"YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING..."

Let’s continue thinking about the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000.  The disciples urged Jesus to send the people away so they could make their own provision of food and lodging.  But Jesus looked at them and said, “No, you give them something to eat.”  We look at this and realize that we, the church, have been called to feed and care for the multitudes around us.  Have we really taken the time to consider what that really means to us?

I’m sure the disciples thought, “But how can we possibly feed so many?  Just look at the multitudes!”  Philip looked at the situation with human eyes and accurately assessed the situation.  He simply saw that the task was humanly impossible.  He calculated how much money they would need to feed the crowd and realized it could not be done.  At least Andrew did his best and brought the boy’s little meal to Jesus.  He knew it wasn’t enough but he brought it anyway.  He looked at the situation with more spiritual eyes, with more faith.  He knew the need was immense but the eyes of faith look at the need and know that God is bigger.  Here is faith…taking the impossible to the only One who can change it.  When we look at the immensity of the unreached world we might feel like giving up like Philip.  But if the world is going to be reached for Christ it will only be through his church!  We are the only ones who can demonstrate the eyes of faith and even attempt the task!  Jesus said to his disciples, “Greater works will you do than these because I am going to my Father” (John 14:12).  Jesus spoke to thousands of people and we have the task of reaching out to multitudes more!  The magnitude of the task ought to motivate us rather than discourage us.  But we need to see the reality of our spiritual task.  It is to simply hold up our need to Jesus and wait!  This is the greatest faith we can show.  Anyone can have faith in God for big things.  Dreaming is there in all of us!  But real faith is holding up to God that which is impossible and holding it there for any amount of time; waiting, listening, watching, believing that he will do what is best!

Again the disciples may have thought, “But we have so little with which to do our task!”  All they had were five loaves and two small fish.  Our church is a small church.  We don’t have a lot of brilliant and talented people.  We don’t have a huge budget.  How can we possibly make an impact on our world?  We may not have much but what we do have we must bring to Christ just as Andrew brought the little lunch.  We bring whatever we have because talent and wealth will not accomplish the work of the Holy Spirit.  Only the Spirit of God can change a heart!

So like the disciples, we may find ourselves in danger of ignoring our assignment.  “Send them away!  Let them find their own food and lodging!”  “We have such a great task ahead of us!  We are just a small church!  Let the big churches do it!”  “Are there no missions agencies?  Are there no professional missionaries?  Let them do it!”  “Pastor, isn’t that what you are gifted to do?  You be our representative.  You go out and reach the people!”  But Jesus said, “You give them something to eat!”  It was God who made the food multiply, but the people who initially passed those baskets had to have the faith to start the first pass!

We must look at the task as if we are the only ones who can do it!  The Bible does not say that the Holy Spirit came down and filled the politicians and made them into the body of Christ.  It is not the job of the Congress to take care of the needs of the people.  The Holy Spirit did not come into organizations and assign them the responsibility of reaching the world.  He did not organize the wealthy into the body of Christ.  Just as Jesus Christ was the hope of the world so the church is the hope of the world!

We cannot minister to the needs of the multitudes unless we are willing to be among them and rub shoulders with them.  One cannot clothe the naked or feed the hungry or house the homeless without touching them.  We cannot help the beaten and the downtrodden unless we stop like the Good Samaritan did and not pass by on the other side.  Jesus stopped and touched the leper and we too must stop and touch the lost no matter how disagreeable it might be!  The salvation of the world is entrusted into the hands of the church and the church alone.  If we neglect our task then our profession of faith is meaningless!