Were You There? (Lent Week 3)

 (Place yourself in this fictional glimpse based on the Gospels.)

 You had walked for hours, hoping to hear the new teacher Jesus speak. You wished your good friend had joined you. His Mom said he was too young to be following rabbis outside of town. Off in the distance, you could see a boat nearing the shore. One of the men in your group yells, "It is him! I see him! We better hurry!"

  As you come closer, Jesus has already begun teaching. Quickly, your group finds an open spot off to the side. Your heart is literally on fire as Jesus teaches. You have never felt this way when the rabbis speak in the synagogue. Jesus didn't just give a list of rules to follow. Instead, Jesus gave so many examples of how God loves us. Jesus really opens your eyes to God's love. God doesn't feel distant. He feels very close. You don't even realize that hours have passed since you sat down.

 You find yourself momentarily distracted as his disciples begin talking amongst themselves. You hear the word "food "and "hungry." You look up at the sky and realize the sun is heading towards the horizon. You feel your own stomach growl as you know you never ate the lunch your mother had given you. In fact, you can't recall anyone eating while Jesus was speaking. Suddenly, a thought occurs to you: Jesus has not eaten. You wonder if he has any food or if that's what his disciples are discussing. You look at what your mother has packed. It's not much, but Jesus just said we should share our gifts and talents with the Kingdom. Your stomach again growls as you wonder what to do. Should you really give away this little bit that you have? Should you offer Jesus everything? Shouldn't you keep some for yourself? You wrestle for a few minutes with the idea of giving Jesus everything. Finally, your heart wins the match and forces you to stand. Quietly you make your way through the crowd towards the disciples.

 "Excuse me, I would like to offer my lunch to Jesus. It's not much, but it's all I have."

 The disciple smiles at the boy. "What are you offering?"

 "Five barley loaves and two fish." You feel foolish now that you have said it. The disciple does not look very impressed. 

 "I will let Jesus know," the disciple responded. 

 The disciple returns a few minutes later and says, "Jesus is very pleased with your generosity. He happily accepts your gift." You watch as the disciple takes your lunch to Jesus. What happens next is unexplainable. First, Jesus blesses the bread and fish in front of everyone. Then he begins to hand out the food to the people directly in front of him. Next, others are given food and more people after that! He has handed out much more than 5 loaves of bread! Jesus then instructs his disciples to pass bread and fish to everyone!  

 Jesus walks over to you and hands you food as well. "Thank you for sharing with me. I, in turn, have shared your gift with everyone."

 "How is that even possible? I only gave you 5 loaves and 2 fish?"

 Jesus smiled and said, "I asked God to bless the gift you had shared. With God, all things are possible. He is never outdone in generosity. Will you follow me and help me feed others?"

 You realize that Jesus had done something miraculous with your gift as you pass out the food. Today you played an important role. The Kingdom of God needed you. As you continue to distribute the food, you wonder, "What else should I share with the Kingdom?" You think about Jesus' question," Will you follow me and help me feed others?" Did that mean something more?

-Susan