A Closer Walk, 5:
Part of Something Big
Matthew 14:14-22
Rev. Clark Lynn Callender, 3/29/09

The famous playwright George Bernard Shaw once said: This is the true joy in life -
being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn
out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; being a force of nature instead of a
feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not
devote itself to making you happy.
This is the true joy in life being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a
mighty one... This is something of what I would like to talk about this morning.

Our text today is the familiar story of The Feeding of the 5,000. Jesus and his
disciples have just spent a long, arduous day ministering to a great crowd of people
surrounding the Sea of Galilee. Night is now falling and the crowd is growing hungry.
And remember, this is long before any such preaching/concert tour would have had its
own corporate sponsors: Pepsi, Doritos, Subway... providing free munchies to the
masses! No, Jesus and his disciples have a major problem on their hands here: a
hungry mob. What are they to do?
Well, please excuse any denominational bias; but (as we've noted in the past) I
believe Jesus here, once again, proves himself to be a METHODIST at heart; for what
does he do? He proceeds to hold the church's first POT LUCK SUPPER! A few loaves and
fishes turned into a feast for thousands!
And notice how this comes about: Jesus asks his disciples what they have to offer and
then invites them to bring this to him. Notice: He doesn't just do this as a SOLO ACT
as he could! Rather, he calls his followers into PARTICIPATION with him. He INVITES
them to be PART of this amazing, wonderful, joyful thing HE IS DOING in the world to
help others! He invites them to be PART OF SOMETHING BIG part of HIS SAVING
WORK. And imagine just how exciting and fulfilling it must have been to be in on this!
Well this, I believe, is the next lesson Jesus has for us in this series:
Throughout this season of Lent we've been looking at Jesus INVITATIONS: Jesus
inviting us to DRAW CLOSER TO HIM to DISCOVER the FULLNESS OF LIFE all its riches
and blessings that he wants for all of us. Well, in our text today, he offers the next
piece in the puzzle: A invitation to PARTICIPATION, to become PART OF SOMETHING
BIGGER THAN OURSELVES namely: the saving work of God in the world. And to
experience the ultimate joy that that entails!
And once again, as throughout this series the question is: How do we answer this
invitation? In a practical sense, what does it mean to answer this call and discover the
next part of the life God wants for us? Simply put: How does one go about becoming
part of this greatest purpose in life (and thus its greatest blessing) Gods saving work
in the world? A few thoughts...
(I) First, it involves PUTTING OURSELVES ASIDE.
As the scene opens, as mentioned, the disciples are confronted with this huge hungry
crowd and theyre afraid: They cant see any way that they can come up with enough
food to feed this mob in fact, as far as they can tell, they barely have enough for
themselves! They want to dismiss the crowd in effect, DISMISS THE NEED, the 2
CHALLENGE, that is before them and just LOOK AFTER THEMSELVES. Its very logical.
But Jesus doesn't allow this. He bluntly says, You feed them.
He doesn't permit his disciples the easy way out. He insists that his followers think
about MORE THAN THEMSELVES. Particularly, move from having THEIR NEEDS MET to
having GREAT THINGS ASKED OF THEM. And this is where everything begins...
Jesus begins moving his disciples on to being part of the big thing he intends to do
here by first insisting that they NOT THINK SOLELY ABOUT THEMSELVES. Basically,
telling us all that becoming part of something bigger than ourselves begins by thinking
about something bigger than ourselves!
To put it another way: Being part of the saving work of Jesus Christ entails, first,
moving from a SELF-CENTERED, SELF-SERVING attitude to a SACRIFICIAL attitude in
which we look less to what we need and get and more to what we are CALLED TO GIVE.
Our whole faith, and our individual salvation, being based upon just exactly such a life of
self-sacrifice - in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Now, understand, Jesus isn't saying here that we are supposed to become DOORMATS
being walked all over by other people and by life itself, taken advantage of, endlessly
giving and never receiving; all he is saying is that if we are to become partners with him
in his great work (and recipients of its greatest joys) we first need to learn to put
ourselves aside.
This, of course, is TOUGH, however it goes against our self-seeking nature. I mean,
lets face it: Even in those moments when we are most heartfelt in our service to the
Lord, doing good deeds, striving to give selflessly... that little twinge of SELF-INTEREST
invariably shows up and muddies the water: If we show someone a kindness, that
person had better say thank you or were not doing it again! When we do a good deed
we want others to notice and give us praise, or we feel put out! Ultimately driven more
by what we get than what we are called to give and it keeps us from Gods richest
blessings!
What did Jesus once say? When you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing. That is: Be so selfless, so completely remove yourself
from the equation, that you seek only to be the instrument of Gods will whatever it
asks of you and wherever it leads.
You know, I remember once seeing a cartoon that had a picture of the Feeding of the
5,000. The crowd is happily eating and Jesus is looking out over the masses, when his
disciples come up and say, Ah, Master, about the 5 loaves and 2 fish... Could we have
a receipt for tax purposes? Always concerned with ourselves!
This text first invites each of us to ask ourselves: Am I willing to PUT MYSELF ASIDE
for the work of the Lord? That is: Am I more driven by life GIVING TO ME or ASKING
OF ME? Do I care more about what I need, what I want; or about the needs of others,
the great causes that plague our society, and the saving work of Jesus Christ in the
world? Whenever we put ourselves aside, living sacrificially, moving from having life
GIVE TO US to having LIFE ASK OF US, GREAT THINGS HAPPEN in the Lord.
Storyteller Jack Maguire tells about a young woman in one of his classes who recalled
a time from her childhood when a neighbor demonstrated to her exactly this type of
sacrificial behavior and how it changed her life. This woman had grown up in a unique
situation: she and her family were poor, but they rented an apartment in a rich
neighborhood. As a young girl, she would sneak out at night to wander the streets of her
neighborhood, admiring the luxurious homes of her neighbors. On one of these midnight
strolls, she poked around in the shed of a neighbor and found a big bag of  marshmallows. Marshmallows were a luxury her family couldn't afford. The little girl
took the marshmallows home and ate the whole bag. She knew she shouldn't, but she
just couldn't resist. After that, she checked out the shed every time she took her
midnight strolls. And every time, she found a fresh bag of marshmallows in the shed.
Years later, as an adult, the woman visited her old neighborhood again. She felt
compelled to seek out her neighbors and confess to being the marshmallow thief.
Imagine her surprise when her elderly neighbor announced with a smile, We left those
marshmallows out for you! It seems the neighbor had seen the poor young girl steal
the treat; but instead of being angry, felt compassion and a call to give. So every time
the marshmallows were taken, the neighbor would replace them.
Some people live bugged about what they need, what they deserve, what they've lost,
how things haven't gone the way they want, and what the world owes them. But others
live merely to give to put themselves aside, to have life ask of them more than give to
them... And these are the ones who do great things and are richly blessed.
Becoming part of something big Gods saving work and its deepest joys - involves,
first, PUTTING OURSELVES ASIDE for the Lord. From this, then...
(II) It involves, secondly: SEEING THE OPPORTUNITIES.
Returning to the text...
The disciples are surrounded by this huge, hungry mob and, as mentioned, this (quite
understandably) gets the disciples rather anxious and concerned... they're AFRAID! It
seems quite logical. All they can see is a gigantic PROBLEM that appears to be
IMPOSSIBLE to resolve.
Jesus, however, once again, counteracts their approach. He does the reverse:
Instead of acting in fear, he calmly proceeds to demonstrate to them (and to everyone
else us included) that what they have here is not simply a PROBLEM but a tremendous
OPPORTUNITY: an opportunity to demonstrate the power of God, an opportunity to do
something truly wonderful in the lives of others - a POSSIBILITY not an impossibility.
And this points us toward our second lesson here as it has been said:
We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible
situations. That is...
As we go through life and we face it obstacles and difficulties not only the normal
living of our days, but even more those times when things seems to go against us and
put up road blocks before us; there's a natural tendency to see life as a series of
PROBLEMS that must be overcome and if they cannot be overcome, then life is
hopeless and over. But in response to this, Jesus is saying here:
No! You've got it all wrong! Life is not a series of problems that must be solved, a
procession of obstacles that must be overcome, a collection of impossible situations the
cumulative effect is meant to leave you defeated and done. Rather, life is series of
OPPORTUNITIES opportunities to serve God, to get in on what God is doing, to show
the amazing things that are POSSIBLE in the Lord! And, in point of fact, the greater and
more seemingly insurmountable the difficulty before you, the greater the miracle God
can work!  Don't go through life fearfully pulling in to yourself whenever life throws you a
curve; step out in faith and trust in a God for whom nothing is too wonderful!
The second lesson here: SEE THE OPPORTUNITIES!  Don't view your life as a collection
of problems but as series of opportunities to be in ministry for Jesus. Look for the
opportunity, remembering that the greater the obstacle the greater the possibility!

When you're standing in line somewhere, running late, frustrated; don't get annoyed,
reach out to those around you and make friends, tell jokes. You never know what
breaking heart you may save! When you're sitting in the doctors office, afraid; look
around and use the moment as a chance to witness to your faith to others who are
struggling. See opportunities not difficulties!
You know, I once read this article by a historian who had studied many of the great
figures of history: People who had done amazing things that had changed the world.
Well, in studying these people, this historian said that there is one common
characteristic among them all. Its not intelligence, or creativity, or education, or talent,
or perseverance, of resources, or family background. In point of fact, the one common
characteristic of such people is what many would term a flaw, namely: they have a
tendency to UNDERESTIMATE DIFFICULTIES.
A tendency to underestimate difficulties: to see not problems but opportunities, not
impossibilities but possibilities. Are we this kind of people? Are we even trying to be
this kind of people, in whatever little way we can, if only for a moment at a time, so that
we might become part of the great things that the Lord wants us to be part of and share
in? Not spending our lives bemoaning our troubles but seeing how they can be used for
God, not always instantly jumping to what cant be done but to what could? Consider
the following:
Dr. Robert Schuller, who is known for his emphasis on positive thinking or possibility
thinking as he calls it, tells about a man he once met on a flight to Los Angeles. The
man was a mathematician named George Dantzig. Schuller made the observation to
Dantzig that this was the first time it had occurred to him that there was a field of
endeavor to which positive thinking didn't apply.
Mathematical problems have only one right answer, so they cant be affected in any
way by how a person thinks. Dantzig said Schuller was wrong. Dantzig explained that
during the Depression he had been a student of mathematics at the University of
California-Berkeley. People were hungry and desperate for any job they could get.
Dantzig, along with all his other classmates, desperately wanted the job of assistant
teacher in the math department. Rumor had it that the person who scored the highest
grade in a certain math course would get the job.
Dantzig worked unbelievably hard in this one class. He was determined to be the high
scorer. But on the day of the final exam, George Dantzig overslept. He got to the exam
late. The teacher handed Dantzig a piece of paper with eight math problems on it.
Dantzig thought he could handle those eight problems just fine, but then he noticed two
more problems on the board. He finished the eight problems in the time allotted, but
asked the professor for extra time to finish the last two. The professor gave him an
extension on his exam.
George Dantzig was convinced that he was as smart as anybody else in the class. And
somebody in the class would figure out those two problems. He thought, why couldn't it
be me? After all, the assistant teachers job was riding on these two problems. So
Dantzig labored over these problems all week, and finally solved them on Friday, just
before his extension deadline.
The next day, Dantzig was awakened by a pounding on his door. He opened it to find
his professor in a state of high excitement. The professor asked George if he had come
to class late on exam day. He admitted that he had. The professor explained that the
exam had only consisted of the eight problems on the exam paper, which he had solved
perfectly. The two problems on the board had been put up there for fun. They were 5

classic mathematic problems that no mathematician had ever been able to solve. Even
Einstein had been unable to crack them. The professor had explained at the beginning
of class that these two problems had so far been unsolvable, but the students were
welcome to play around with them. Because George Dantzig was late to class that day,
he never heard that these problems were unsolvable. If he had known that Einstein
couldn't solve them, he wouldn't have even attempted them himself. But because no
one had told him that it couldn't be done, he had done it!
There's a lesson here: Be very careful when you say something can't be done. Life is
not a series of problems; its a series of opportunities to show what is truly possible! Let
Gods possibilities not life's seeming impossibilities guide you!
Becoming part of something big Gods saving work and its deepest joys - involves,
secondly, SEEING THE OPPORTUNITIES. And finally...
(III) It involves, thirdly, KNOWING THAT WE HAVE SOMETHING TO OFFER.
In the end, at the heart of this scene, Jesus commands his disciples to feed the crowd,
but he doesn't leave it there. In response to Jesus command, the disciples let Jesus
know that all they have are these few loaves of bread and couple of fish. It clearly isn't
enough. I even like the way the disciples inform Jesus of this they say: We have
NOTHING but these five loaves and two fish. We have NOTHING... Well, Jesus invites
his disciples to bring their little bit of nothing to him, to give it to him. He then takes
it, blesses it... and works a miracle with it!
And this is the final lesson here: the final step in living large knowing life's
greatest blessings by being part of working Gods greatest blessings is taking whatever
you have to offer, even if it seems (to you) like NOTHING and offering it to Jesus for his
use. Knowing that you have something to offer something that's needed! Every day,
in every situation saying, This is what I have to offer, Lord. Use it to your glory.
What do you have to offer? Time, some talent, a few meager possessions? Maybe
you're a good listener, maybe you're a good organizer, maybe you have enthusiasm and
perseverance... Maybe you're patient, maybe you're hard working, maybe you're kind,
maybe you're loving, maybe you've been through something in your life that you've
learned from... In contrast to the needs of the world, in contrast to the needs right
around you, it may seem like nothing; but in the hands of Jesus it can work wonders!
The final lesson here: KNOW THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO OFFER to Gods saving
work in the world! It may seem like nothing; but if you offer it in faith to Jesus for his
use, he will work miracles with it for others and for you! Offer whatever you have to
Jesus! A noted preacher writes:
In Virginia, many, many years ago, a small church was hosting a bake sale and craft
fair to raise money for missions. The best cooks presented their pies, jams, and cakes.
Men offered exquisite wood workings. But Ellen, poor, old and arthritic, took some old
clothing others had discarded and cut the cloth to sew it into a patchwork quilt of many
colors. It didn't sell, the hodgepodge of colors not being to most peoples liking. So at
the end of the day the money and leavings were boxed up and shipped overseas to the
waiting missionary. He opened the box of tools and money and thanked God for the
needful things. The odd colored quilt he draped over a tree limb.
That's when the local leader of the community who had been particularly difficult to
deal with came by and noticed the quilt. He, the first person to do so, admired its many
colors it drew your attention, it was striking and strong. Most especially, it was just
the thing, he thought, to place as the centerpiece in the room in his home that contained 6

the hodgepodge of odd items from around the world that he had collected from travelers
that had passed through the village over the years. It may not fit in anywhere else; but
it fit in perfectly there.
What will you take for this? he asked the missionary.
The missionary thought for a moment and then bargained, I will trade it to you for a
small piece of land on which to build a church.
The deal was struck, both went away happy... and a church was built that exists to
this day.
One never knows what God can do with an odd quilt sewn by a poor 86-year-old
widow with arthritic hands - and offered to Jesus in faith.

This is the true joy in life - being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a
mighty one; being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; being
a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances,
complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
Jesus invites us, this day, to be part of something bigger than ourselves to be used
for a mighty purpose, to participate in the great things he is doing and thus know lifes
greatest joy. Let us answer the invitation:
Put yourself aside.
See the opportunities.
And know that you have something to offer.