We live in an age of experts. We consult with specialists and call for workers with a particular expertise. We delegate almost every job that needs to be done to somebody else. I don’t know how to fix my dishwasher or my dryer. I don’t know what’s wrong with my car and it needs to be diagnosed by a special computer. My roof needs to be fixed and I can’t do it. We go to a doctor who only does wrists. We call for an expert.
One of the best attributes of our son-in-law is that he never saw a problem he didn’t think he could tackle. When our dishwasher broke, he watched a YouTube video and fixed it with a twist tie and dental floss! And it stayed fixed, too! His first impulse is to find a way to fix things himself.
When Jesus’ disciples said to him, “Hey! These people are hungry, and you need to send them away to get food,” they knew they could not solve the problem. It was well beyond them. “This is not our expertise, not our job,” they probably thought. Jesus shocked them by saying: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat. You do it. This is your work to do.”
They protested and said, “We don’t have what it takes!” Then Jesus took into his hands what they did have, blessed it, and miraculously fed not just 5000 men, but any women and children who came with them. Probably 12,000 people went away satisfied.
I’m not suggesting that if you would just try, you could feed thousands of people. I’m not even suggesting that you fix your broken appliances yourself with dental floss and twist ties. I’m suggesting that you try caring for others yourself. That you respond to a deep need yourself. That you try being the solution yourself.
Shane Claiborne has said, “When we ask God to move a mountain, God may hand us a shovel.” God assigns the task to us. We shouldn’t sigh and say, “Well, I hope someone will do that,” or “I don’t know every step that needs to happen to fix this issue. I think a professional would be best. I’m going to send a text or email to an expert and retire from all of this stuff. I’m just going to close my door and attend to my own needs. I’m sure someone else can handle this better than me.”
Jesus looks into our excuses and says, “You do it. Give it a try. Put what little you have into my hands and watch what happens next. I will multiply what you can come up with. Just get going.” Jesus is counting on us, with all our uncertainty, clumsiness and ineptitude, and when He joins us, deep needs are satisfied.