Read: Matthew 14:13-21 and then consider the discussion questions for your tech team at the end.
13 When Jesus heard about it, He withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed Him on foot from the towns. 14As He stepped ashore, He saw a huge crowd, felt compassion for them, and healed their sick. 15 When evening came, the disciples approached Him and said, "This place is a wilderness, and it is already late. Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 "They don't need to go away," Jesus told them. "You give them something to eat." 17 "But we only have five loaves and two fish here," they said to Him. 18 "Bring them here to Me," He said. 19 Then He commanded the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them. He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples [gave them] to the crowds. 20 Everyone ate and was filled. Then they picked up 12 baskets full of leftover pieces! 21 Now those who ate were about 5,000 men, besides women and children.
... the feeding of the 5,000 ... is the only miracle of Jesus, apart from the resurrection, to appear in all four Gospels.
With the gear and productions, it's important to consider that tech team members are feeding people, too, through media and the Message.
Of all the miracles of Jesus that are recorded in the New Testament, the so called “feeding miracles,” in which Jesus feeds thousands of people with a small amount of bread and fish, are among the most well known. The first of the two, the feeding of the 5,000, is the only miracle of Jesus, apart from the resurrection, to appear in all four Gospels. It is the version recorded in the Gospel of John with which perhaps the most people are familiar. In John 6:1-15, Jesus uses the bread and fish from a little boy's lunch to feed the multitude. We will focus in on Matthew's telling of the very same story in chapter 14:13-21.
The passage begins as a continuation of the chapter’s telling of the ministry of Jesus in the region of Galilee. Here He has been teaching and healing the crowds when he hears of the beheading of his cousin, John the Baptist. Christ immediately led the disciples to a place of solitude by boat, though reading the other accounts of the story seem to indicate that it was not merely the news about John that motivated the decision. In fact, in Mark 6, Jesus said to the disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest a while.” Certainly the news regarding John’s death, along with the stress and strain of ministry (for the disciples were engaged along with Jesus in ministering to the crowds), made apparent to Jesus that it was time for rest. It is also important to note that the crowds followed them a great distance (they walked around the shore following Jesus and the disciples who were in a boat) so as to continue hearing Christ’s teaching.
In Verse 14, Christ steps ashore at His destination, only to find that the crowds have followed Him. Despite His desire to find rest and solitude, Jesus felt compassion for the crowds and began to minister to them. Specifically, Matthew mentions here that Jesus healed their sick, while Mark (6:34) reports that He taught them. The overall picture is that Jesus engaged the crowd with their needs, both spiritual and practical.
As evening comes, the disciples approach Jesus with a problem: the people would be getting hungry and their location was so remote as to prevent the purchase of food. How often are we faced with situations that seem only to have one solution? The words of the disciples show that they had little faith in their Master's ability to solve the impending problem—and that their perspective was limited to the practical. (V15) Jesus had no intention to send the crowds away. Rather, as His response to the disciples illustrates—“They do not need to go away… You give them something to eat….”—illustrates, He intended from the start to feed these people in such a way as to point out His divine nature—both in the understanding of the situation, and his ability to miraculously feed the crowds. Jesus here is teaching the disciples, and the church today, to trust in His sovereignty as our omniscient provider. . (V16) There are times in technical ministry when we “need” a solution to a problem. Often this problem is related to system design, gear reliability, or team management. It seems that while “The Best” solution is not always available, for budgetary or other reasons, God makes a way for the life of the church to go on anyway.
The disciples, unaware of what the Lord is planning to do, state that the only food available is five loaves of bread and two fish; hardly enough to feed the crowd of thousands. John's account mentions the compelling element of the young boy to whom the food belonged, and much could be said about the willingness of this boy to give his food for the benefit of the crowd. Jesus is about to miraculously multiply this small amount of food into a quantity capable of feeding the multitude.(Vs 17-18).
Jesus had a both a plan and the ability to execute that plan, and yet He stopped everything and praised God ...
While there is no exact description of the miracle itself (as in the water Jesus turned into wine in John 2), we can draw two things from what Matthew does say happened. First, He directed the people to sit down on the grass. In essence, He stopped what was happening—took a break from the teaching and healing—to direct His attention fully toward God. Second, Jesus, who is the second member of the Trinity, gave thanks and praise to God for the provision about to take place. Jesus had a both a plan and the ability to execute that plan, and yet He stopped everything and praised God—literally blessing the act before it was undertaken. Second is the way in which the food was distributed. It is helpful to remember that at this stage Jesus is not seeking recognition publicly, despite the thousands who are following Him. He gives the food to the disciples for distribution among the crowd, allowing them the opportunity both to serve and minister, as well as to have first-hand participation in the miracle itself. Even as Jesus performed an astonishing miracle, He shared ownership, used ministry as a teaching opportunity, and did not place Himself artificially in the limelight. Although every person (and the total number was likely between 10 and 15,000) ate to satisfaction, with some food even being left over, it is the spirit of servant-hood on the part of Christ that sticks out from the text. In fact, there is no record that the people even attributed the miracle to Christ except in John's account, after which point He promptly avoided the honor they desired to give Him, choosing instead to withdraw to the mountain in solitude. (Vs 19-21)
Certainly we all have stories of situations where we thought a certain piece of gear or the most capable volunteer was absolutely necessary for something to go right. And yet, often, it is when God uses other avenues than “the best” one in our mind that He is most glorified and the process of discipleship is most furthered in the life of the Church.
This passage has much to teach us as believers and as technical servants within the church. Our desire to serve should be colored with compassion, humility and discipleship. Christ exemplifies in this story His ability not precisely to provide everything we think we need, but to accomplish His will in a given situation. Certainly we all have stories of situations where we thought a certain piece of gear or the most capable volunteer was absolutely necessary for something to go right. And yet, often, it is when God uses other avenues than “the best” one in our mind that He is most glorified and the process of discipleship is most furthered in the life of the Church. This is not to say that we should not plan and execute well, quite the contrary. However, God desires that we trust Him above our plans and abilities, and that we listen to His voice as He reveals to us what He is doing in a given situation.
Application Point 1.) God is sovereign over all things: plans, people, gear, facilities, etc.
Application Point 2.) Christ has modeled for us a humble, compassionate, discipleship-oriented leadership mentality.
Application Point 3.) God's provision for us and our ministry is not necessarily what we have in mind; and yet because it is God's provision it is what is best for all involved.
Tech team discussion questions:
Discussion question 1.) What are some stories about when God made a way for things to work out great in technical ministry or any other context despite conventional wisdom?
Discussion question 2.) How can we strike a balance between faithful planning and execution and remaining open to God's leadership in technical ministry?
