Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” ... Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
John 6:10-11
Nature is the essence of God’s creation.
In nature, we experience the manifold expressions of God’s creative magnitude as we behold its wide range of creatures, colors, and sounds.
Through nature, we peel back the layers of God’s most imminent revelation and glimpse His awe-inspiring transcendence as the artist who sculpted the cosmos.
By nature, we exist and carry out the divine order for human flourishing.
In the scripture passage above Jesus is surrounded by the beauty of nature while sitting on a hill near the Sea of Galilee. Jesus - the bread of life - asked Philip: “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” Philip, aware of the sheer impossibility of feeding such a magnitude with no immediate financial resources, graciously replied: “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” Andrew added, “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”
Sensing the disciples’ short-sightedness in their faith,
Jesus - the medium through which the universe was created and all of nature came to be (John 1:3) - instructed his disciples to have the people seated. Transcending the laws that govern the natural world, Jesus gave thanks for the loaves and the fish. Then he miraculously multiplied them to feed the multitude of people beyond everyone’s physical need!
After performing this great wonder, Jesus retreated to the hills to surround himself with the natural elements of God’s creation. Indeed, nature appears throughout the Gospels. In nature, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, overcame temptation in the desert, and (as we have seen) abundantly multiplied resources on the hillside.
As we navigate this pandemic, let us be in harmony with the spirit of Christ.
Let us engage this natural world to draw near to the One who created it, defines it, sustains it, and has to power to transcend it!
In Christ,
Zach
Zacher Bayonne began attending All Saints with his wife Emily in Fall 2019. He works as a management consultant while also pursuing his Master of Divinity at Virginia Theological Seminary.
