It's Your Serve Series

Help Wanted

Pt. 3 - It's Your Serve

I. Introduction

A recent news article states that with more than 11 million job openings and only 6 million unemployed workers, employers have struggled for more than a year to hire enough people to fill their ranks. Although employers across the economy say they’re struggling to find and keep workers, labor shortages are most pronounced in retail (where roughly 70 percent of job openings remain unfilled), manufacturing (about 55 percent) and leisure and hospitality (45 percent). Businesses today would certainly recognize the dilemma that Jesus addressed in today's text.

Text: Mark 6:32-34 (ISV)

So they went away in a boat to a deserted place by themselves. But when many people saw them leave and recognized them, they hurried on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. When he got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. He had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

You will remember Jesus makes this statement in Matthew 10, but then also states that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. He is addressing a labor shortage. He is declaring that help is needed. There are a couple of interesting things in this similar passage that I draw to your attention. The first is that the text says that it is a deserted place. The parallel passage in Matthew 14 says it is a desolate place. The word there used for deserted or desolate means barren. That interests me because that means to me that it lacks life, sustaining ability, resources. I would just ask you to stop and look around you today. For all the promises of the nation we live in. For all of the technological advances we enjoy. For all of the material items we possess. I think we could assess our land and say it is barren in that the promises don't produce life. Buy everything and obtain everything that media says we need and still there is no sustainable joy. Our land looks like much like the land Jesus observed. The condition of the people of Jesus' day is exactly like the people of our day.

The second thing I noticed is that Jesus models for us what we do in light of the condition of the people we see like this.

TEXT: Mark 6:35-44

When it was quite late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and it’s already late. Send the crowds away so that they can go to the neighboring farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They asked him, “Should we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” He asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have? Go and see.” They found out and told him, “Five loaves and two fish.” Then he ordered them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed them. Then he broke the loaves in pieces and kept giving them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. All of them ate and were filled. Then the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of leftover bread and fish. There were 5,000 men who had eaten the loaves.

Notice how Jesus' disciples wanted to respond? It sounds like too many of us. When we are safe. When we are fulfilled. When we are saved. Send these folks away. Let them fend for themselves. But notice what Jesus says in response. He puts it back on the disciples. "You give them something to eat!" The disciples admit they can't pull this off. I don't know about you, but I too have come to the conclusion that I personally have nothing to offer folks who are hopeless. I have can't save one person. I don't have the resources or the power to produce a life change. So, when the disciples respond by describing their lack Jesus steps in and produces a miracle. He takes the meager offerings of the disciples and produces a banquet. But notice what He does . . . Jesus produces the miracle (the power, the resources) and then He places the miracle back in the hands of the disciples to distribute.

We are His distribution system for the supernatural as we serve. He provides the answer and expects the disciples to get the answer to the people in need. His arms are only as short as our reach! I also want you to notice what happens. The text says He kept giving to the disciples as long as they were giving it away and He kept giving it to them until everyone ate and everyone was filled.