Matthew 6:7-12, 30-44~~~
They were not just sent- they were sent
two-by-two. He commanded they take only a staff; no bread, no money, not even a
change of clothes. They were given power and released. Sent to proclaim truth. So they went out and preached that people
should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who
were sick, and healed them (Mark 6:12-13).
What a mission trip it was! What a season of
growth and faith building. They experienced the power of God through them in a
way you and I could never imagine. The twelve would never be the same.
Upon their return they surrounded the Sender,
rejoicing in what they had done and what
they had taught. Their Master celebrated
in their excitement, but didn't neglect their weariness. "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a
while."
In a world full of need and want, there is no
escape for Jesus. The crowd pursued and when Jesus saw them, He was moved with compassion for them, because
they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many
things.
The day turned to evening, the crowd turned to
thousands, and the disciples began to worry. "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them
away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy
themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."
"You
give them something to eat."
Their response seems a little sarcastic- maybe
prideful? "Shall we go and buy two
hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"
It was the same twelve. They taught. They healed. They
cast out demons. And now they were done. Send
them away Lord, and let them take care of themselves. It seems that from
the moment they returned, praising themselves
for the work they had done, they
began taking their eyes off the One that empowered them, sent them, healed and
spoke through them.
"How
many loaves do you have? Go and see." It looked
hopeless and impossible. Just five loaves and two fish, and over five-thousand
hungry souls.
And
when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven,
blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before
them.
Jesus performed the miracle. He did the breaking.
They did the serving. He does the miraculous, and simply allows us to
participate. How is it we ever neglect to see this? How can we ever view our
good works, our service to God, as some great feat we have accomplished by our
own strength?
Do
you praise the hammer that drives the nail, or the man that swings that hammer?
Do we boast in ourselves for miracles and good works or in God for using a simple,
insignificant tool; a tool that is here today and gone tomorrow?
They mustered up a measure of faith and walked
into the crowd with a broken piece of bread. It was no longer a question of how
to feed hungry people, but a lesson in trusting the Giver to multiply the gift.
And multiply the gift He did! So much so that they fed five-thousand men plus
women and children. They didn't feed only to satisfy their hunger. It wasn't just enough to get them by until they returned to their homes. No, they fed them so they all ate and were full.
And the Giver didn't stop there. Afterwards, the twelve
took up twelve baskets full of fragments
and of the fish.
He didn't leave them hungry. He didn't simply
satisfy. He didn't just meet the need. He provided exceedingly abundantly above
all they could ask or even imagine. The people were hungry and God filled them
to overflowing. The greatest miracle- He used puffed up servants to do it.
In
crediting ourselves for God's work, we cease seeing God. And when we cease
seeing God, we neglect to offer the Bread of Life to those hungering for Him.
Instead we send them on their way, still boasting in our hearts about the works
done by our own hands.
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