their source.
A man arrives from a place named after Ba’al, who at the time was worshipped as a god of rain and fertility. The twenty loaves and other food he brought must have been welcome during the famine they were experiencing, though Elisha’s servant did not think they would prove adequate to feed one hundred hungry men. Nonetheless, Elisha instructed his servant to proceed with distributing it, for he had been ensured by the Lord that they would have plenty to eat. Sure enough, they ate their fill and still had leftovers.
If you’re like me, this passage brings to mind the story of Jesus feeding the four thousand which appears in Matthew and Mark, or the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand, which appears in all four gospels. You can understand why those who had gathered with Jesus for the Passover recognized him as a prophet. Like Jesus, they were Jewish, and thus were familiar with the Hebrew scriptures. So whereas when we hear the story of the feeding of the 5,000 and recognize it as one of the miracles of Jesus, many of those who were there that day probably recalled Elisha’s feeding of the one hundred. Jesus was echoing the actions of one of the great prophets, as he also did when he interpreted scripture, changed water to wine, and healed the sick.
We don’t know of all of the messages in scripture that would have held special meaning for readers and hearers in the time it was written, but we know many of them. For instance, the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that we recognize on Palm Sunday was an echo of Simon Maccabee entering Jerusalem many years before. Those who waved palms on that day would have understood the significance of that in a way we can’t from our perspective.
Such instances serve as a reminder that scripture was not written to us, but it was written for us. We can learn a great deal by understanding how the actions of Jesus were understood by witnesses in his day (and, by extension, the gospel writers).
My first job was as a tour guide at the Sauder Farm & Craft Village in Archbold, Ohio. Erie Sauder, the one-time king of boxed furniture you could assemble yourself, created the village as a tribute to the settlers of the Great Black Swamp, which once covered all of Northwest Ohio (and the remnants of which are responsible for its formidable mosquito swarms).
My tour-guiding responsibilities involved teaching our guests what life was like in the mid-1800s. I learned and shared how coopers made buckets, how eight grades of children attended school simultaneously in one room, and the vast array of services available in the barber shops of the day.
What’s most striking to me about life then and for most of human history (and in many places still today) is how much time was spent hunting, growing, preserving, and preparing food. Those efforts occupied most waking hours of every day. Even those of us who grew up in rural communities have a hard time understanding the work involved in making sure everyone was fed in pre-modern times. The seasons played a greater role in life than determining wardrobe and holiday decorations. There was a rhythm to the year that drove daily activities and what food you ate. Farmsteads in past centuries had entire rooms and outbuildings — including cellars, summer kitchens, and smokehouses — devoted to different roles in food preservation and preparation. Planning meals went way beyond preparing shopping lists.
We live in an age when the cost of food represents a relatively small percentage of our budget, and meals can be picked up from the drive-thru or prepared in the microwave in minutes. That’s great for those times when you’re exhausted and your kids’ activities ran late and you want to get them into bed at a reasonable hour, but that convenience comes at a cost. One of those is an impeded ability to relate to those who can’t easily obtain food. Others include increased temptation to waste food, being less in tune with the seasons, a lack of connection to the earth, and inadequate understanding of where our food originates.
That might be what led Isaac Villegas to include the following when writing about today’s passage from John: “I don’t trust storytellers who don’t mention food.” Perhaps he was referencing the importance of context in interpreting scripture. When you view these stories through a lens that incorporates the role of food in Ancient Near East society, you’re better equipped to understand them. The stories in the Bible often mention food, the land, and the seasons because they were embodied concerns for those to whom the scriptures were written.
Knowing the importance food had to those in the Ancient Near East, imagine the impact Elisha’s feeding of the hundred must have had. Food was not easy to come by, so to produce so much so quickly — especially during a famine — was so notable that the story, though short, survives centuries later. And it was well-known during the time of Jesus, so his feeding of thousands not only provided food, it also echoed the actions of the prophets.
Though not as well-known as Elijah, Elisha can serve as a model for us in terms of his commitment, trustworthiness, accountability, diligence, and faith. Not all of his actions are worthy of emulation, such as when he responded to some taunting boys by having them mauled to death by bears, but that serves as a reminder than none of our spiritual ancestors was infallible.
It’s understandable that Jesus was mistaken as the latest in the tradition of Jewish prophets; he shared characteristics with many of them. Like Elisha, he had the ability to see what people most needed and to fulfill those needs. Jesus spent a lot of time teaching, but he often led with healing. He wasn’t like a time share salesman, who needs your buy-in before you can benefit from the special deal he is offering. His presence on earth ensured that reconciliation was already inevitable, and the healing he offered was simply a foretaste of that.
As I prepared for this message, I spent a lot of time thinking about who I want to echo during my ministry. I’ve had the benefit of learning from a variety of ministers during my life, and each taught me at least one key lesson that I’ve attempted to carry forward.
During my awkward years of adolescence, Gary Hodges taught me that I was a child of God with a right to be here.
Countering my tendency to spend too much time in the weeds, Gerry Trigg taught me that Jesus-followers should always retain the ability to see from the highest perspectives.
In an era of political turmoil, Don Ciampa taught me that relationships are more important than being right.
Reshaping the way I think about conversation, Lucretia Browning taught me how it takes only seconds to say something that will warm someone’s heart for a day.
Supplementing my understanding of discipleship, Mike Minnix taught me how the followers of Jesus are called collectively as the church.
Putting her powers of strong-willedness to good use, my sister Robin taught me that you can grow a thriving faith community even in a mainline church singing traditional hymns in a small town.
Shortly after my call to ministry, Tom Sweet, Kelly Wiant, and Meg Shoeman taught me that bold calls for justice can be spoken gently without losing their power.
But not all the individuals I hope to echo are or were ministers. They also include my grandparents — Deloy and Pearl, Ben and Norma — who taught me the importance of being raised on a foundation of faith. They include my parents — Joe and Lynne — who have provided unfailing love and support to me through all the twists and turns of my life. And there are countless others whose positive influences continue to echo in my heart.
Jesus and Elisha were able to perform miracles, but part of the power of their ministries was that they were able to truly see and hear those who approached them. As a result, they understood what the people needed, and they provided help as they could. Again quoting Isaac Villegas, “Jesus reveals the inner workings of the miraculous: that providence happens when we share our provisions. All we have is manna, our resources multiplied through redistribution.”
We might not be able to miraculously multiply bread or fish, but we can still make the effort to see and hear those around us. We have been equipped to continue the mission of Jesus on earth by providing love and support on the personal level, and by pursuing justice at higher levels. And when we do, we’re echoing the work of the cloud of witnesses that came before, and passing on their legacy to the generations who will help it continue to ring.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
References
Collins, John J. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible: Third Edition. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2018.
Nantenaina, Lollo Zo, Joel Raveloharimisy, and Karen McWilliams. “The Prophet Elisha as an Agent of Change for Community Development.” Journal of Applied Christian Leadership Vol. 9, №2 (2018).
Seow, Choon-Leong. “The First and Second Books of Kings,” in New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume II. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015.
Sweeney, Marvin A. I & II Kings : A Commentary. Louisville, Kentucky: Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, 2013.
Villegas, Isaac S. “Which Side are You On?” Sojourners Vol. 50, №7 (July 2021).
Yee, Gale A., Hugh R. Page, Jr., Matthew J. M. Coomber, editors. Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The Old Testament and Apocrypha. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014.
