10. Matthew 14:15-21: Jesus on money teaches us to trust God and be a blessing with the little you have

This is the Tent post that I will be undertaking over the next 2 weeks in which we will be looking at everything (pretty much!) Jesus said about money in the gospels. In order to do this I will be putting up two posts each day. This is coinciding with a 2-week preaching series that we going through at Community Church Putney- Jesus On Giving.

"When I’ve paid this off I’ll be in a position to be generous"; “When I get that raise I’ll be able to start giving”; “It’s not worth me giving, the little I can give is not going to make any difference”... These are all valid excuses, but Jesus doesn’t exempt anyone from being compassionate and generous.

‘As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.’ (Matthew 14:15-21)

Mark adds, 

‘They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”’ (Mark 6:37)

Sometimes something is going to cost ‘half a year’s wages’. Sometimes things, like our building work, cost a heck of a lot more! It would take an individual around 42 years to pay for! (That’s paying back 1.5 million on the average London salary of £35,238 without eating!)

At times likes these we all look at each other and know that we only have ‘five loaves and two fish’- that’s about 1 hour’s wage! (on minimum wage). When one is in that position, we need to hear Jesus on money and be a blessing with the little you have: He commands us to “Bring them here to me,”. If each of us will bring what we can, then we will have enough because God has given us enough, together, to do that He calls us to do. And don’t forget, he is also a miracle worker!

Take a moment to ask God to search you: God has called us to be good stewards of our building in Putney (or a good steward of what God has given you where you are); it’s His will that we use it for His glory. Are you being sacrificial and bringing what you have to turn our dream into a reality?