James R. Edwards: How many loaves do you have?

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied. Mark 8:5

“The feeding of the four thousand and the feeding of the five thousand share more in common than any two stories in the Gospel of Mark. Both stories occur in deserted settings. Both emphasize Jesus’ compassion on the crowds. Both repeat the question, “How many loaves do you have? The command to recline is similar in booth, as is that prayer and participation oof the disciples. In both the words and serving of the loaves follow the same sequence and in both “the people ate and were satisfied.” Leftovers were gathered after both meals and both condole with Jesus dismissing the crowds and taking a boat trip.”

James R. Edwards in The Gospel according to Mark (PNTC; Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 2002) 227

Over the next week, as I approach 4,000 daily posts over the past 11 years, we will explore the deep nuances of the feeding of the 4,000. This miracle appears in Matthew and Mark and seems fitting to explore at this time because contains themes of compassion and generosity.

Today’s comments from Edwards alert us to the similarities between the accounts among Jews (the feeding of the 5,000) and the Gentiles (the feeding of the 4,000). In particular, I want to draw out the significance of this question: “How many loaves do you have?”

Any generosity in our lives flows from our practice of stewardship. Faithful stewards put to work what they have in keeping with the Master’s wishes. Whenever there is a need, Jesus taught the disciples to put to work what they had. That’s when God supplies more.

Because it’s Father’s Day in the USA, I want to take a moment to honor my father, John E. Hoag or “Jack” for short, for modeling this for me. My parents never had much money, but whatever they did have, they put it to work faithfully. God always supplied more so we had all we needed. Thanks Dad.

If you are in a place of need, use what you have faithfully. The fact that Jesus asked this question in both contexts points to its relevance to all of His disciples everywhere for all time. There are many needs in the world today. “How many loaves do you have?”

The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand were present. After He had sent them away, He got into the boat with His disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. Mark 8:8-10

“The second feeding miracle, like the first, portrays Jesus as the authoritative Messiah and a compassionate shepherd feeding His people in a “wilderness” place — a preview of the messianic banquet. By narrating this second miracle int the Decapolis and placing it in the context of Jesus’ interaction with Gentiles, Mark implicitly affirms that the invitation to the messianic banquet is not for Israelites alone but for all people everywhere.”

Mark L. Strauss in Mark (ZECNT; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014) 327.

Over the next week, since we are approaching 4,000 daily posts over the past 11 years, we will explore the deep nuances of the feeding of the 4,000. This miracle appears in Matthew and Mark and seems fitting to explore at this time because contains themes of compassion and generosity.

Today we discover that there is a distinct purpose with this miracle. It’s a message about the Messiah for Gentiles. Whereas the feeding of the 5,000 implied that Jesus could provide for all the Jews with the 12 baskets leftover, this miracle has 7 baskets left showing a number of perfection.

While many wander hungry through the wilderness of life, Jesus is just what the whole world needs. Let’s share Him with others generously and with compassion. Notice that after the miracle, Jesus was back on the mission of the Father. Let’s maintain our missional focus.

In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, “I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.” Mark 8:1-2

“The multitude is the object of Jesus’ compassion… It denotes not a mere sentiment, but a pity which expresses itself in active assistance… Jesus’ compassion for the multitude leads him to teach,  too heal the sick, to feed the hungry… While [in Mark 6:34] the ground of compassion is the fact that the people are like sheep without a shepherd, here [in Mark 8:1-2] it is the fact that they have been so long without food.”

C.E.B. Cranfield in The Gospel According To St Mark (CGTC; New York; Cambridge University Press, 1959) 216, 217, 255.

Over the next week, since we are approaching 4,000 daily posts over the past 11 years, we will explore the deep nuances of the feeding of the 4,000. This miracle appears in Matthew and Mark and seems fitting to explore at this time because contains themes of compassion and generosity.

Today Cranfield reminds us that compassion is active assistance empowered by the Father. If people are lost, Jesus helps them find their way. If they are hungry, he perceives this with pity, then moves to action. What about us? Do we discern the needs of those around us and act using what we have?

This text is also relevant for my situation as president and CEO of GTP. I teach people all over the world to focus not on what they don’t have to change their situation, but to put to work what they do have. In this miracle, they had seven loaves and a few small fish.

What do you have? How are you using what you have with pity coupled with active assistance empowered by the Father? Father, fill us with the same compassion that Jesus exhibited and may we too have pity on those around us and actively assist them trusting you to supply by your Spirit whatever we need. Amen.

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8

“Let us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate. Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to the place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure for it. As busy, active, relevant [people], we want to earn our bread by making a real contribution. This means first and foremost doing something to show that our presence makes a difference. And so we ignore our greatest gift, which is our ability to enter into solidarity with those who suffer.”

Henri J. M. Nouwen in The Way of the Heart: Connecting with God Through Prayer, Wisdom, and Silence (New York: HarperCollins, 1981) 34.

Want to be generous and make a real contribution in the lives of people who are suffering? Enter into solidarity with them. Move toward weakness, vulnerability, loneliness, and brokenness. Don’t ignore the greatest gift we have to give others, especially in hard times.

Practically, think of one person right now who may be suffering. Think of a way you can move toward them. Be present with them. Enter into their suffering. Don’t try to fix it (like I am prone to do). Ask God to help you love them generously. Let the action flow after that.

Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived. 2 Kings 25:30

“Jehoiachin was not sent away from the king’s palace with a store to last him for months, but his provision was given him as a daily pension. Herein he well pictures the happy position of all the Lord’s people. A daily portion is all that a man really wants. We do not need tomorrow’s supplies; that day has not yet dawned, and its wants are as yet unborn. The thirst which we may suffer in the month of June does not need to be quenched in February, for we do not feel it yet; if we have enough for each day as the days arrive we shall never know want. Sufficient for the day is all that we can enjoy.

We cannot eat or drink or wear more than the day’s supply of food and raiment; the surplus gives us the care of storing it, and the anxiety of watching against a thief. One staff aids a traveller, but a bundle of staves is a heavy burden. Enough is not only as good as a feast, but is all that the veriest glutton can truly enjoy. This is all that we should expect; a craving for more than this is ungrateful. When our Father does not give us more, we should be content with his daily allowance. Jehoiachin’s case is ours, we have a sure portion, a portion given us of the king, a gracious portion, and a perpetual portion. Here is surely ground for thankfulness.

Beloved Christian reader, in matters of grace you need a daily supply. You have no store of strength. Day by day must you seek help from above. It is a very sweet assurance that a daily portion is provided for you. In the word, through the ministry, by meditation, in prayer, and waiting upon God you shall receive renewed strength. In Jesus all needful things are laid up for you. Then enjoy your continual allowance. Never go hungry while the daily bread of grace is on the table of mercy.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon in Morning and Evening: Daily Readings (Albany, Oregon: Sage Software, 1996) morning reading for for 14 February.

I can’t get the picture out of my mind that we only need one staff. Can you imagine carrying a pile of them? It would weigh us down. It illustrates vividly for me that we must put to work what God supplies and not carry it around as that only burdens us, brings anxiety, and slows our service.

The fact that God’s provision for us is gracious, perpetual, and daily must stay with us. It is faithfully supplied by our loving and caring God. He’s as reliable as the sunrise. And when we fail to trust in and acknowledge this, we exhibit “a craving for more” that reveals we are “ungrateful.”

So, what does your use of possessions reveal about you? Do you store up that which God intended to be put to use? When we thrive thanks to His “continual allowance” the world takes notice. We point people to our generous Provider so they too can taste and experience His matchless goodness.

He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Ephesians 4:28

“To have our goods available to others marks the third inner attitude of simplicity. If our goods are not available to the community when it is clearly right and good, then they are stolen goods. The reason we find such an idea so difficult is our fear of the future. We cling to our possessions rather than sharing them because we are anxious about tomorrow. But if we truly believe that God is who Jesus says he is, then we do not need to be afraid. When we come to see God as the almighty Creator and our loving Father, we can share because we know that he will care for us. If someone is in need, we are free to help them. Again, ordinary common sense will define the parameters of our sharing and save us from foolishness.”

Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (New York: HarperCollins, 1998) 89.

Since all that we possess belongs to God, the stuff we don’t make available are nothing but stolen goods. Foster’s point is rooted in texts like this verse from Paul. The purpose of our work with our hands is not just to accumulate for ourselves. It’s to have resources for sharing. Whatever God supplies that is more than we need is for sharing. When we don’t share it, we are stealing.

Because this biblical idea is so different from the world’s way of thinking, pause for a minute and think about the foundational point intended to free us from anxiety. It’s the fool who accumulates for himself on earth, especially in hard times. Since all belongs to God, whatever we hold on to gets a hold on to us. Our idols are the things we won’t make available to others.

Find freedom from anxiety by working to have resources to enjoy and share. Put in play what God provides. Don’t let it stop with you. Again, I am not trying to rob you, but rather, help you. The anxiety-free life is the life that quits worrying about tomorrow and grasps life today following God’s design. So I ask you, are the resources you steward available or stolen?

The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. Proverbs 15:3

“To know that it is God’s business, and not ours, to care for what we have is the second inner attitude of simplicity. God is able to protect what we possess. We can trust Him. Does that mean that we should never take the keys out of the car or lock the door? Of course not. But we know that the lock on the door is not what protects the house. It is only common sense to take normal precautions, but if we believe that precaution itself protects us and our goods, we will be riddled with anxiety. There simply is no such thing as “burglar proof” precaution. Obviously, these matters are not restricted to possessions but include such things as our reputation and our employment. Simplicity means the freedom to trust God for these (and all) things.

Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (New York: HarperCollins, 1998) 88-89.

Nothing escapes God’s gaze. It’s God’s business to watch over us. That’s the second inner attitude we must grasp to navigate away from anxiety and toward simplicity.

During times of social unrest, people who don’t have this attitude go to “bomb shelter” measures for self-preservation which compounds fears and results in isolation.

Don’t go there. We are all tempted to make life burglar proof, but there’s no such thing. It’s all just rationalization from the evil one that aims to immobilize us. We must not be fooled by lies.

The answer is to trust God to do His business while we do ours. That positions us to go through life with simplicity and generosity. In so doing, we share spiritual and material blessings all around.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

“To receive what we have as a gift from God is the first inner attitude of simplicity. We work but we know that it is not our work that gives us what we have. We live by grace even when it comes to “daily bread.” We are dependent upon God for the simplest elements of life: air, water, sun. What we have is not the result of our labor, but of the gracious care of God. When we are tempted to think that what we own is the result of our personal efforts, it takes only a little drought or a small accident to show us once again how utterly dependent we are for everything.”

Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (New York: HarperCollins, 1998) 88.

Ownership and entitlement thinking destroys people and communities. Everything that comes to us is a gift. It’s not the result of our labor. Even the ability to produce income or wealth is a gift from God.

We are living in challenging times when people are fighting over what they think they deserve and trying to preserve what they think they own. Find freedom. Take a walk. Look up at the sun. Give thanks for the air you breathe.

COVID-19 has revealed our many sins, not the least of which is ownership and entitlement thinking. As the lockdown loosens in places, help us not forget that everything we have comes from our gracious God.

Gracious God, help us treat everything that comes to us as a gift so that we are free from anxiety and so that we can be open-handed and generous at all times and all occasions. Hear our prayer in your mercy. Amen.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

“Freedom from anxiety is characterized by three inner attitudes. If what we have we receive as a gift, and if what we have is to be cared for by God, and if what we have is available to others, then we will possess freedom from anxiety. This is the inward reality of simplicity. However, if what we have we believe we have gotten, and if what we have we believe we must hold onto, and if what we have is not available to others, then we will live in anxiety. Such persons will never know simplicity regardless of the outward contortions they may put themselves through in order to live ‘the simple life.'”

Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (New York: HarperCollins, 1998) 88.

I attended an Online Journey of Generosity with Generous Giving yesterday and loved it. In the activity I read an excerpt from Celebration of Discipline which is the source of this quote. Over the next three days I will share more about these three inner attitudes. It’s too much to swallow for one day.

Let’s take a few days to explore this idea because we live in a world filled with anxiety, and we are God’s ambassadors to point others to the way of freedom. But we have to find it first.

God designed everyone to experience freedom from anxiety. In that place He is the faithful Provider. That’s His role. Alternatively, we make His blessings available to others. That’s our job. Finding ‘the simple life’ is a state of being rooted in trust in a faithful God and reflected in open-handed generosity.

It requires us to grasp these three inner attitudes. They will follow over the next three days. For now, let’s soak in this Scripture. We have no need to be anxious about anything. Let us instead, by prayer and petition lift up our every need to God and rest in His peace and provision.

For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them. Deuteronomy 4:31

“The word ‘compasssionate’ speaks of a deep emotional attachment, which, when all else is done, predisposes Yahweh to mercy. It occurs in contexts in which anger and punishment might be expected, but in which mercy has the final say. Though Israel may become ‘corrupt’ Yahweh will not ‘destroy’; thought Israel may ‘forget the covenant’, Yahweh will never do so. Moreover, the covenant is characterized as that which goes back to the patriarchal promise.”

Gordon McConville in Deuteronomy (AOTC; Downers Grove: IVP, 2002) 111.

As we explore the theme of compassion this year related to generosity, it comes into view as a “deep, emotional attachment” between Yahweh and the people Israel in the Old Testament. When they deserved anger and punishment, they got mercy instead. In McConville’s words, “mercy has the final say!”

Living this way toward others may be the most generous contribution we can make to society today. And it needs it!

It seems like everyone is about to snap or has already snapped. The stress started with COVID-19, it compounded with widespread unemployment and related financial difficulties, and then it escalated with human injustice that surfaced old, unhealed wounds linked to racial strife. These are really hard times.

Next time someone deserves anger and punishment, let mercy have the final say.