Reflecting on the Impossible

But He answered, "You give them something to eat." - Mark 6:37a

As I was in my study on Mark 10:46-52 in preparation for this weeks message on blind Bartimaeus, I ran back across the feeding of the 5000. And, it sort of struck me as funny. Jesus turned to a group of outcasts, and dropouts and gave; them the aforementioned command, "Feed all these thousands dudes!"

Has anyone ever asked you to do something that seems totally ridiculous? The very suggestion of their instruction may have brought laughter or, once you realized they were serious even anger for proposing the idea.

I imagine that the disciples may have felt this way when Jesus responded with this direction when they asked Him how they were going to feed the 5000, who had stayed around to hear Him speak (and heal and amaze). The disciples, showing a high level of practicality, suggested a logical answer to the problem, "Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat" (Mk 6:36).

But, as you may have guess that wasn't the answer Jesus wanted. He saw the need of the people. He had compassion on them. He wanted to solve the problem with a Kingdom of God kind of response; a response that would bring honor and glory directly to the Father and not obvious and common sense.

So, Jesus asked them what they had in their hand. And, if they were confused and perplexed and certain their leader was 2 bricks short of a load for previous wild thinking and actions this simply sealed the deal.

Jesus' point was is this, often what we already have in our hand is what Jesus wants us to use to solve our problem and to provide the solutions to what is proximate to our current situation but, perhaps more than this, it is the solution to those to whom God has put in our care. We must add hearing ears (What is God telling you to do?) to our faith to what we already have in our hand. Then we will see the gospel of the Kingdom manifested to solve problems in a supernatural way. Then we will see our God show up mightily.

Jesus wanted to meet a need in which God would receive the glory. Sending the people away did not meet that overarching goal or their immediate need.

Do not settle for the gospel of salvation only. Jesus came that we might experience the gospel of the Kingdom in its fullest sense. Our job is to look past our logical reasoning and see how God might want to solve our problem in a supernatural way. After all, we are the generation of "greater works than those that I have done will you do..." Perhaps we need to sharpen our spiritual ears and start expecting it!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~