Dear beloved Brethrens
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Somehow even as I pen these very words describing Christ, my heart goes out to the province of Sichuan and the millions of people afflicted by the recent earthquake (magnitude 7.9) and aftershock (magnitude 5.5). We have an unshakeable responsibility as Christians, believers and disciples of the Almighty God. As the news reports intensified over every channel on the Macau TV, there is an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and pain. The situation is bleak with the change of weather conditions - rain and possibly flood and mudslides. Also with the summer weather coming in, the decomposition rate is accelerated.
In such moments, as a human being, I deeply affected by the mag nitude of sufferings and struggled in my sleep. As a disciple of Christ, I wrestled inwardly in my spirit, questioning the meaning and purpose for all that has happened? Also wondering if this could be a judgment from God? What then should our response be?
This inevitably brings me to a fundamental question - What really is the need of man? The world is responding with medical supplies, food and water supplies, temporary shelters and more rescue workers. On the other hand the devastation of Myanmar has receded to the background though the death rates in comparison is greater. Myanmar -134 000 while in Wen Chuan it is 31 500. In the face of all these disasters, what is the basic need of man. John 6 confronts us with this same issue with a multitude of more than 5000 people in need for food. Jesus challenged Philip with a test question 'Where are we to buy bread, so that they may eat?' v5. This is a test for Philip, and a lesson for all of us. Jesus was all rea dy to perform a miracle but he wanted to test if Philip could perceive the real need confronting them? Philip being practical minded simply could not see beyond the material 'dis-equation' of money in exchange for goods. Very often our still very earthly minds are shielded from perceiving and discerning the real need of our life. The people failed to recognize their real need in life was a reconciled relationship with the living God, but insist to settle for temporal needs of the bread and butter issue. We need God, let us not be blinded by the urgency of trying to make a comfortable living of earning more and satisfying more areas of our physical life. But let us have that paradigm shift Jesus wanted to instill on his disciples; focus on God and keep a vigil gaze on spiritual things in life. We need to return to our basic conviction of life; our real need in life is God. Life begins and ends with God, let us not willfully take over, confuse and blind ourselves further with perceived unending and totally never able to fully satisfied ‘necessities’ of a Singaporean life.
Jesus was clear in what he intended to do in v6 ... a miracle was to take place and He invited Philip to participate with him but the latter was still working on the mathematical improbabilities. There in the narration was another disciple who on his own took the initiative; he went about searching high and low for a possible solution. He was Andrew and he found a boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish and brought him to Jesus. Philip must be rolling his eyes with disbelief at this mathematical ‘genius’, he was wrestling with 200 denarii (able to feed some adult men) and here is Andrew with a more ludicrous solution of a meal sufficient only for a little boy.
Yet Jesus incorporated this offering into his miracle … as the offering was handed to Him, He lifted the bread and fish with His own hands. With His hands and he broke the brea d and fish and distributed through the hands of the disciples to perform the miracle.
While it is known that God is most able and has wonderfully performed many miracles by His mere spoken word, He chose to make men with his hands and breathe life into them. He is a God who is intimately involves with us and hence is extremely compassionate towards us. Towards the multitudes, a mere spoken word would suffice; God provided manna to the Israelites. But He chose to use hands. The hands of a willing child; the offering made by the hands of a believing Andrew and the hands of the disciples in need for deeper spiritual training.
?In the face of such a disaster, God is far from being what many victims claimed as merciless, distant and uncaring, He is already performing His miracle by using hands; these are the hands of His creation, willing to display His compassion, His deep and intimate love. Through the hands of those who are willing to live out their ‘creation connectivity/link’ to a loving God to move rubbles, carry supplies, administer medicine, to rebuild homes, give gifts and donations and finally and the most important of all, hands who are willing to go near to touch and comfort the victims. All these express what Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew 25:34-40 teaches. We are part of God’s miracle at work and out willingness to act in whatever way that best communicates His loving care will glorify Him. Is it a time too for you to dig deeper with your hands and give, as God would want you to? This is also a time for us to grow deeper in our discipleship of being free to follow Him fully even to respond to a disaster which happened many thousands of miles away, to pray, to a give and assist in what ever way that will best reveal and glorify God.
?I write also to encourage brothers and sisters fresh out from the discipleship camps; God is worthy of our fullest commitment. Let us not c ontinue to view God through our fleshly and materialistic lenses and miss the greatest need for our life – a growing and living vital relationship with God through Christ. Let us desire spiritual growth towards maturation so that we are able to discern and live out the will of our Heavenly Father and fulfill all that is good and acceptable and perfect for our lives. Let us respond like Andrew did, he searched and present his meager offerings to Jesus, trusting and believing, and Jesus multiplied and gave depth to his discipleship.
With prayerful regards
Missionary Pastor Sim Chuan
19th May 2008
