Dear Christian friends:

Jesus did many miracles during His ministry: He changed water to wine at a wedding in Cana; He commanded the storm to be still; He walked on water; He made the sick well; the blind to see and the deaf to hear and the dead to awake and arise from death.

Here in our text Jesus multiplied the five loaves of bread and the two small fishes and with that He fed and satisfied more than 5,000 hungry people. Jesus did many miracles and He says that we, His disciples also can do miracles. On the evening before He died Jesus said to His disciples, "I tell you the truth, He that believes on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father." (John 14:12) Like Jesus, we Christians can do wonderful and surprising works. Perhaps we can't walk on water and do miracles in the same way that Jesus did, but we can do wonderful and surprising works. Perhaps you doubt, but I say that


If we intend to do miracles, we need to have compassion for people like Jesus had for the people. In our text we read that when Jesus saw the large crowd of people "He felt compassion for them, and healed their sick ones." (verse 14)

Jesus had heart for people, even those who opposed Him and were not worthy of His love and kindness. Compassion means mercy, love and kindness to those who insult you or do wrong against you. Jesus has taught us, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for He makes His sun to rise on the evil, and on the good, and He sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:44-45)

Like Jesus we need to have heart, compassion to help those who are not good or worthy. When we do that we are miracle workers. The unbelievers will be surprised and impressed.

True, it is hard to show love and kindness to unworthy people or enemies. That is not man's nature or way. Man's nature is to love his friends and hate his enemies or to greet his brothers and ignore the stranger. But we Christians should not be like natural man. We are different! We have new birth and new life through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus now lives in our heart. We are to speak and talk like Jesus. And remember, God has shown great compassion on us! We are sinners. We were His enemies! We are not worthy to receive His mercy and salvation. But He has shown mercy to us and given His only Son to die for us. Since God has shown compassion to us we now can show the same to others, also to our enemies. When we believe in Jesus we can also be miracle workers, and not like natural man.

Yes, we need compassion, and we also need faith in God that He will help us and bless us when we do His good and wonderful works, His miracles.

Often we are like Jesus' disciples here in the text. We have no faith. When we have no faith we can't do the wonderful works of God. Jesus told the disciples to feed the many, many people. They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two small fishes. That's not enough food for the many people." (verses 16-17) The disciples had no faith that Jesus could multiply the loaves and fishes. They made excuses. So we often have no faith and think we can't do what Jesus commanded us to do. We make beautiful excuses, too. We say we can't afford to help the poor and the hungry. We think we can't give for the support of our church and missions. We have many and various excuses. We have little or no faith in God.

But Jesus challenges us like He here challenged the disciples. He says to us also, "You give them food! You give them clothes! You go and preach the gospel to all nations! You heal the sick!"

True, we often are poor or weak and have few resources with which to do the Lord's wonderful works. But if we have faith in Jesus He will bless our few resources and use that to do His miracles. He will use our weak bodies and our handicaps to do the surprising wonderful works He wants’ done. Jesus said to the disciples, "Bring the two fish and the five loaves to Me!" (verse 18) “Then Jesus took the five loaves and two fishes and looked up to heaven and blessed them." (verse 19) Jesus used the small amount of food which the disciples had. He blessed it and did a miracle with it! With Jesus' blessing on the small amount of food the disciples fed more than 5,000 people. And when they were finished they had twelve baskets of food left over. (verses 19-21)

So Jesus will use our small money and do wonderful works with it! He will use you although you are old and weak and do miracles through you and joined with you. Although you are deaf Jesus can use you and with you do His surprising, wonderful works. Have faith in Jesus and He will use you to do His miracles!

St. Paul had a weak body, not good health and he was not a good speaker. Yet he had faith in Jesus and obeyed Jesus' command to go and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. God blessed Paul's preaching. God did wonderful works through St. Paul. He is most famous missionary of all time!

Dr. John L. Salvner, our first Lutheran minister to the deaf in Minnesota became ill with T.B. in 1902. His doctor did not expect him to live more than 6 months. But Dr. Salvner had faith and prayed to God. God blessed him and used him to preach to the deaf for 60 years.

A few years ago some of our members joined in the Forward in Remembrance offering. Only a few members made pledges. But these few, 17 members, pledged $17,241.00 for Jesus' work. That was truly a miracle! God used these few, poor members to do a wonderful work! Most have finished paying their pledges. Some are still paying them! These 17 members had faith and did a great work!

So let's continue on and do more miracles with Jesus blessing and help. Let's have compassion for those in need and let's have faith in God. Then we will do His wonderful works!

Amen.