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September 28th, 2009OK, so He did do one better than pulling a bunny out of a hat. Jesus actually pulled a fish out of the basket, and a roll as well!!! not just one fish or one roll, but enough to feed around 15,000 people (so where did that number come from??? follow the math– the bible says 5000 MEN were served this celestial lunch; add in women and kids, and 15,000 is probably a very conservative number).
sometimes what we don’t appreciate as we read the stories of Jesus’ miracles is how intensely practical they were. let’s say it this way– Jesus did not do miracles to entertain, His miracles were done to meet needs. oh for sure there is a proclamation side of miracles– that’s why they were often called “signs and wonders”. these acts did something in the souls of those who witnessed them. either it confirmed in a person that this Jesus guy was somebody sent from God or it confirmed their hatred of Him (check out the reaction of the religious leaders to the rasing of lazarus from the dead in John 11)..
but if you view the miracles of Christ as an integral part of the message, you have to confront the fact that Jesus really did care about people’s very practical needs. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, fed the hungry, and raised the dead. He didn’t divide the world into “physical needs vs spiritual needs”– He saw the needs of the whole person, and met those needs. so if care for the hurting is such a part of His ministry, what does it say to those of us following in His footsteps? looking at our world, what are the very real needs that confront us daily that the church should be pouring its heart into? how about DEC specifically (for you DEC folks reading this)? and maybe this is the big challenge– how do we pursue meeting these needs and at the same time make sure the proclamation of the “good news for the soul” doesn’t get lost in the process?
often it seems like we end up in the unbalanced side of ministry. either we do a lot of good physically for folks, yet never share the good news of salvation with them; or we share the good news, but never touch their physical needs.Jesus did both very well, how about us?
KenL said:
You’re right that we tend to focus on one or the other … Too bad that Jesus didn’t spell it out. Maybe if he’d used some image about goats and sheep or something … or His brother James could have said something about faith and works.
Too bad, huh?
Anyway … My sense is that the mistake we make is that we distinguish between the spiritual and physical parts of who we are. That would be like eating but not breathing. We are both physical and spiritual creations, with needs in both areas.
Shelley said:
Don’t we share our belief and faith through our good physical deeds? When someone does something nice for me, I automatically want to talk to them more and know them better. They might not share their beliefs with me at the same time they are physically helping me but, their actions definitely attract me to wanting to learn more about how they have grown to be that way.
The other way…
‘we share the good news but never touch their physical needs…’ that I don’t have a first thought…I’ll be back…
Scott Rowland said:
I’m comfortable talking and teaching - potentially meeting spiritual needs, but I’m hopelessly uncomfortable at meeting physical needs such as going to a food kitchen, visiting the sick, etc. I know I tend to hide behind the banner of “that’s not my spiritual gift”. And while we all may excel more at one area over another, I have to grudgingly admit that God calls us to live outside our comfort zone.
I recently went into business for myself with a friend of mine who is a natural salesperson. He’s that rare person who loves cold calling and going door-to-door from one business to the next. I dislike it and prefer the behind the scenes, operations activities, but I know that both are essential for the business to grow, and when I prospect with him I get more and more comfortable doing it.
I need to do the same with my spiritual life. If I hide behind the notion that I cannot show love and mercy because my spiritual gifts are more of the teaching side, then just like my business, my spiritual life will not grow. Ouch.
Josh Evans said:
One of the things our small group talked about this week was Jesus’ question to Philip in verse 5: “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”
It seems like an impossible request.
But what comes next in verse 6 is where we drew a challenge and application from: Jesus already knew what he was going to do, but he asked the question first to stretch Philip’s faith.
Often, at least for me, when it comes to the people who are within my immediate circle - those folks with whom I could interact on a semi-regular basis (co-workers, neighbors, those in my small group) - I can feel awkward about how to look for and meet needs (both physical and spiritual). Even if I feel Jesus tugging me to talk with this person about this or that, or reach out to them in some way, I worry that I’ll make an idiot of myself. Or that I’ll embarrass myself as a Christian. Or that the conversation will be uncomfortable. As if God is not in control of the whole situation, just as he was when he asked Philip that question in verse 5 before he fed the entire crowd.
My prayer this week is that when I encounter a need, or if I feel that tug on my heart, I’ll step forward in faith and allow myself to be stretched even if the request seems to be an impossible one: “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”