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Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Hey all...=)..welcome to this wonderful world of disney!..ops..my blog...hehhe...My name is Arul...Jonathan Arul...hehhe...22 this year..From Penang,Malaysia..But now in Hat yai,Thailand...The Land Of Smiles..=)..this 'project' is just to share my blessings,trials,happiness,joy..But most of all...my prayers..I pray that this blog will be a blessing to many..Have a nice day and...God Bless...=)...(Smiles from the Land Of Smiles)..

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Two Local Lads

John 6 : 1 – 13

One of the world’s favourite bible story, Jesus feeds the five thousand. Somehow this story has become relevant only to Sunday School. It is really sad because we know everything in the bible has its purpose and there is lesson for all mankind thru reading of God’s holy word. Why should this story be for Sunday school children? Was it because Jesus used a boy’s meal to feed the five thousand?

Last Wednesday, while K aneh, Pas Sandi and myself were discussing on the sermon K aneh was about to preach, we made and interesting discovery. And i realized then that this very favourite Sunday school story is for all mankind. Well we all know this passage very well, but here’s a short summary for better understanding.

Jesus and his disciples crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, to Bethsaida. There we see a large crowd followed Jesus because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Jesus had compassion on this crowd and asked Philip where can he find bread for these people to eat. He ask this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. But Philip answered him, ‘eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one only to have a bite!’

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? The rest is simple, Jesus blessed the meal and all five thousand men ate and there were twelve baskets of left over!

When we were going through this passage, we learn that Philip along with Peter and Andrew were all from Bethsaida, Galilee. There were all local lads returning to their hometown. This in fact explain why Jesus asked Philip and not the other disciples. Jesus already had in mind what was about to happen and what he was going to do. But he ask Philip this question only to test him. What was Jesus testing him? We see during the course of history, God would normally test his children only to help us grow stronger in faith. Abraham was not born the father of faith. But he became the father of faith through the many tests that God gave him.

Philip did not know that Jesus was actually asking him an important question. Being a local lad Jesus could have some expectation on Philip. Philip would have known the place better, and the people and therefore be the best person for Jesus to ask that question. But Philip was not attentive to it and answered Jesus with an irresponsible answer. Jesus Knew very well that Philip had no money, and that he had followed Jesus all these while and therefore had not being in touch with his family and friends. But He still asked Philip that question to test Philip. What was Jesus expecting of Philip?

I remember once when my family from Ipoh came down to Penang to visit my family. After spending awhile with us, they decided to go for shopping in one of Penang famous shopping spots. They asked me for direction. I was about 18 or 19 then. But i could not bring them to the place they wanted to go. It felt so shameful when they said to me you don’t even know your hometown, Jonathan? They were expecting me, a local lad to know my hometown, which is fair. I should know my hometown. Likewise, Jesus was expecting the same from Philip. Philip that day missed a glorious opportunity to allow Jesus perform a miracle which people will talk about and teach their children for generations to come!

We see that another of Jesus’s follower, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother had already started searching for resources even before Jesus asked Philip. Andrew, a fellow local lad, found a young boy with five bread and two fish. Logically this would not even be enough for one man, maybe two if they were poor eaters like me. But he still brought that boy to Jesus. Maybe at the back of his mind he knew Jesus could perform extraordinary things. Andrew was more attentive to the situation around him. Jesus was the one who perform the miracle, it was the little boy’s meal which Jesus blessed, but it was Andrew who stood in the gap and in a way avail himself for an opportunity for Jesus to bless the crowd through him.

Jesus is the Son Of God. He could perform miracles. What is impossible for men is possible for God! ( Luke 18 : 27 ) Jesus need not ask Philip or Andrew to perform miracles. At a snap of his fingers he could bring down the manna again! But why did Jesus asked Philip? God wants us to stand in the gap for him. There is a beautiful song by Casting Crowns, In Me, which in a line says, ‘how refreshing to know You don’t need me, how amazing to know that You want me’.

Jesus wants us to be his disciples, to reach out to the ends of the world. His word and love should reach every ear. But Jesus is also expecting us to preach the truth in our hometown. Which local lad do you want to be you? Philip or Andrew? The obvious answer would be Andrew right? It would be unfair if we say Philip was not a good disciple. We learn that the angel of the Lord asked Philip some time later after Jesus’s resurrection to reach out to an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians. We see in Acts 8 : 26 – 40, Philip waste no time when the angel of the Lord told him to go to the Ethiopian and that he ran to the chariot. There can be many reason on why did Philip ran to the chariot, but i think one of the reason for the dash was because Philip know that this was an opportunity for him to share God’s love. And that is why he ran, wasting no time to reach the Ethiopian.

God has places us here in our hometown that we can be His mouth piece. He wants us to be like Andrew, attentive to the situation around us, to know the needs of His people around us and to act upon it. God also wants us to be like Philip, that we will know the urgency of reaching out to our lost brothers and sisters.

Look around you. What do you see? What can you do today for God, your hometown, your nation? Don’t waste your life. We are in the state of urgency! And God is expecting us to perform! Let us not let Him down.