Insightful Musings on theScriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Good good morning, dear people.
We’re running late again. Becki and I just returned from our walk. Beautiful morning. Good fellowship. Talking about all kinds of stuff…some of which would knock your socks off.
I came up with higher level of hope yesterday for Thano’s truck recovery. The diagnosis has changed again. Further troubleshooting has now led to some stripped teeth on the distributor gear that engages with the cam shaft gear. So the repair is now fairly simple…but I’m bothered by what could have caused that failure.
Once again, I’m shipping out a 2010 model. Hope it runs out OK.
I’m being called to breakfast. Blessings on all on your list.
Love, Dad/Ray.
Here’s the backdrop for these words from Jesus to His disciples: “Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here. He replied, ‘You give them something to eat.’”
Wow! That’s a tall order! Verse 14 indicates that there were about 5,000 men in that crowd. Jesus was actually telling his disciples to do what they could not possibly do on their own. There’s no way that five little hunks of bread and two little fish were going to feed this gang. The only way that could possibly happen would be to partner with the One with the power to make it happen. They did their part, and Jesus (God) did the rest. We have here another confirmation of the over-arching principle that goes something like this: IF YOU WILL DO WHAT YOU CAN DO IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD, HE WILL STEP IN TO DO WHAT YOU CANNOT DO. You know the story. Everyone was fed to the full…with way more leftovers than what they even began with.
Earlier in the chapter, Jesus sent His disciples out on a preaching campaign and instructed them to also do what they could not do—heal the sick. No way could they miraculously heal anyone on their own. The only way that could happen would be to partner with the One with that kind of power.
It occurs to me that this principle even applies to the universal human need for salvation—eternal life. (Goodness! I can’t figure out how to manage and preserve my own physical life, let alone my metaphysical life.) I am wise to recognize that I, on my own, can’t save anyone, let alone me. The only way that could possibly happen would be to partner with the One with that kind of saving power.
I think this is another good place to quote John 3:16.