Participation (Matthew 14:17-19)

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Matthew is recounting the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. He notes that in
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash on Unsplash
347 the evening, the disciples noted that the large crowd would find nothing to eat anywhere nearby. Jesus replies that they should feed the crowd, but the disciples protest,““We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.” This fact does not faze Jesus. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass.”

Jesus directs the people to sit down on the grass. Mark notes the same fact, “Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.” As does Luke, “But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everybody sat down.”

While sitting is a simple act, it would’ve taken a while – not only because the crowd was large, but because people were being ministered to, waiting to be ministered to and no doubt rejoicing in the miracle of their healing. There would have been lines and groups or people, some shouting, some whispering, some watching intently to know when their turn would come. Perhaps not everyone would’ve heard the direction, so Jesus backs up His instruction by charging the disciples to get the crowd to sit down. Of course, those in the crowd would likely want to do that in family groups, so the direction is to be in groups that roughly equate to the size of an extended family. The crowd’s attention is now turned to finding family and a spot to sit down.

But why sit at all? Sitting was the position in which one was to eat. The crowd would’ve innately understood that. This means Jesus wanted the crowd to be in anticipation for the miracle. If Jesus was in our present culture, He might just have well have directed everyone to go to the dinner table.

When God is going to do a miracle in your life, you have to participate in it. You cannot command the miracle and you cannot cause the miracle. But you can participate in it by acting in faith. When God did the miracle of the manna for the first time, the manna appeared on the desert floor. In order to participate in the miracle and be fed, the Israelites had to first gather it. They could not cause the miracle or manipulate it, but they could participate in it by a simple act of faith. As Moses recorded, “When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs.’”

The crowd in Jesus’ day does likewise – they participate in the miracle by acting in faith through the simple motion of sitting down. We must do likewise when God is moving in power in our lives. Act in faith. Not strenuous activity. Not exertion. Not forcing it in any way. But all the same, acting in anticipation!

Christ is calling us all to participate in the miracle of reconciliation with the Father. He is calling us all to participate in the miracle His body, alive on earth. He is calling us all to participate in the miracle of everlasting life. Participation in the miracles of God is a normal and route aspect of living the Christ-life.

Marcus Verbrugge

APPLICATION: Intentionality

When the Spirit leads, co-operate!