What Shall We Do Then? part 3
This is a pretty commonly known story, I think. Jesus was ministering to the multitudes, and then this happened: "And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place. But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people" (Luke 9:12-13). The fish and the loaves. We all know what comes next. Jesus blessed and broke the food and passed it out. And it never ran out. God supplied all their need. It was a miracle. And, as true miracles do, it related to the people on their most basic level. It saw a need--they were hungry--and met that need. The part I want to focus on today, in light of the topic we've been working on, is the disciples thinking they had it figured out. Suggesting that Jesus send the hungry people away so that they could fend for themselves. And Jesus saying, "You feed them." Sometimes we make things too complicated. Sometimes we get twisted around. Like... the people were hungry. Easiest answer: Feed them. But the disciples didn't make that connection. It took the Son of God (the Son of man) to shine that light. Because the light that Jesus shined into every situation was the light of love. If you see someone who is hungry, your love should activate towards them. And it doesn't matter who they are. When you see a need that you can meet... you ought to meet it. That's a cool part of this story too; the disciples couldn't meet that need. Not in the natural. Not with the supplies they had on hand. Not with anything external. It took what was internal. It took giving what JESUS had inside. When Jesus gave His love... it manifested in a feast. Which, by the way, is what love is. Love is a love feast. It is what fills us up and sustains us. It is literally our sustenance. We can't live without it. Because to live is to love and to love is to live. You can't have one without the other and you can't do one without the other. Jesus... look. Jesus was so compassionate, had such a soft heart, that when His friend Lazarus died He wept. Even though He knew He was about to go raise that man from the dead. He still felt the loss. Felt it deeply. And felt it WITH the others who we sad about Lazarus's death. Ecclesiastes 3:4 tells us that there is, "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." Everything in it's season, right? It's ok to feel things. Feel what you feel. But don't let it control you. And don't let what something looks like limit your thinking. With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Someone's hungry. What shall we do then? Feed them. It's not rocket science. See a need and meet it. Don't turn your back on people when they need help. Needing help is hard. Nobody WANTS to need help. We like to think of ourselves as strong independent people. But asking for help when you need it is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of wisdom. And, in love, if someone needs help, whether they ask for it or not, we can help them. Can... and should!