OK let’s run a little mental imagination test. I want you to imagine one of the better experiences you may have ever had going to a church (any church) in your past. For this test, it does not matter how old you were, why you were going, or what you did there – only that you remember the experience more fondly than harshly. For most of us, church is a window of 2-3 hours, when that general time frame is over – so is church. Now there may be a few old-timers like me, that remember an event we used to camp-meeting. Camp-meeting was a kind of church that was generally held for a week, usually at a site where the outdoors was in close proximity. Believers would bring the trailers, RV’s, or arrange lodging in nearby camp sites with tents provided in abundance for just this kind of occasion. Camp-meeting however, was far from regular church. There were a number of different speakers, themes, and activities. The farther back you go in time, the more activities would leverage the outdoor aspect of the get together. The more recent you go in time, the practice has nearly disappeared, in favor of internet broadcasts, and limited socialization. But whether you fall into the 2-3 hour category (most of us do), or even if you can remember back to outdoor events like camp-meetings that lasted a week. Nobody, and I mean Nobody, attempted a 72 hour back-to-back single solitary three-day church with the same speaker, no real music, and zero planning. That is, nobody but Jesus.
This would be heresy in our time. Imagine if you walked into your regular church you attend, and were told you were going to stay there for three days straight. Oh, and first thing, we are going to get you into a bus and drive to the closest desert mountain we can find, climb to the top of it, and then is when the three-day clock starts. Same clothes. No showers. No bathrooms close by unless you can find a semi-private place to squat. But hey, don’t worry yet about the bathroom situation, you won’t be eating, and likely not drinking much (unless it is your regular practice to carry food and water with you when you go to church). This experience is quickly dropping from possibly entertaining, to borderline kidnapping and torture at this point. With desert climate, little clothing that makes sense in outdoor desert air. And no one prepared for any of this. It has all the makings of a disaster worthy of coverage by CNN to criticize whoever would dare to suggest this ever occur. Someone would need to teach a lesson about this so we never do something so stupid again.
But now let’s sweeten the deal. Imagine if the speaker you were going to hear and see was Jesus … the Jesus. Does it matter what band He brought with Him to this anymore? Or the lack of one? If music is really your thing, couldn’t you just bring a guitar (ancient harp) or just sing acapella if needs be? Imagine the thought of getting to hear and see Jesus preach. Is Jesus worth three days of your time? Could you take time out of work for this? Call in sick? Move whatever you have in your schedule that might conflict with it so you could do it. It might be a one time only event after all. You never know where He might go next, He may not be back in your region for quite a while. Is there anything else in your life that could possibly be more important that this? If so … you may have bigger problems than three days in a desert mountaintop.
Now let’s sweeten the deal again, and this time, big time. When you get there, Jesus is going to heal you. Jesus will heal you completely of everything you may have wrong. Potential cancer – gone. Heart problems – gone. Missing an arm or leg – take off the prosthetic, and get ready for a brand new created one from Jesus that works like you were born with it, cause it will be yours after all. If you have bad vision, toss the glasses. If you cannot hear or speak, get ready to hear and shout for joy. The miracles of healing will be given to every single attendee from grandpa to baby junior. If sermons are not your thing, then would 100% pure health do it for you? If clearing up every mystery you have never been able to understand about scripture does not grab you, would a renewed energy level and tossing the allergies do it?
Is three-day-impromptu church sounding like a dream come true about now? It should. And it did, for about four thousand men (plus their wives, children, parents, and servants if they had any). Matthew tells the story in his gospel to the Hebrews. This event was similar to one that happened before, but more intense. This was Lola-palooza, Woodstock, campmeeting, and church with a target squarely painted on The Truth for a highly limited engagement. Matthew picks up in chapter fifteen of his gospel to the Hebrews starting in verse 29 saying … “And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.” This was NOT the temple in Jerusalem. This was not even a local synagogue in the area. This was on the top of a mountainside where Jesus often went to pray. There was no comfortable seating nearby. There were rocks. This was outdoors, where it is hot, no air-conditioning even conceived of in these days – you were going sweat. If you thought about it for a few minutes before dashing out the door before this opportunity passed you by, you might have thought to take food, but that is a maybe.
Matthew continues in verse 30 saying … “And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: [verse 31] Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.” Ahh, what the people did remember, were their family members in need. And need was plentiful in Israel. Romans were forever creating need. The lame and maimed were probably a hefty percentage of that crowd. Roman swords are unforgiving. The blind were not all genetically predisposed, a good many lost eyes on the end of Roman fire brands and heated steal. A good many lost tongues as part of Roman torture. There was a reason why the people so desperately wanted a Messiah who would throw off the yoke of Roman rule.
But the people waited patiently to be healed and healed they were … every single one of them. And the passion began to take hold, as this impromptu crowd began to shout and praise the God of Israel. Not since … well not since ever, had these kinds of miracles been seen in Israel, for that matter, not seen anywhere on planet earth. A crowd healed in their entirety. And they sat. And they listened to the words of love as The Truth, spoke them. They were listening to the God of the Universe speak to them, telling them of His love for them all through the stories of the Old Testament they were vaguely familiar with. This was not a crowd of the Pharisees and the upper educated echelon. These were common folk. These were wounded folk. Likely more than few bound by demons, until then. Likely more than a few carrying leprosy, until then. And what they must have heard on the hillside. Oh, that we could have gotten the transcript of that. What a loss for us. And this went on for three days straight.
Nobody left. Nobody even contemplated it. Its possible the crowd continued to grow over the three days, but not a soul left it. Would you? Completely regenerated by the God of the Universe, and then able to listen to The Truth He speaks – could you ever pull yourself away from that in order to resume the mundane structure of your life? They couldn’t either. Matthew finally reveals the span of time almost casually picking up in verse 32 saying … “Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.” After 3 days, Jesus is ready to send this eager crowd home, even if they are not. But like Jesus, He perceives their needs, again even if they do not. And like Jesus, He is ahead of meeting their needs. Jesus knows the human body can only take so much fasting, especially if this included not only food but water. Regardless, Jesus plans to make sure everyone gets a solid meal before they leave.
Matthew continues in verse 33 saying … “And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?” Arrgg. It is like the disciples channel nearly every church board meeting in the last hundred years, in every church denomination that exists today. We only have “this” much money, how could we possibly expand our ministries to meet the needs of so many people. There will always be poor. We need to take care of our own first, before we can look to meet so great a need. The disciples, when they did plan, or carry provisions, carried only enough to feed themselves and Jesus. They could have never anticipated needing to feed 4000 men plus all the other entourage that came. And they are in the desert. Not like you could just go glean local farmers fields and pick up more food. From the disciples point of view, this was an unreasonable demand Jesus was making. Unreasonable – despite everything they had seen and bore witness to. Unreasonable – despite having encountered this exact situation before and witnessing the power of God to provide to those who step out in faith and realize God has no limitations.
I’m sure inwardly Jesus was trying to figure out how better He could say it, so they finally understand it. How does God teach ones who seem so reluctant to learn? (them and us) Matthew continues in verse 34 saying … “And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. [verse 35] And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. [verse 36] And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. [verse 37] And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. [verse 38] And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. [verse 39] And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.” Much to digest here (pardon the pun).
First, Jesus takes whatever is offered. He does not complain about it, or how little it is. He can use anything, for any purpose, and still accomplish what He wants to do with it. Even when we cannot see how. Second, He takes action, commanding the multitude to sit down. He blesses His food. And then instead of handing to the people directly, He instructs His disciples to serve. Even after ALL the lack of faith they have shown, He STILL includes His disciples in the miracle of ministry. Third, this hands-on involvement accomplishes more than one thing. It burns the imagery into the minds of the disciples that it is real. Jesus can do anything. And it teaches them what the place of the leaders of ministry are supposed to do. They did not lead. They followed. They did not command, Jesus did that. They took what Jesus offered as gifts, and gave that to the people. Leaders are servants most of all.
At the end of this, everyone eats, and 7 baskets of fish are gathered to send out to the poor. He sends away the crowd after this glorious meal. And he takes a ship to the far coasts of Magdala. In this section of the story Jesus has moved from the far northern coasts of Tyre and Sidon back down to Galilee and now across the sea to Magdala. None of this travel happens in an instant. It is likely uncomfortable. But Jesus moves wherever his Father sends Him. Jesus is not driving per se, His Father is. And someone needs Him where He is going. Mind you, we do not read about Jesus resting anywhere in these texts, and we know He loves to climb the mountains at night to pray. Three-day church did not slow Jesus down one iota. Even the thought cripples us. But someday, we will have more than three days to sit at the feet of Truth. Someday we will have forever, that will be a “church” experience that bests our current memories by quite a long ways.
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