|
 The story about Jesus feeding the 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish is legendary. Even those who don't consider themselves religious know about it. How many of us, however, have ever really pondered its significance and its message to us? Why did Jesus perform this miracle twice, in almost identical fashion? There is no other miracle recorded in the gospels that he actually repeats.
Let's recap the familiar story. The disciples have just returned from the mission field, exhausted but elated by their experience. Jesus had sent them out in pairs to preach and minister to the people,
entrusting them with his message and his authority. They rejoin Jesus and attempt to get some much needed R&R but the crowds are relentless. Jesus tends to the needy bunch until late in the day. The disciples approach Jesus and tell him to send the crowds away so they can buy themselves some food in the nearby villages. Jesus replies, "Give them something to eat yourselves." (Mark 6:37 AMP.)
"That's absurd!" is essentially what the disciples said in response. And isn't that how we'd most likely respond if someone told us, "You take care of those needy souls in your neighbourhood, those broken families, those drug addicts, those foul-mouthed, empty-bellied, selfish to the core masses in your corner of the world."
"Aren't there programs for those people?" we'd ask. Or maybe we'd say "I don't have the resources, the time, the money, the ability or the desire to be responsible for those people in my neighbourhood!" I can relate. At times, I feel thoroughly overwhelmed by my life, my three kids, my schedule, etc. How can I take on anything else?
Jesus doesn't budge. "You give them something to eat." (Mark 6:37 NIV) This was a lesson in taking responsibility. They needed to take initiative and offer up what meagre resources they had and watch what Jesus did with it. Watch how he multiplied it. Feeding 5000 people with a few paltry scraps defied all logic. Defying logic is Jesus' speciality. He loves doing the "impossible." Jesus was teaching his men to take responsibility for the people, to meet their needs, be it physical or spiritual needs. He was modelling true Christianity, love in action.
We have a few rules to live by in our family. My favourites are:
- Love is the most important thing.
- Our job is to make the world a better place.
We're trying to instil in our children a sense of responsibility for the world around them, calling them to make it better. You'd be amazed at the difference a 5 year-old girl can make in a preschool classroom. Learning responsibility is a difficult thing and comes with maturity. First, a child can feed himself, then dress himself and clean his room. A teen can finish her homework without being asked and even baby sit her younger siblings for a few hours. An adult can keep a steady job and pay his bills on time. What about a disciple of Jesus? How do disciples demonstrate spiritual maturity? They demonstrate it by taking responsibility for their piece of the world and actively making it better.
Cut back to the hillside with Jesus. The disciples obey his command. They hand over their private stash, and the masses are miraculously fed. The disciples; however, fail to grasp the significance. It states in Mark 6:52 (AMP) "For they had failed to consider or understand the teaching and meaning of the loaves. In fact their hearts had grown callous; had become dull and had lost the power of understanding." They missed the point. Rather than being inspired and transformed by what they'd witnessed, their hearts sealed up. Why? Was it because this call to responsibility was too overwhelming? Probably. Isn't that how we can be? We're faced with something so daunting, so impossible or so downright unpleasant that we simply turn our hearts off. "That's enough," we say.
Jesus wouldn't let them off the hook. Just 2 chapters later, in Mark 8, he repeats the miracle. Again he tells them to give up their own supply to feed the people. Was Jesus capable of snapping his fingers and having a mountain of food appear? Certainly! If he'd done that; however, the lesson would never be learned. The disciples needed to personally sacrifice what they had for the people. They needed to pass out the food. They needed to get their hands dirty. Soon Jesus would return to the Father and his men would be left to carry the torch. Who would be his "hands" in the world?
Incidentally, on both occasions when the disciples sacrificed what they had for others, they received back tenfold what they had given, literally baskets full of food. I personally think it's so cool how God multiplies our meagre offerings to do miraculous things and how our needs are amply met in the process. We serve a faithful God.
Soon after the second round with the loaves and fish, the guys are back on the boat. They realized they'd forgotten to bring along something to eat and were quite concerned. (Mark 8: 14-21) Jesus, deep in thought about the Pharisees' dangerous influence, warned them to "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees..." They concluded he was referring to their lack of food. Aware of their thick-headed faithlessness, Jesus responds with a well deserved rebuke. They didn't need to worry about their bellies being full. What they did need to be concerned about was becoming like the Pharisees, being infected by their yeast.
What was this "yeast?" It was loveless, heartless, sparkly clean on the outside religion. It was religion that refused to get its hands dirty, refused to take responsibility, refused to put love into action. This is the same yeast we must be cautious of today. It's so easy to have faith without deeds. Let's not concern ourselves with how little we have to offer, for God loves the underdog. Let us instead consider how we can get involved and make the world a better place. May we be Christians who have some grit under our fingernails but crystal-clear hearts.
|
