Why Worry About Mission, Part 1

 The following two posts are a devotion I wrote for our Foundation's Academy of Faith and Generosity.

I think, when we read a passage of scripture, it’s important to expand our viewpoint, at least a little bit, and see what is happening around what we are reading. 

 

You may know that the Feeding of the 5000 (plus) story is in all four Gospels.  On Monday, Jeff read the passage from Matthew.  Today, I want to look at it from Luke – it’s in Chapter 9.  But let’s move back in the chapter a little bit – hear these words from Luke 9:1-6.

 

Jesus called the Twelve together and he gave them power and authority over all demons and to heal sicknesses. ² He sent them out to proclaim God’s kingdom and to heal the sick. 3 He told them, “Take nothing for the journey—no walking stick, no bag, no bread, no money, not even an extra shirt. ⁴ Whatever house you enter, remain there until you leave that place. ⁵ Wherever they don’t welcome you, as you leave that city, shake the dust off your feet as a witness against them.” ⁶ They departed and went through the villages proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

 

In this passage, Jesus sends the 12 out to do ministry.  He doesn’t just randomly send them away – he equips them, and he gives them a mission: “proclaim God’s kingdom and heal the sick.” They were successful – so successful that Herod hears about it, and wonders if John the Baptist has come back to life.  Listen to verses 10-14:

¹⁰ When the apostles returned, they described for Jesus what they had done. Taking them with him, Jesus withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. ¹¹ When the crowds figured it out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about God’s kingdom, and healed those who were sick.  ¹² When the day was almost over, the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so that they can go to the nearby villages and countryside and find lodging and food, because we are in a deserted place.”¹³ He replied, “You give them something to eat.” But they said, “We have no more than five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people.”

We know what happens next, right – Jesus feeds them with the five loaves and two fish. But what really interests me today in this passage is that the Disciples had been sent out on a mission – a mission they understood. They were untrusted with power – power that they used so successfully that even Herod heard about it – and they come back – I imagine – brimming with the excitement of what had happened so that they have to tell Jesus about it.

 

And then they can’t imagine that they could feed people.