Whatever Shall We Do?

Whatever Shall We Do?

“When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Phillip, “Where shall we buy bread for all these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had it in mind what he was going to do.” John 6:5-6

This scripture invokes some intriguing questions about when and how God tests his children. Even with these possible questions, we are assured that he has a solution for the problem of too many and not enough before he even asks this question of his disciples. Confident that he will meet the needs of the people, the question becomes, who will he use to bring about the miracle of multiplication?  

Recently, I heard my pastor paraphrase Jesus’ words. With a little lilt in his voice, he accentuated the word “Whatever” by couching it in a tone of divine resignation and despair… “all this need-all of this brokenness, whatever shall we do?”

 

The sing-song cadence of the question reminds us that this is not a one-off question but a perennial one. It is one for the disciples and one that is posed to every friend of God. How, when, where shall we…so all these people can eat?”  Although Jesus knew what he would do, the answer is found not in “he” but in “we”!  In his relational sovereignty, he sees a solution that involves a partnership of faith, which delights his father and brings significance to every human co-laborer. 

Yes, I have heard the same question many times! Have you? This question should be taught as a complete course in pastoral training. And yet, this passage will not impact you if you are merely looking at your congregation or your family. Pare down the 5,000 men to a room full, and you may begin to feed them all. Or keep the 5,000 and cut down on kingdom expectations. Expect less. Feed them a snack, not a meal. If those will not work for you, turn the question and the responsibility over to the gathered masses. Say to them, “Where is your faith. You have not because you ask not in faith!” If you opt for one of these responses, you will never hear Jesus saying, “Where can we…” or “Whatever can we do?” You, then, will be safe and secure, but God will not find his partner in faith in you.

Yes, I have failed in assuming my role in this partnership of faith. I have looked at the numbers, stared at the needs, and been stupefied by my numbness to it all. If I could characterize my failures, I would say that I couldn’t see the little boy for the 5,000 plus who were hungry. Looking back at these partnerships, kingdom success came when I let the numbers push me toward smaller solutions.

Utilizing smaller solutions to combat big problems and monstrous needs is the way of the creator. It is seeding the earth with a lowly born child to populate an eternal kingdom. In nature, it is seen in the tiniest microbe that fixes the soil so a mighty redwood forest can flourish, and plankton, the base of the oceans’ food chain, and the earth’s major supplier of oxygen. Accepting the limitations of what you have on hand and adding the unlimited potential of faith as small as a mustard seed, we can begin the process of dynamic change. Jesus leaves the ninety-nine and goes after the one because everything starts with one. Does he have compassion toward the one? Yes. But never doubt the dual purposes found in his creative genius. 

If Satan can deceive you with the facts, he will. Are we so enamored with “big” that if we can’t start that way, we go home?  Pentecost brought two incidents of mass salvations, but that trend did not continue further in the Early Church.  It is a story of spiritual influence, not political power. In fact, when we do see political power active in the church of the fourth century, we see it as being detrimental to the true church of Jesus Christ. This small-is-large principle was illustrated in The Revenge of the Tipping Point. Gladwell notes that the percentage needed for significant social change is about 25%, a tipping point at which a minority can influence a majority to adopt a new norm. This threshold is not fixed and can shift, but a committed minority of approximately 25% can be enough to trigger an abrupt, rapid shift in the overall group's behavior.

Years ago, I met with a church that had maintained the same number of congregants for many years. Given the small number, the church set a goal of twenty new converts, which was double their number. After so many years of absolutely no conversion or other growth, I tried to persuade them to replace that goal. Instead of twenty, I asked them to set a goal of one disciple. They should focus on helping one person become a Christ follower. I lost track of them, but I pray they were able to reach that one and experience a “loaves and fishes” miracle. 

Our future is not that of giant corporations and huge conglomerates, which we no longer trust. The national government seems unable to understand the concerns or address the problems in the homes and communities where we live. The future is not in the super farms owned and operated by chemical companies but in the small acreages of regenerative farmers who know their land as well as they understand the market. It is found in small churches that can see the one as well as the ninety-nine.  

Whatever shall we do about the significant issues and needs of the day? Does racial hatred and prejudice seem so universal that we normalized its existence? Is war inevitable, and a culture of sexual excess, violence, and self-worship without remedy? We have the resources in hand if we will forge partnerships of faith built around things as small as a boy and his lunch. Look for him!