The Timothy Group

Sharing Your Lunch

We are familiar with the story of Jesus feeding the thousands of men, women, and children from the lunch of a small boy.

The Gospels share the perspective of the crowd, when hearing that Jesus had come to solitary place, following him on foot from the surrounding towns. When Jesus saw them he had compassion on them and healed their sick. They were together for a long period of time and the disciples came to Jesus and indicated the people were hungry. They encouraged him to send the crowed away for they had nothing to feed them. Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." Philip answered, "eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite." Andrew spoke up, "here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

Have you ever wondered, why would the boy give up his lunch? His stomach was telling him it was time to eat and he had a small lunch. The logical solution would be to sit under a tree and eat his lunch and be satisfied. That same logic would say to give up his lunch would result in no one or only a few receiving food and he would still be hungry. To willingly give up his lunch was illogical.

Something had to have happened . . . either the disciples took the boy's lunch by force or th boy willingly gave up his lunch. All the evidence of scripture directs us to the latter - the boy willingly gave up his lunch. His head logically said don't do it but his encounter with Jesus produced a response from the heart, a faith response. The boy gave willingly and Jesus created from the gift.

By following his heart (faith) instead of his head (logic), not only did the boy and everyone present eat their fill, but there were twelve basketfuls left over.

Today the battle between the head and the heart continues: Logically the head directs us to first satisfy our felt needs from the material possessions we have, kingdom support is relegated to gifts from surplus. However, when we move to the higher plane of a faith response kingdom support becomes a priority from our substance. It is there that not only is God able to create from the gift, but we are blessed to our fullest.