The Apostles
Commissioned As 5,000 Are Fed
[Luke chapter
9, verses 1-17]
For
this week's Bible study and analysis we'll be moving on to chapter 9
of the apostle Luke's portrayal of the life, ministry and legacy of
Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. As you recall from last time,
Jesus had raised a young girl from the dead, much to the astonishment
of her parents and all the others present in the room, which included
3 of the apostles. Today as we begin this week's study, we find Jesus
choosing the remaining men as apostles who were not yet chosen before
the time Jesus raised up the young girl. So we can safely conclude by
this that the Twelve, as they were called and are still called to
this day, were not yet chosen by Christ until after this miracle had
been performed by him. So let's hold that thought as we apply it to
today's text, beginning at verse one.
“When
Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and
authority to drive out all demons and cure diseases, and he sent them
out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them:
'Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no
money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you
leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off
your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.' So
they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel
and healing people everywhere. Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all
that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying
that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah appeared,
and still others that one of the prophets from long ago had come back
to life. But Herod said, 'I beheaded John. Who, then, is this who I
hear such things about?' And he tried to see him.” (Luke 9, verses
1-9)
As you can clearly see, Jesus had a management style that had some
similarities to today's corporate and business managers. Businesses
and governments are run in a hierarchical management style, from the
top down, just like they have been for centuries. Jesus, on the other
hand, delegated his authority equally to the apostles. None was
considered greater than the other. Instead of being handed down from
the upper echelons like people are in the habit of doing –
including those who tolerate such abuse, or who are afraid to make
waves, or who are being bullied – Jesus delegated his authority
laterally to his apostles. That did not begin to change until the
1990's, when the Internet started to grow really fast. Within another
10 or 20 years, everyone on the earth who wants to be will be
connected digitally, the ultimate outcome of lateral organization.
There
is another thing that Jesus did differently than modern companies and
governments do – he gave the apostle no material resources of their
own. Jesus was the only resource the apostles would need, just as he
told them : “Take
nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no
extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave
that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet
when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.”
'There will be no need for any of you to rely solely on yourselves',
Jesus was telling the apostles here. 'I will be the only resource you
will need from now on.' I'm sure that the reason for the apostles'
success in their new ministries was their obedience to Jesus'
commands. “So
they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel
and healing people everywhere.”
That healing continues to this day. I'm a living example, and that
story is available in book form for anyone who is interested. The
title is “Sole Survivor”, and it's available from
this link (scroll down).
“Now Herod the
tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed,
because some were saying that John had been raised from the
dead....”.
A 'tetrarch'
is defined by Webster's dictionary as (1):
a governor of the fourth part of a province, and (2):
a subordinate prince. If you're wondering why King Herod was so
“perplexed” at the news that Jesus was the reincarnation of John
the Baptist, it's because Herod had just ordered his execution a
short time before, probably only a matter of days or possibly a few
weeks at the most. The word 'perplexed' is from the New International
version, the King James is nearly identical, but my New Living
Translation is only slightly different – it reads, “He was
worried and puzzled”. So, no matter how you translate it, one thing
is for certain right here – King Herod the tetrarch was totally
freaked out by eyewitness accounts of John the Baptist being raised
from the dead, presumably by Jesus himself! Let's not forget that it
was his father, whose name was also Herod (Herod senior, I suppose),
who had ordered the execution of all the male babies born within the
previous 2 years from around the time of our Savior's birth. (see
Matt. 2, verses 13-18)
“But
Herod said, 'I beheaded John. Who, then, is this who I hear such
things about?' And he tried to see him.”
Right here goes your proof for what I just wrote. 'I beheaded John',
Herod said, 'so who is this guy? I guess I'll have to stop him too,
just like I did his cousin John.' So Herod tried to arrange a meeting
between himself and Jesus, presumably to entrap him and carry him off
to prison. But King Herod never got his chance, just like his father
before him. Jesus wisely decided not to meet with him. What a family
of losers! Now let's move on to the second half of today's study,
beginning at verse 10.
“When
the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done.
Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town
called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned of it and followed them. He
welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed
those who needed healing. Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to
him and said, 'Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding
villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in
a remote place here.' He replied, 'You give them something to eat.'
They answered, 'We have only five loaves of bread and two fish –
unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.' (About 5,000 men were
there.) But he said to his disciples, 'Have them sit down in groups
of about 50 each'. The disciples did so, and everybody sat down.
Taking the five loves and two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave
thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set
before the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples
picked up 12 baskets full of broken pieces that were left over.”
(Luke 9, verses 10-17)
Jesus
and the apostles withdrew to Bethsaida because they needed the rest,
and so that Jesus could take time for some additional teaching.
Unlike the corporate managers I wrote about near the beginning of
today's study, Jesus knew when to take a break. He had what we would
call an easygoing management style today. Moreover, the apostles were
in need of some down time because of the long hours they must have
been working as they assisted our Lord and Savior. The next thing
they know, a throng of admirers, the chronically ill, the lame and
crippled, interspersed with a few spies from the Temple Ruling
Council at Jerusalem, show up unannounced. Did Jesus or the apostles
complain? On the contrary: “He
welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed
those who needed healing.”
Jesus may have known when to take a break, but he never let
'burn-out' get the best of him, either! Whenever the people called
for him or came to see him, Jesus didn't turn away a single one. He
still doesn't turn anyone away, not even to this day! Simply ask for
him, and he will be there! I should know – he did it for me.
Also,
as before, Jesus and the Twelve needed no external resources to meet
the needs of the people. Jesus himself was and still is the source,
the only source we need, as it is written: “Taking
the five loves and two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks
and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the
people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up
12 baskets full of broken pieces that were left over.”
The apostles did nothing to create enough 'fish sandwiches' to feed a
crowd of 5,000 men (plus women and children), nor did anyone in the
crowd do anything to deserve a free meal. Jesus supplies all our
needs, and his timing is always perfect! This is what faith does, and
faith enables the grace of God, which in turn yields all the results
we ever need. There will be some extra left over, too, for those who
faithfully follow Christ. What better motivation to stay on track for
Jesus!
We
should never doubt as the apostles did early on, when they pointed
out there was not nearly enough food as far as they could tell.
That's why Jesus tested them when he said, “You
give them something to eat.' They answered, 'We have only five loaves
of bread and two fish – unless we go and buy food for all this
crowd'.”
Then and only then did Jesus bless and pray over the food. Jesus
wasn't just feeding people, he was teaching the apostles a lesson
about faith – to never judge things, people or situations by their
appearances. As it was with them, so it is with us. We are to never
rely solely on our own judgment, but we must put our faith in the
unlimited abilities of Christ. So let's all be sure and put this into
practice, starting today and from now on, so that we may all have a
closer walk with the Lord. And next week we'll move on to part 2 of
Luke chapter 9.
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