Apostles, Pt. 6: "Rich Believer, Poor Believer"

RICH BELIEVER, POOR BELIEVER (MATT 14:6-21)
Are you rich or poor? Do you have a lot or a little? Do you have too much or not enough?

Here are some Internet quotes on what makes a man or a person poor:
“A person is poor when he or she has fallen below a standard of living which public opinion finds unacceptable.”
“A person is poor when his or her income is substantially less than the average income of the population.”
“A man is poor when he desires many things!” (most popular on Net)
“A man is poor when he does not realize what happiness is.”
“A man is poor when he wants nothing, knows nothing, has nothing.”
“A person is poor when he is friendless, but even poorer when he ceases being a friend.”
“A person is poor when he or she feels himself to be poor.”
“A person is poor when he cannot afford to buy meat, milk or cheese and is forced to consume only potato soup and bread.”
“A person is poor when he/she does not have fish to prepare with the sauce.”
“A person is poor when he is without God.”

Here are quotes on what makes a man or person rich, beginning with technical definitions:
“A man is rich when he has an income from invested capital which is sufficient to support him and his family in a decent and comfortable manner.”
“A person is rich when he or she does not have to work.
“A person is rich when he is happy and enjoys peace and beautiful things around the world.
“A person is rich when he has a loving family and one good friend.
“A person is rich when he is content.”
“A man is rich when he knows what to do when he fails.”
“A man is rich when he is doing things he wishes to do, uses his talents and is paid well to do so.”
“A man is rich when he has the true love of a woman.”
“A rich person is not the one who has the most; but the one who needs the least.”

I have a few favorites kept for many years:
“The poor man didn’t know he was poor until the government told him he was poor.”
Mike Todd: “I’ve never been poor, only broke. Being poor is a frame of mind. Being broke is only a temporary situation.”

Rich or poor is not determined by what you have but who you are, what you have in Christ and what you do with what you have.

What makes a believer rich or poor? How do we get there? Why do people not see the riches they possess?

There is No Labor in Compassion
6 On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10 and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. 13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. (Matt 14:6-14)

What kind of God is your God?

Time magazine (10/30/06) reported more than 85% Americans follow a Christian faith. 66% says “I have no doubts that God exists”; 14% says “I believe in a higher power or cosmic source”; 11% believes in God but with some doubts; 5% don’t believe in anything beyond the physical world.

More interesting in the article is believers’ perception of God, particularly the ABCD profile of God:
31% believe in an “Authoritarian” God who is deeply involved in daily life and world events. God is angry at sin and can punish the unfaithful or ungodly.
23% believe in a “Benevolent” God who is deeply involved in daily life and world events but is mainly a positive force reluctant to punish.
16% believe in a “Critical” God who does not really interact with the world but is unhappy with its current state and will exact divine justice.
24% believe in a “Distant” God who does not interact with the world and is not angry. God is more of a cosmic force that set the laws of nature. (Source: Baylor University)

The God we know is a loving and compassionate God. He cares for our physical, spiritual and emotional needs. Jesus had compassion on the crowd and healed their sick till the sun went down (v 15) and till he was reminded time was up, even though he could use the time for himself. He put others’ needs above his own, felt their feelings and grief when He did not feel so energetic himself.

Jesus did not have the heart to push the crowd away after what had recently happened. The crowd that followed John the Baptist followed Jesus in droves after John was executed or beheaded. It was such a sad sight and a sad ending for one of the most remarkable servants and prophets in history (Matt 11:9). Today’s Christians shamelessly call themselves prophets and apostles but they do not know what it means. Jesus testified that prophets were persecuted to the point of death (Matt 5:12). Some were killed and some were crucified; others were flogged in synagogues and pursued from town to town. Jerusalem, in particular, was excoriated for killing the prophets and stoning those sent to the city (Matt 23:34-38), culminating with Luke 11:50: “The blood of all the prophets has been shed since the beginning of the world.” Their deadly end is not “if,” but “when”!

Jesus had much compassion for the crowd; they had lost their leader, John the Baptist. It was disappointing and disturbing to see John’s feet put in stocks, but it was distressing and devastating to hear of his head on a platter. It affected Jesus greatly as much as it did the crowd. When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place (v 13), but yet the people followed him. Jesus wanted to grieve for the dead but he opted to minister to the living. Not just any living, but people who did not give up looking for him. The crowd was untiring and unrelenting. They followed him on foot from the towns. The Greek word “on foot” or “foot-wise” occurs only twice in the Bible, the other time in Mark’s version of the same account, which had the crowd running on foot, chasing after him. Mark records that the people “ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them” (Mark 6:33), the only Greek record of people running. At the sight of this, a well of emotions surged, stirred and swirled in Jesus that moved him to compassion. Can you imagine people running to Sunday school, fellowship, and prayer meeting!

This is not the first time Jesus had compassion on someone (v 14). The first person and the only other person previously who moved Jesus’ heart of compassion was a leper (Mark 1:41), but this was a different league and at a higher stake. Here was “a large crowd” (Matt 14:14), not just a single individual. Mark’s Greek record uses the word “many” three times (Mk 6:31, 33, 34) and that Jesus “had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34), like a boat or ship without a rudder, anchor or pilot.

The same can be said of leaders and politicians today who are in it for power, prominence and profit. Rare is the selfless, serving and sacrificial leader.

There is No Liability in Compassion
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” 16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. (Matt 14:15-18)

In Jewish French author Andre Schwarz-Bart’s book “The Last of the Just,” Mordecai trained his beloved and adoring grandson Ernie: “If a man suffers all alone, it is clear his suffering remains within him. Right?” Ernie replied, “Right.”
“But if another looks at him and says to him, ‘You’re in trouble, my Jewish brother,’ what happens then?” The grandson wisely said, “He takes the suffering of his friend and into his own eyes.”

The grandfather sighed, smiled and asked, “And if he is blind, do you think that he can take it in?” Ernie answered, “Of course through his ears.” Mordecai again asked, “And if he is deaf!” Ernie said seriously, “Then through his hands.” The questioning continued: “And if the other is far away, if he can neither hear him nor see him and not even touch him – do you believe then that he can take in his pain?” The answer came back: “Maybe he could guessed at it.”

The grandfather was so proud and happy: “You’ve said it, my love – that is exactly what the just man does! He senses all the evil rampant on earth, and he takes it into his heart.” A dismayed Ernie, however, said, “But what good does it do to sense it if nothing is changed?” Mordecai answered, “It changes for God, don’t you see?”

If the loss of John and the grief around him was not enough for Jesus to carry, another thing made Jesus’ heart break. The disciples, in one accord, asked Jesus to send the crowd away (v 15). All three accounts – Matthew, Mark and Luke – all record the disciples making the first approach, using the same Greek verb: “they came” (Mark 6:35, Luke 9:12). They saw it important to call for a group meeting without Jesus and then have a private moment with Him. The consensus was that they could not afford to provide free dinner or split their sandwich. Five loaves and two fish were barely enough for 13 men, including Jesus but not counting the women.

Can you imagine their priority: “Master, may we have a minute with you?” The disciples, however, had their reasons. The scenario was worse than imagined. The Greek for “remote” is “desert” or “wilderness.” The good meaning for this “send” word is “dismiss” but the bad case is “divorce” (Matt 1:19, 5:31, 5:32, 19:3, 19:7, 19:8, 19:9) – cut the ties and lose the crowd.

The disciples were intent on sending the crowd away because they felt they had nothing to give and they would suffer a loss. They felt they did not have an option. Of course, they did not have because they did not ask the Bread of Life himself. It never crossed their mind to consult or brainstorm with the One who previously calmed the storm, the seas and their ship.

There is No Letdown in Compassion
19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matt 14:19-21)

In William J Bennett’s book “The Book of Virtues” is a story “Little Sunshine.”

Once there was a girl named Elsa. She had a very old grandmother, with white hair, and wrinkles all over her face. Elsa’s father had a large house that stood on a hill. Each day the sun peeped in at the south windows. It made everything look bright and beautiful. The grandmother lived on the north side of the house. The sun never came to her room.

One day Elsa said to her father, “Why doesn’t the sun peep into Grandma’s room? i know she would like to have him.” “The sun cannot look in at the north windows,” said her father. “Then let us turn the house around, Papa.” “It is much too large for that,” said her father. “Will Grandma never have any sunshine in her room?” asked Elsa. “Of course not, my child, unless you can carry some to her.” After that Elsa tried and tried to think how she could carry the sunshine to her grandmother. When she played in the fields, she saw the grass and the flowers nodding their heads. The birds sang sweetly as they flew from tree to tree. Everything seemed to say, “We love the sun. We love the bright, warm sun.” “Grandma would love it, too,” thought the child. “I must take some to her.”

When she was in the garden one morning she felt the sun’s warm rays in her golden hair. Then she sat down and she saw them in her lap. “I will take them in my dress,” she thought, “And carry them to Grandma’s room.” so she jumped up and ran into the house. “Look, Grandma, look! I have some sunshine for you,” she cried. And she opened her dress, but there was not a ray to be seen. “It peeps out of your eyes, my child,” said her grandmother, “and it shines in your sunny, golden hair. I do not need the sun when I have you with me.” Elsa did not understand how the sun could peep out of her eyes. But she was glad to make her dear grandmother happy. Every morning she played in the garden. Then she ran to her grandmother’s room to carry the sunshine in her eyes and hair.”

According to Matthew Henry, Jesus “did not appoint one of his disciples to be his chaplain, but he himself looked up to heaven, and blessed, and gave thanks; he praised God for the provision they had, and prayed to God to bless it to them.” Jesus’ actions hearkened to another wilderness incident in Exodus, when God brought them to the wilderness, where they had no lack after forty years there.
There they were led, and clad, and fed, by miracles; though the paths of the wilderness were not only unknown but untrodden, yet God kept them from being lost there; and (as bishop Patrick observes) those very shoes which by the appointment of God they put on in Egypt, at the passover, when they were ready to march (Ex 12:11), never wore out, but served them to Canaan: and though they lived not upon bread which strengthens the heart, and wine which rejoices it, but upon manna and rock-water, yet they were men of strength and courage, mighty men, and able to go forth to war. By these miracles they were made to know that the Lord was God, and by these mercies that he was their God.
(from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

It took me three weeks to figure out the significance of Jesus’ final actions. I was so focused on Jesus taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, giving thanks and breaking the loaves that I forgot the climax of the passage: “Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.” (v 19) His purpose was to have the disciples experience God’s inexhaustible riches in Christ. It was as if He was telling the disciples the more they receive, the more they give, and the more they give, the more they have. Can you imagine the worried disciples looking for more food to serve that many people, doing the rounds on people too eager for seconds and eating like released prisoners? It was an all-you-can-eat dinner that completely amazed the apostles. In the end, the disciples picked up 12 baskets. At first I thought they had leftovers doubling their five loaves to twelve loaves, but on closer examination, a basket has more than one loaf of bread. So they had plenty of leftovers.

Conclusion: A person is rich when he or she is compassionate, resourceful and thankful. There is always enough to go around in Christ. In fact, there are never-ending resources, rations and riches in Christ. Our needs are so small in contrast to Jesus’ wealth and abundance. Not only does God care for His people, He supplies them abundantly, more than they need. Jesus said, “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt 6:31-33)

Are you rich in the things of God? In service of God and in ministry to others? Are you the giving type or the receiving sort? Have you offered your time, talent and treasures to God for His use?