What's Inside Your Bag?
What's Inside Your Bag?
In the book of John chapter 6 starting in verse 1 it says “Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Feast was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" 8Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" 10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.”
I love this passage and think it has a lot to say. This is not Philip's greatest moment. I picture him jumping towards the obvious conclusion, being practical. Wow, we can't pay for that, what are you thinking? Of course, it all makes sense, it’s to much money. And then I look at Andrew. I wonder how Andrew knew about the boy with five loaves and two fish. Here is a big burly guy with a beard and he has not only managed to meet a boy but he knows what is in his lunch bag.
Andrew was already building relationships. Although it is not in the bible I imagine the encounter went something like this.” Where you going? I'm following Jesus, how about you? Yea, me to. "so, what's in the bag? Nothing." The boy is not about to show anyone what he has after all it's his lunch. As they are walking along the disciple and the boy get to know each other, they build trust. The disciple asks again, "What's in the bag? Well, I will give you a peak but I don't want to share. You should have brought your own lunch. Andrew probably quickly counted one, two, three, four, five loaves of bread, and one, two, fish. The boy had opened up to Andrew, they become friends. Jesus later uses those fish to feed 5,000 folks. What a great model for us as we build relationships having the chance to walk along with folks getting to know them asking them "what's in the bag?" So, what’s in your bag that you are carrying along? Are you willing to open that up and share? I am working on it. May we all have folks we can walk with and open up to as we seek after Jesus?
By Bill Benson
In the book of John chapter 6 starting in verse 1 it says “Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Feast was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" 8Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" 10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.”
I love this passage and think it has a lot to say. This is not Philip's greatest moment. I picture him jumping towards the obvious conclusion, being practical. Wow, we can't pay for that, what are you thinking? Of course, it all makes sense, it’s to much money. And then I look at Andrew. I wonder how Andrew knew about the boy with five loaves and two fish. Here is a big burly guy with a beard and he has not only managed to meet a boy but he knows what is in his lunch bag.
Andrew was already building relationships. Although it is not in the bible I imagine the encounter went something like this.” Where you going? I'm following Jesus, how about you? Yea, me to. "so, what's in the bag? Nothing." The boy is not about to show anyone what he has after all it's his lunch. As they are walking along the disciple and the boy get to know each other, they build trust. The disciple asks again, "What's in the bag? Well, I will give you a peak but I don't want to share. You should have brought your own lunch. Andrew probably quickly counted one, two, three, four, five loaves of bread, and one, two, fish. The boy had opened up to Andrew, they become friends. Jesus later uses those fish to feed 5,000 folks. What a great model for us as we build relationships having the chance to walk along with folks getting to know them asking them "what's in the bag?" So, what’s in your bag that you are carrying along? Are you willing to open that up and share? I am working on it. May we all have folks we can walk with and open up to as we seek after Jesus?
By Bill Benson
posted by William Benson at
6:37 PM
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