Step Into the Story.

Narrative Preaching.

This is the course I just wrapped up at Asbury Theological Seminary as an on campus intensive. One of my assignments, actually the preaching assignment I did for the class today, was to take a passage of scripture and preach it in the 1st person as found from any portion of scripture in John’s gospel. SO, I did some digging and settled into the story of the feeding of the five thousand viewing the scripture through the eyes of the little boy that gave up his lunch… with a twist;)

Enjoy!

Heads up. I took some liberty with the story (especially at the end). Hey. When you’re preaching on a minor character like the boy who gave up his lunch (who didn’t say a word), you have a pretty big canvas to paint on;)

John 6:1-14

Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ² and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. ³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. ⁴ The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

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

⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages^[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Passover. It’s one of my favorite times of the year.

I can recall many nights that I would sit under the stars and listen to my grandfather tell the stories of God’s people and the great exodus. How amazing it must have been to witness the wonders and miracles of Yahweh as he delivered His chosen people. During the day, it was a pillar of clouds that would guide the Israelites. Listen. I like clouds but, come on. At night do you know how God led His people? It was a pillar of fire! Who wouldn’t want to see that!?

You see, what I love about passover is that it is a wonderful celebration of deliverance and salvation given at the hands of God. As my grandfather would tell the stories of Exodus (stories that I had heard AT LEAST a thousand times), they always had the same ending. Grandfather would get this huge smile on his face, lean back and declare, “Yes. Yahweh went before them, He stood beside them, and He even protected them from behind for, you see, this is what the Lord does for those He loves.”

Now, this would probably be a good place to interject in this story something about me. I have always had a problem with talking too much (or so my mother always said to me growing up). You see, it’s not the speed with which I talk, it’s just that my mouth runs ahead of my brain. For example, during one of those times my grandfather was telling his Passover story, he ended like he normally does by saying, “For, you see, this is what the Lord does for those He loves…” and out of my mouth it came:

“Yeah. So where is He now?”

Honestly. It just slipped. I meant no disrespect. It was probably just my stomach talking (I hadn’t had a meal on that particular day). Our family doesn’t have much money. My father is a hard worker, but he doesn’t earn very much so we don’t have a lot. Now, listen. I believe in Yahweh. I believe in Him with all of my heart, but, honestly, those stories of His leading His chosen people, and especially the stories where He would feed the Israelites with an abundance of manna… MANNA… more bread than they could ever eat? I mean, come on. That one is just hard to swallow.

“So where is he now?” I shouted.

It just came out. Everyone on that particular night got silent. Honestly, I said a little prayer that a pillar of fire would appear and draw the eyes and attention off of me. Didn’t happen. The only fire that was present was the fire we all sat around. As the fire crackled and popped, by grandfather looked at me, pointed a finger in my direction and said, “Ani, (this is what he called me), He is still speaking. He is still leading. And, He is still feeding His children.”

Of course, I lowered my head and said not a word. When grandfather pointed a finger that was my pillar of fire warning to be quiet. But I couldn’t help but think… if God is still speaking, still leading, then where is He? Where was the savior he had promised? Where are the clouds? Where is the fire? And where is the manna? Where is the bread that you reigned down on your people so many years ago?

Well, now, I have a different story. For, you see, I am an old man with my own grandchildren. To my grandchildren I tell a very different story. So, allow me if you will, to tell you a most wonderful story of how I met God and how He rained down manna on His children in such a marvelous and wonderful way.

I remember the day quite well. It was very hot and we had heard of this teacher, this Rabbi named Jesus, who was teaching the Word in such a way that people were amazed. It wasn’t just his teaching of the Word that was amazing, it was the miracles he was performing as well. When we finally caught up with Jesus, He had crossed over onto the east side of the Sea of Galilee. We were starving. It was all I could do to not dig in to the bread and fish our family had just purchased for the week’s meals. I know. Five loaves of Barley bread and three fish doesn’t seem like a lot of food for a week but when it’s all you have, it has to do.

So there we sat. We had pretty good seats, actually. We found a nice grassy spot and Jesus was pretty close to where we were sitting. Honestly, I was pretty unimpressed. He looked pretty average to me. And his followers? His disciples? Let me tell you. They just didn’t seem like the sharpest tools in the carpenter’s toolbox. Jesus looked out and I overheard him ask one of his disciples, “Where should we buy bread for these people to eat?” Now here’s where my mouth ran ahead of my brain again. As one of his disciples passed by, I grabbed him by the leg and said, “Hey. Here you go. I have five loaves of bread and some fish. Why don’t you feed everyone with this?”

I laughed. I mean, come on. Funny, right? The only problem? This guy, he didn’t laugh. In fact, he grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me right off the ground.

“Wait, you know I am kidding, right?”

As I was whisked off the ground, I turned my head to see my father, jaw extended, eyes wide opened and not saying a word. My mother drops her head and I think she is smiling (at least somebody got my humor). My grandfather? He points at me. “The pillar of fire, gesture. That’s not good”.

The next thing I know, there I am. I am face to face with this rabbi, this teacher named Jesus. I couldn’t have been any older than twelve at the time. I remember it so well. He bends down and gets right on my level. He looks me in the eyes and asks, “What do you have, child?”

“Bread and fish. But, honestly? It’s all I have. It’s all my family has. It’s supposed to feed us for the week.”

As I looked into his eyes, there was such compassion. I can honestly tell you, to this day, I have never exchanged a glance with someone who held as much compassion in their eyes as Jesus had when I met him on that day. He looked at me, he smiled, and he whispered something to me that I will never forget.

He looked at me and said, “I want to do something very special with this bread and fish you have. Look around. What do you see around you?” I looked. “Uh, people. Alot of people. And they’re all staring at us right now.” He laughed. He then said, “These people, all of them? They are God’s people and they have come hungry. So I want to feed them. I want to use your bread and fish to feed these people because, because, you see, this is what God does for those whom he loves…” Honestly, when Jesus used the very same words my grandfather used, it took my breath away. Did he know? How could he?

He stood up, he said a blessing over the bread and fish and he called his disciples to him. He handed out the loaves and fish, the very barley loaves and fish that was all we had to eat for the week, and we watched as his disciples began to walk around to those who gathered and passed out the food. He passed out our food. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity. I didn’t look up. I knew that I was going to be in so much trouble for giving the week’s portions away.

Just as the tears started to well up, I felt a hand on my back… it was one of his disciples, John, I believe was his name. He got on his knees and whispered, “Look”. I lifted my head to see people eating. Not just one or two. There were ten. Twenty. Fifty. One hundred! Literally, hundreds were taking out handfuls of food from the baskets. I rubbed my eyes. Wait. What was happening? Could this even be possible? I ran to my father and mother. EVERYONE in my family had food. Our five barley loaves and fish turned into more food than we had seen in our possession in a long time. And it wasn’t just us. Everyone around us had food. My grandfather grabbed me and said, “Ani, it’s a miracle! It’s truly a miracle!” It was just the greatest day. And after we ate, we all watched as the disciples gathered up leftovers. Leftovers! Twelve baskets full. It was as if the very manna that we heard about in the Exodus stories was falling on us all as it did on that day so many years ago. Truly, miraculous.

This teacher, this Rabbi, this Jesus, he truly was the son of God. He would be crucified and buried. But as God performed a miracle for us all on that day, he had another miracle up his sleeve. That tomb did not hold God’s son in the grave. He arose? And this is the good news I speak of today. That same Jesus who looked at me so many years ago and says, “this is what God does for those he loves”, reminds me and us all that God has never stopped leading and guiding his people. If God can do such a miracle with just a few loaves of bread and fish, imagine what He can do when we give him our hearts, our talents, our time.

You see, little offerings bring great return.

So, to this day, I bring the Lord what I can and I obey as best as I can. Oh, sure. I would grow older, have my own children and grandchildren. I am not in that little town I grew up in any longer. The scenery changes, but not God. He remains the same. He is consistent in a changing world. And, I am happy to say, that I’m still learning. Even in my old age. The Lord is never fully finished with us. Just the other day I heard God’s voice instructing me to lay hands on and pray for a man. Talk about stories? This guy had a story! But what do you do when God calls? You answer. You trust him to take what little you have before him, and count on him multiplying that blessing as only he can. Because this is what God does for those He loves. So, when God says, “lay hands on this blind man named Saul”, even if it makes no sense at all, give Him your obedience and watch what he can do.

I’m not certain what will come of this man Saul, but, after my prayer over him, he sees now.

And I am certain he will never see the same way again. click here

To God be the glory.