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Jesus Offers an Uncalculated Invitation
Jesus Offers an Uncalculated Invitation
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.
luke 9:10-
On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”
luke 9-
So far we have only looked at the Meals With Jesus where he entered into the house of someone else upon their invitation. We saw where Jesus dinned with sinners to display his scandalous grace, power of forgiveness to transform and heal even the most broken of people.
This is the first time we see Jesus actually putting on a meal, instead of attending a meal that someone else was hosting.
Look at what Luke says,
On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”
Just before this passage, Jesus commissioned his disciples to go and minister to people. He told them that they had authority over demons and all diseases. Luke tells us
And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
luke
When we get to our passage, the disciples are regrouping after they had performed ministry all over the place. Luke tells us that they shared their stories with Jesus, debriefing with Him and celebrating all that God had done through them while they were on mission.
Then Luke says that Jesus takes them to withdraw to Bethsaida, which Matthew and Mark describe to be a desolate place (a desert). So here they are, in this desert town, and all of the sudden people just start showing up. They had heard that Jesus was there so they started coming to him for help. Jesus had intentions of giving the disciples a break, rest from all the work they had just done.
But Luke tells us that “when the crowds found out, they followed him.”
The people wouldn’t leave Jesus alone. People’s lives were being radically changed. Demons were being cast out, sickness and diseases were being healed, and more and more people kept coming…no matter how hard the disciples worked, they couldn’t provide care for everyone.
So when the people come, it would have been at the most inconvenient time. It was an interruption to the plan of Jesus and the Apostles. But look at what Luke says,
When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.
luke 9:
Jesus made time for everyone that came to him that day. He welcomed everyone in the crowd, he preached the gospel to them, and then he healed every single person that had a need.
This is an amazing truth. No one, not a single person, that came to Jesus that day was turned away.
Most of the time, when someone threw a meal like this one in that culture—especially a religious meal—they would have all of these cleansing rituals that one would have to do in order to participate.
Jesus didnt require anything from anyone. Everyone who wanted to be apart of His meal—His celebration— was invited. All you had to do was just show up.
Two take-a-ways:
You are invited to be WITH Jesus
You are invited to be WITH Jesus
Sexually Immoral People, Diseased People, Weird People, Cool People, Young People, Old People. Black, White, Brown, and Yellow…all of us are invited to have fellowship with Jesus.
How do you fellowship with Him? Just like these people did…you just gotta show up! Jesus doesnt ask us for money, or sacrifices, he doesnt ask for our religious resumes…We just have to come to him with our needs and trust that He can provide for us.
Religious
We are invited to be LIKE Jesus
We are invited to be LIKE Jesus
Just like Jesus invites everyone—no matter who they are—to fellowship with Him. We are called to invite everyone to fellowship with us.
Jesus sacrificed his longing to hang out with the people he was closest with—The disciples— when he saw that the crowds needed him. We should be willing and avaliable to be interupted from our normal routines when we see people who have needs. Like Jesus, we are called to be avaliable for people in need.
Too often we find ourselves calculating—regulating—they people that we spend our time and energy with. We dont want to be seen with “that person” so we avoid them. “That person” is annoying, weird, ugly, goofy, or “bad”....so we ignore them. But those people were invited into a relationship with Him…and they should be invited and welcomed into relationship with us.
Too often, we are like the disciples—we wish people away because we are too tied, too busy, or just apathetic…but when we do that…we are not displaying the heart of Jesus who has an uncalculated invitation to all people at all times.
Jesus Offers Unlimited Provision
Jesus Offers Unlimited Provision
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.
luke 9:12-
Jesus calls
God takes our problems and offers us unlimited Provision
The God of the Bible has no limits. He is the one who created everything our of nothing. He holds all things together with no effort at all. At his command nations crumble, people are saved, sin is destroyed and Satan is crushed.
He is the one with all power and authority.
5,000+ people being fed with a kid’s lunchable is light weight for him…
We worship and serve a REALLY big God…like immeasurably big. He has all knowledge. He has all power. He has all authority. And the best part—He actually cares about you.
How do I know? Becasue I know Him. I know he cares about you and you problem because He is the God who says in Psalm 62:8,
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psalm 62:8
He is the God who tells us to pray for our daily bread....Proving to us that He cares about our needs.
Why in the world would God, the God who needs nothing, care about you?
Because He loves you? Why does He love you? Well I could give you the long theological answer, but ultimately it just boils down to this—He loves you because He loves you.
It is what every good Father does…they love their children. Not for what their children can do for them, but simply because He loves them—Even in spite of them sometimes.
Jesus Offers Unlimited Pleasure
Jesus Offers Unlimited Pleasure
Everyone ate and was filled. They picked up twelve baskets of leftover pieces.
luke 9:
Jesus can feed 5,000 people with nothing more than a couple fish sandwhiches....to the point where everyone is totally filled. The ESV translates this verb as “satisfied”
And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
No one in the crowd that day went home longing for anything else. They were totally pleased.
This is what God offers us.
Total and complete satisfaction.
Why? Becasue the God of the Bible knows what we need and provides for us everthing our hearts could ever long for.
Notice I didnt say everything we want. There is a difference between a longing—a need—and a simple want.
God wont give you a BMW just becasue you want one…but He will give you everything you need.
How do I know?
We want
Just look to the cross...