Leftovers

I love leftovers. I love the convenience of them. But more than that, a lot of dishes (stew being just one of them) actually do taste better the second or third time around. There is a story in the Bible about leftovers.

“When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘It would take almost a year's wages to buy enough bread for each one 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?’ Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ ” John 6:5-15

There are some really big truths apparent in this account but I want to point you to one of the less noticeable details. In fact, I only really noticed it a short while ago while reading this passage for the umpteenth time. After feeding five thousand men (plus women and children) with five loaves of bread, Jesus instructed His disciples to “gather the pieces that were left over”, and the detail I’m referring to consists in those four little words that follow – “Let nothing be wasted”.

Now, doesn’t it seem more than a little odd that Jesus, having the power to miraculously produce, instantaneously, infinite amounts of food (or anything else we can presume), would care about the leftovers? I mean, why? Really?

The old people had a saying: waste not, want not. I got to thinking about the people I know who might be considered wealthy according to the standards of this present western context. And as I thought about it, I realized that most of them waste very little compared to some of the poorer people I know. What’s with that? Waste not, want not, is not just some catch phrase. It is actually a practical principle for gaining wealth. Those who waste will not prosper. Those of us who are wasteful in our habits just don’t get this. Why? Because we think the answer to our finance/resource problems lies in what we don’t have. We think … “If I just had more, my problems would be solved.” We don’t get it that our focus needs to be on what we do have, how we feel about it and what we do with it. It’s part of our stewardship of the resources God gives to us. Our attitude towards what we have, as a gift from God for us to steward (manage diligently for Him), is indicative of our life and work ethic. This is a core issue. For example, how can we really be thankful for what we have if our focus is on what we don’t have? Wastefulness is a clear indication of a lack of gratitude. Think about that. What we do with what we have is a clear reflection of our attitude towards God.

I see this account from John 6 as being similar in nature to the account of Jesus’ baptism recorded in Matthew 3. There, when Jesus went to John the Baptist to be baptized by him, John protested saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do you come to me?” But Jesus responded to John, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Did Jesus really need to be baptized, especially when John’s baptism was known as the baptism of repentance? I think not. And when Jesus told the disciples to make sure that they collected all the leftovers, He wasn’t worried about what they might have to eat the next day. He was teaching. And I know that there are some bigger lessons to be learned from this passage. I know for sure He wanted the twelve to know that He was more than capable of meeting their needs as they moved out to serve others. But I think there was another lesson there as well in the details. We really need to be paying attention to the details and make sure we are learning the lessons.