(Today’s “5K Take-away” was written by my hubby, Matt.)
Sitting on the ground, surrounded by 5K extras, one thing dramatically struck me … and I turned to my wife and asked: “If I lived in that era, would I have brought my family to this event?”
Would I have been there to see the amazing miracle which took place, and experience a new way to love others and experience a loving God?
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this question.
The culture at that time had a harsh governmental system!
Life was hard with economical unrest.
And there were a wide range of religious systems. These religious systems had failed the people for years. God’s laws had been totally changed from what God had intended: they had added to God’s laws; they had no love for the people.
The leaders were more concerned with their own well-being, comfort, power, and wealth than truly caring for the people to whom they ministered.
The leaders manipulated God’s law to control people … to obtain wealth and ease for themselves.
Meanwhile the people desperately wanted to do what God wanted them to do … but all they knew was that they needed to obey the system so they could be in alignment with God.
Jesus communicated a different way to the people: a way that was not full of rules … but full of love, concern, and passion for others.
Jesus was the anti-establishment. He went against those religious systems, preaching that:
* Love is more important than rules.
* People are more important than things.
* Power is meant to be used to help people.
* God wants a personal relationship with people.
Jesus taught a new system which was not just a new way to practice religion, but a new way to live life. This new system would mean the current ruling individuals would lose their power, control, and influence … as the people would be able to freely love God.
I asked myself, If I was under that religious system in that time, would I have gone out to a field and listened with 5,000 other people to hear a different message?
Would I have risked breaking “God’s laws”? Would I have risked going against the system which I had grown up under? Would I have risked the possibility of being disowned by those still in that system?
Would I have risked being seen by the Romans as part of an insurrection, and becoming an enemy of the state?
Would I have stayed under those systems, supposedly safe, and miss out on seeing a miracle, and a new way of living??
I told myself it was not possible to answer this question because I didn’t live in that time.
However, I realized there is truly not that much different between then and now.
Yes, our technology is different, and our society is different. However, we have a governmental system which can be difficult to follow; we have many different religious systems wanting our attention; we have pressures from communities and structures.
We see failed ministry leaders and religious systems, many of whom have the same view as those in Jesus’s day. They leverage the generosity of the people for personal gain, rather than to minister to the needs of the people.
So yes, the question can be answered in today’s context. There is a way to participate in the new world which Jesus brought forward … it just may mean you have to break deeply held ideas, traditions, and philosophies to pursue something new.
Being part of the Feeding of the 5K taught me that those individuals 2,000 years ago were uncomfortable and probably scared. However, they quickly learned that a new and powerful way had come. I am confident many of those in that audience listening to Jesus were transformed because of that experience … and we should learn from their example.
So ask yourself – “Would you have been in the Feeding of the 5K?” What do you need to let go of to enjoy being part of the freedom that comes from being part of the 5K?
#thechosen
