I have decided to follow Jesus, our worship theme through Lent.   Following Jesus.  Choosing to drop nets, leave behind livelihood, family, home to chase after this rabbi.   Following so closely, drawing near enough so as to be covered in the dust of the rabbi.   That’s the blessing--to be covered in the dust of your rabbi. 

But to follow is more than to simply go where the rabbi goes, to go where Jesus goes.  It is also to do what the rabbi calls you to do, to become involved.  To be a disciple following after Jesus is more than mere observation.

This week, Jesus goes into the wilderness, and is followed by enormous crowds.   He does all he can to meet their needs.   Finally, Jesus will call those who follow him to do what they can…

Matthew 14:13-21

 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. ¹⁵When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ ¹⁶Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ ¹⁷They replied, ‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’ ¹⁸And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ ¹⁹Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. ²¹And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

It’s an enormous crowd of people.  The Disciples look over the sea of people.  How many could there possibly be?  The evening was late, here they were gathered out in the middle of nowhere without so much as a golden arches on the horizon.  Where had all these people come from?   What is Jesus going to do?

What is Jesus going to do?   That’s what the disciples are no doubt thinking.  It’s what they always were thinking.   They thought it just the day before, when they all got the news of John the Baptizer’s death.  “What will Jesus do now?”  they thought.   King Herod has killed John, and no doubt, it’s just a warning shot over the horizon for all the prophets in the land.  How will Jesus respond? 

The Rabbi had tried to pull away for his grief.  He withdrew from the people, got in a boat and went to a deserted place by himself.  But the crowds, hearing of John’s death, went seeking Jesus to make meaning of it.  They waited on the shore for him, and when he did come ashore, there were hundreds, no, thousands of them waiting there.   The disciples apparently also were waiting…not knowing what to do.  Waiting to see what Jesus will do. 

What does Jesus do?   He sees the crowds, and begins to have compassion for them.   They have brought their sick out to this place, and so he begins to heal them. Touches them.  Makes them whole.  All day, into the early hours of the evening.  The disciples watched as Jesus healed the people who came to him.

And as the sun began to descend lower and lower against the horizon, the disciples realized, something had to be done to provide for this enormous crowd of people.   “Lord,” they said to him.  “It’s past supper time--you probably should tell them all to go so they can get back to the villages and get something to eat.”

          Jesus looks at them, and says simply, “They don’t need to leave.  How about you all giving them something to eat?”

         It was a ridiculous thing to say. 

They were the followers, he’s the teacher.   They are the disciples, he is the rabbi.   What resources do they have to possibly take care of so many people and their needs?

        They wanted Jesus to do something.  But Jesus wants THEM to do something.   After all, he’s called them to be his disciples, not merely fans on the sidelines.

        A fan is someone who watches and admires, occasionally cheers from their vantage point, somewhere along the sidelines.   A fan might dress in his or her favorite jersey, but would never dream that they would be expected to run the next play.   An enthusiastic fan knows every word and sings along during the concert, but would never expect to take stage themselves as the featured performer.    A fan might look the part, with the boots, the denim, the hat and even the pinch of Skoal between the cheek and gum, but as for getting on that bull or that wild bronco themselves…well, now. 

        It’s less demanding to be the fan.   One can cheer the good plays and boo the bad ones when you’re a fan.    Because that’s what you’re there for, after all, to watch.  To admire.   Even to learn, perhaps.   But to do?   Nope.  Leave that to the professionals.

       The disciples following Jesus perhaps had been watching, admiring.   Perhaps even learning a bit here and there.   But as far as anything there was to do,…well, leave that to the professional.  Their job was to make sure Jesus knew about it and cheer him on.

        The sick came, and they were there to watch Jesus healed them.   The crowds came, and they were there to watch Jesus pour himself out for them.   When evening came, and they knew they had several thousand hungry people on their hands, they knew what they needed to do.   Let Jesus know—perhaps he could get them on their way so that they could get some food.  

        Jesus doesn’t really need, nor dare I say, desire fans.   He wants followers, not fans.  Followers ready and willing to not only go where he goes….but do what he calls them to do.

 “Feed them,” he says.   

        The disciples hadn’t expected that.   They expected Him to say something, do something, for he always had the right thing to say, always did right thing.  That’s why they admired him so.   That’s why they were here, to watch, to observe, perhaps to learn.   But Jesus expected more.  “You give them something to eat,” he says, “you get off the sidelines and get into the action here.”

        It doesn’t take long for the disciples to take stock of their provision.  Five loaves of bread and a couple of fish.   “That’s all we have,” they tell him.  What is such a meager amount of food among so many?   How many?   Someone counted.   Because in the end, Matthew will have the number.  Five thousand men, along with an untold number of women and children.   They had only food enough for perhaps the 12 of them.  Five loaves and two fish.

        “Bring it.” He says.

        Taking the food offered, he looks up to heaven, blesses it, and broke it into fragments.   And then he gave it back to the disciples.   Did you notice that?   Jesus doesn’t start handing bread and fish out to the hungry people.   He gave it back to the disciples.  It was their bread after all.  It was their fish.   He blesses it, and returns it to them.   He’d already told them what he expected them to do. 

So, in turn, the disciples begin to pass it out.   They would soon see how far their small dinner would go.   They began to distribute the food among the crowds of people.

        And…well, you know the story.  All of them ate.  And all of them were filled.   Every last thousand.  All were satisfied, and when the leftovers were collected, there was…how much left over?   Twelve.  That’s right.  Twelve baskets full of pieces to be collected up after everyone had eaten.  One basket for each of them.  What do you suppose that was about? 

A basket for each of them to carry—and be reminded that God provides more than we will need to do what God asks us to do.  They had so little, five loaves and two fish.  Now, each has a bountiful basket, in return.   How often have you heard people who have served the hungry, the poor, the stranger, that they have received far more than they have given?   Hmm?   That what they took away from the experience was far more than what they had offered themselves?

Here it is…illustrated vividly in the bible.   Disciples are those who serve.  Not those who watch.   Disciples are those who do.   And as disciples give, they are given much in return.

So…are you a follower, or a fan?   Are you following Jesus or merely watching from the side?   Are you prepared to get some dust on you?   Jesus will move on.   Ready to follow?  He’s headed now for the country of the people called the Gadarenes. Jesus is headed toward those considered unacceptable.  Wonder what he’ll find there, wonder what we’ll find there?