Serving Beyond Self

But what about me?

I want you to imagine you and your family at a restaurant. Pick your favorite one. Its a Friday at dinner time. You’ve had a long week. Projects at work didn’t get done on time and the boss is mad. The kids have been terrible, and the dog got sprayed by a skunk just before you left.

You settle into your booth looking forward to a meal that you don’t have to prepare and you get to relax for the next hour or so.

Your waitress comes to the table and takes drink orders, hands out menus and tells you she’ll be right back to take your orders.

The family has time to look over the menus and everyone has decided what they want to eat. Time passes without so much as a glance from your waitress. 10 minutes turns to 20.

All the while your waitress is happily serving and seating other patrons. Laughing with other tables, taking orders and delivering food.

Finally, she makes her way to your table and asks if you’re ready to order.

You now have a choice. You can express your disappointment in how long it took, perhaps in a fairly un-Christlike way, or, take a moment to look around the restaurant and see that it is quite a bit busier than when you first arrived. Now that you think about it, it seems that there is only one other server on the floor.

You look back up to the waitress and see hastily tied back hair, sweat on her brow, and she seems to be catching her breath in the short moment that she has to actually stand still and listen to your order…..

If you have your bibles today were going to be in Luke 9:10-17

Luke 9:10–17 CSB

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus all that they had done. He took them along and withdrew privately to a town called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. Late in the day, the Twelve approached and said to him, “Send the crowd away, so that they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find food and lodging, because we are in a deserted place here.” “You give them something to eat,” he told them. “We have no more than five loaves and two fish,” they said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” (For about five thousand men were there.) Then he told his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” They did what he said, and had them all sit down. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke them. He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. Everyone ate and was filled. They picked up twelve baskets of leftover pieces.

This is one of the most well known miracles recorded in scripture. Possibly because it is the only other miracle besides the resurrection thats recorded in all four of the Gospels. I believe there is a reason for that, that we’ll get into.

In the beginning of this passage we see that the disciples are returning to Jesus from somewhere. In order to fully understand this passage and whats going on we need to head back up the chapter just a couple of verses.

Look at Luke 9:1-6

Luke 9:1–6 CSB

Summoning the Twelve, he gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. Then he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. “Take nothing for the road,” he told them, “no staff, no traveling bag, no bread, no money; and don’t take an extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. If they do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and traveled from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere.

Jesus sends out the 12 on a mission to preach the Kingdom and to perform miracles in His name. This is a big deal and Jesus is preparing his closest followers for the work that will need to be done once He is no longer with them.

What is important to notice here is the specifics that Jesus gives the 12. He says not to bring ANYTHING with them! No food, or even money to buy food. No change of clothes, nuttin. He also lets them know that they will most likely find opposition and there will be places that they enter that will be unwelcome to them and they are to just move on from those locations.

Its important for us to know what the Disciples went through prior to their reunion because it allows us a better picture of how they were feeling.

Look again at vs 10

Luke 9:10 (CSB)

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus all that they had done. He took them along and withdrew privately to a town called Bethsaida.

These boys were TIRED! They had just spent an extended time preaching, teaching, healing, and casting out demons. All without money, a fresh pair of undies, or a comfortable place to sleep.

How happy would they have been to FINALLY see Jesus again after this time spent alone and struggling?

“Meals after backpacking”

Can you imagine the stories that they had for each other and the reports that they had for Jesus?

Jesus, being the kind compassionate person He was, sees this need and how tired they all are, makes space for them and plans to withdraw to a local small town and recover with them, give encouragement and celebrate with them from a job well done.

Unfortunately, or maybe not, that time of celebration and rest was cut short.

Vs. 11 says this:

Luke 9:11 (CSB)

When the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

As much as Jesus wanted to withdraw and celebrate with his closest friends, He knew that he had a higher calling. A need that was more pressing than any period of rest and celebration.

Look at Luke 4:18-19

Luke 4:18–19 (CSB)

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Jesus knew that his time on earth was coming to an end soon so when he saw such a crowd drawing near, He knew he must take this opportunity to share about the Kingdom. To give them a message about salvation.

This message He was preaching was so much more filing than any loaf of bread. The hope of eternal life through what He would do on the cross would be infinitely more restful than any retreat He could offer his disciples.

The response from the disciples is one that I think that I would have given myself if in this situation.

Luke 9:12 (CSB)

Late in the day, the Twelve approached and said to him, “Send the crowd away, so that they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find food and lodging, because we are in a deserted place here.”

“Get these people out of here so we can go and relax.” is the done that I read that request in.

After all, they already had plans to take a break and Jesus seemingly slighted them so that he could teach….again.

I love the disciples. I love them because they’re just like you you and me. Definitely like me.

They wanted rest and they wanted it now.

Quite often I feel that, we as christians, are pretty impatient with our requests of God. If we have a need, we pray and expect an answer in our own timing.

Proverbs 16:9 (CSB)

A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.

Time and time again Jesus makes opportunities for them to learn what the Kingdom of God looks like. He is so patient with them through all of their faults and flaws, but still, they miss the bigger picture.

The Challenge of Jesus

Jesus, being the patient teacher that he is, takes this opportunity that his disciples have presented him as a chance to once again show to them who He is, and who they are not.

Vs 13 and 14 says

Luke 9:13–14 (CSB)

“You give them something to eat,” he told them.

“We have no more than five loaves and two fish,” they said, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” (For about five thousand men were there.)

Then he told his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”

He tells them, “You do it.” You feed these 5,000 plus people here. And I can only imagine the looks that the disciples gave to each other. “He can’t be serious, can He?”

So they respond with a pretty rational explanation as to why they cant do that. They only have a lunches worth of food. Not only that, they don’t have any dog gone money to buy food either!

I don’t think that Jesus was teasing them in this moment. No matter how it reads. I believe He is telling them to do what he is currently telling us.

God asks us constantly perform acts that are outside of ourselves. He is calling us to a higher way of living and the ONLY way that we can do that is through Him!

Philippians 4:19 (CSB)

And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:13 (CSB)

For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.

John 14:26 (CSB)

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

Jesus doesn’t measure our usefulness by how much we have to offer. And thank goodness for that, am I right? All He asks is that we are faithful with what we have.

You might feel that all you have to give is a couple of fish and some bread. That all you have left in the tank couldn’t POSSIBLY make a difference but the Bible is FULL of stories of men and woman that were used by God to do incredible things.

When the angel of the the Lord found Gideon, he was hiding in a winepress and tells him “the Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

You see, when God looks at us,

God sees the person that he will shape us into.

Lets look again at the passage and see Jesus work. Vs 16 -17.

Luke 9:16–17 (CSB)

Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke them. He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. Everyone ate and was filled. They picked up twelve baskets of leftover pieces.

Despite the disciples inadequacies, frustration, and their exhaustion, Jesus still invites them to take part in this miracle. HE multiplies the bread but he allows and charges the disciples with the distribution. They are the ones directly interacting and impacting the masses!

Just like the disciples, we sometimes have a very difficult time looking past our own needs and desires. My life heavily revolves around what I want or need in the moment.

Thats why we need Jesus to challenge us to do seemingly impossible things! He calls you to love the unloveable, the forgive the unforgivable, to seek out needs in others lives when your own seem so dire.

And just like the disciples, your ability to love when it seems like the opposite of what you want, or to listen when you just want to decompress, or to forgive when you have people in your corner telling you thats the dumbest thing imaginable, doesn't come from ourselves.

I want to give you some tangible ways to help you to Serve beyond yourself. These are the ways the early church was measured as being a healthy, Kingdom Focused body.

And they’re no secret. Its Faith, Hope, and Love.

First Faith:

Not how much, but in Who?

Matthew 17:20 CSB

“Because of your little faith,” he told them. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Sometimes the question isn’t how much you believe in God but instead WHO do you believe God is and what He is capable of??

Do you believe that God is the omnipotent creator of the universe? Do you believe that He spoke this world and all the others into existence with just a few syllables and He could destroy them all with fewer?

If your problems seem to big, then your God is too small.

Next, Hope:

2 Corinthians 4:18 CSB

So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

We know who wins! We know how this all ends and because of that, we have a responsibility to share that hope with those around us. Can you imagine going through the trials and difficulties of this life without the assurance that we have a heavenly home once this is all over?

We have opportunities every single day to share that hope through our words and our actions to those around us!

Finally Love:

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 CSB

Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Because of our faith in an all powerful, all knowing, all loving God, we are commanded to love those around us because He first loved us!

We have a responsibility to be patient, and kind, to not be envious or boastful, to not be arrogant or rude or self seeking.

It is because of our faith in Him and what He can and will do. Because of our hope of a life in Him that we have the ability to love like this.

Those disciples didn’t multiply the bread. In fact they wanted nothing to do with it. They wanted to wash their hands of the whole situation. But Jesus, being full of grace and understanding, invited them into this incredible miracle and gave them an incredibly important role.

And what happened? After the day full of serving others and not understanding why Jesus would take the time for these people. After all of their grumbling, complaining, and worldly behavior, each leaves with his own BASKET full of bread and fish. So much more than if they had just ignored the crowds and sought to satisfy their own needs in Bethsaida.

God promises that if you live a life in service to him; if you seek out others to love and care for despite your own shortcomings and desires, then your needs will be met in ways you could never imagine!