Pushy

"Now the day was ending and the twelve came and said to Him, 'Send the crowd away that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.' But He said to them 'You give them something to eat!'". Luke 9:12&13

And of course - they didn't. He knew they wouldn't. But the point is He asked and I have a hard time believing that Jesus would have given a command that they couldn't fulfill. They could have produced food supernaturally. The twelve disciples had just returned from their mini-mission trip, healing the sick & casting out demons. They probably felt pretty on top of things and then this ridiculous request came out of nowhere. He pushed them past the point they thought they could get to.

Before they left on the mission trip they had seen Him do all the things that they did. They had a format to imitate. This command was different. They had never seen Him multiply food before. It was something new & foreign. When I read about this I don't think that Jesus is trying to teach them one more thing they can do. I think He is trying to push their boundaries beyond what they can conceive of. I think He is saying that all the elements are at His disposal - why can't His servants do impossible things that have never even been imagined?

It's pretty disconcerting to me to realize how angry a command like this would make me. I don't like being pushed. And Jesus didn't push lightly. He didn't couch His command in "I know this sounds crazy guys but trust Me...". No - He just told them what to do and let the chips fall where they may. I really like that about Him. He's not a people-pleaser.

The disciples balked & talked about trying to get money together to buy some food. That's what I would have done. They failed. It's really cool to see that they failed, but they didn't let that cause them to live in defeat or feel unloved. They were still His disciples. I really like that. I need that.

After I read this I prayed for God to help me to be more open to being pushed beyond my perceived limits. I want to remember that I have a river of living water - a wellspring of life & supernatural power living in me. I want to let it live through me.