People need leaders. Whether it be through the challenges of childhood or in the political arena, we all need leaders to help guide us through life. People who don’t feel they need any leadership because there is no one qualified enough to lead them, those people are called narcissists. They are no fun to be around.
The close followers of Jesus were in a leadership training program. This was not a unique experience during Jesus’ day. The practice of a teacher gathering a group of students and training them over a few years was common. We generally use schools, colleges and universities to do this for us. We still have some apprenticeships, but not as many as in the past.
Spending time watching something being done, then being instructed on how to do it, followed by hands on training and finally independent work with supervision is a model of training that has lasted for millennia. This is exactly what Jesus has done with his disciples.
The disciples have been sent out for some field training and have returned for a debriefing. But the crowds following Jesus seem to overwhelm this process. So Jesus wants to pull away and get some much needed time alone with his disciples. But even in trying to get away for that alone time, the crowds preempt His plans. They take a boat to get away, but the very people they are trying to leave behind are there when they land. And the crowd has grown.
But Jesus doesn’t miss the opportunity to teach His disciples, and us, a valuable lesson. The LORD sees what we have, asks us to give it to Him, and then uses it to bless many. He doesn’t always create out of nothing. Sometimes, often in fact, God uses what we have to make a huge difference. He uses our time, talent and treasure.
For the crowd that day they only had five loaves of bread and two fish to feed 5000 people. No matter how you do the math, this was an impossible task. And yet when the LORD is involved, somehow, miraculously, all the people are fed and are satisfied. God’s math doesn’t always add up in human terms. That is because He is not limited to human terms, human measurements, or human limitations.
And the disciples are watching this process. But they are doing more than sitting on the sidelines watching. They are breaking the bread and fish, and helping to distribute it. They are involved. They get to see the small resources be divided repeatedly, and yet seemingly not diminish. In fact, when it is all said and done, those five loaves and two fish ended up with twelve baskets full of leftovers.
What do you have that the LORD has asked you to offer to Him? Why are you hesitating?
The Arnold Journey 