Watching the Disciples - eBook [ePub]: Learning from Their Mistakes

by Mary Jane Gorman

Overview

LENT

This Lenten study looks at the twelve disciples as they tried to follow Jesus and live the challenging life to which he had called them. Examining the mistakes of the Twelve can help us to assess our own discipleship in order to see where it may need strengthening. During these weeks of Lent, as we join the Twelve in their on-the-job-training to become disciples of Jesus, we hope to find guidance for our pilgrimage.

This seven-session study, appropriate for both group and individual use, provides one lesson for each week in Lent. Each lesson includes a Scripture reference, a brief reflection, questions for study or discussion, a brief prayer, and a focus for the coming week.

MARY JANE GORMAN is a writer, teacher, and retreat leader living in Greenville, South Carolina, and she is the author of the book Tending Body, Heart, Mind & Soul: Following Jesus in Caring for Ourselves (Abingdon Press). Formerly professor of economics at Furman University, she has served on the board of United Ministries, a nonprofit community organization, and is a leader in First Baptist Church, Greenville.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781426728891
Publisher:	Abingdon Press
Publication date:	12/01/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	257 KB

About the Author

Mary Jane Gorman is a writer, teacher, and retreat leader living in Greenville, SC. Formerly professor of economics at Furman University, she has served on the board member of United Ministries, a nonprofit community organization, and is a leader in First Baptist Church, Greenville.

Read an Excerpt

Watching the Disciples

Learning from Their Mistakes A Lenten Study for Adults

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By Mary Jane Gorman

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 2008 Abingdon Press
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4267-2889-1

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CHAPTER 1

First Week in Lent

Enough: Five Loaves and Two Fish Are Not Enough

Scripture: Read Matthew 14:13-21.

How many times do we ask the question, "How much is enough?" We may be packing clothes for a long vacation, saving for our retirement, or contributing to our church when we wonder what is enough. The question is often difficult to answer in part because the concept of "enough" is subjective, varying across persons and circumstances. Concern with how much was enough arose often as Jesus tried to teach his disciples. At times, the Twelve accepted Jesus' assessment of "enough"; but on some occasions, they made mistakes.

When Jesus sent the disciples out to preach and heal, he gave them specific instructions about what was enough to carry with them: "He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics" (Mark 6:8-9). Certainly their provisions were stark! However, the Gospel writers recorded no complaint from the disciples in response.

How were they to survive the journey when they took so little of what they needed? Jesus instructed them to accept hospitality in the towns they visited. He wanted the disciples to travel lightly not only to facilitate their ease in moving from place to place, but also to instill in them the need for community and for dependence on God. In addition, those extending hospitality would have the benefit of participating in Jesus' ministry by caring for and being with the disciples. Perhaps had the disciples carried "enough" in the usual sense—enough money, bread, and clothing—they might have missed important lessons about humility, trust, and gratitude. Nevertheless, this experience did not prepare the disciples for the challenge Jesus gave them to provide enough food for a hungry crowd.

All four Gospels include the story of Jesus feeding five thousand men, along with uncounted women and children (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14). In Matthew (15:29-39) and Mark (8:1-10), a second feeding of about four thousand people is also reported. Thus the Gospels contain six quite similar accounts of large crowds being fed by Jesus. The unusual repetition alone makes the story significant among those told about him.

In the first story, Jesus had been teaching and healing throughout the day when the disciples came to him saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves" (Matthew 14:15). Probably the disciples assumed that the thousands gathered there were as hungry and tired as they were. Furthermore, they may have thought that Jesus had done enough for one day. The disciples' advice to Jesus may have conveyed a "let's-call-it-a-day" message.

Jesus agreed with the disciples' assessment that everyone needed to eat. He surprised them, however, when he told them his plan: "You give them something to eat" (14:16). We can imagine the tone with which the disciples replied as they looked out over the crowd. Perhaps they were incredulous or a bit frustrated as they responded, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish" (14:17). Alternatively, they may have replied sarcastically, "Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?" (Mark 6:37). The disciples' estimate of the cost of feeding bread to the crowd was about two hundred times a typical daily wage of one denarii. We can understand their "you've-got-to-be-kidding" attitude!

Were the disciples referring to their own provisions when they reported about the loaves and fish? If so, they may have been reluctant to offer the food they had brought for themselves. Perhaps they thought, "Why should we give up our food, which we need? What good would our sacrifice do, anyway?" Nevertheless, they gave the bread and fish to Jesus. After making the crowd sit down, Jesus blessed, broke, and gave the food to the disciples, who gave it to the people. The food was enough. As Matthew records, all the people ate until they were satisfied; then, the disciples collected twelve baskets full of leftover bread and fish.

Perhaps the disciples' first mistake was that they wanted to send the crowd home. Although the disciples thought that the people had been there long enough and that Jesus had done enough for them, Jesus thought otherwise. He wanted the people to stay, to sit down, and to eat, perhaps in part for the value of the fellowship among them. With five thousand people spread out in the deserted place, only some in the crowd could witness each healing. Probably many could not hear all of the teaching throughout the day. Perhaps Jesus knew that the experience was not enough until the people sat down in the community of smaller groups where they could share the stories of those who were healed, and repeat and debate the teaching they had heard. Being "filled" required more than bread alone. The time of fellowship helped the people better understand, appreciate, and remember all they had experienced. Maybe new supportive relationships were begun among those who chose to follow Jesus.

The more obvious mistake of the disciples, however, was their assumption that what they had was not enough. Certainly a crowd of five thousand to feed would be overwhelming to anyone, particularly when the dinner party was unexpected! Little surprise, then, that the provisions the disciples had seemed pitiful in the face of what was needed. All they could suggest was buying food for everyone, a plan immediately dismissed as extravagant and unreasonable. The disciples had no vision or creativity in approaching the challenge they faced. Even so, the disciples could be seen as pragmatic and their advice to Jesus as appropriate. After all, Jesus cautioned about carefully calculating the costs of a large undertaking. He asked, "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?" (Luke 14:28). The disciples appeared to make a quick calculation of the cost of feeding the crowd and decided they could not do it.

Before condemning the disciples for their lack of faith, look more closely at how Jesus dealt with them. In response to the disciples' recommendation to send the crowd away, Jesus replied simply, "You give them something to eat" (Matthew 14:16). While we cannot know Jesus' tone, much less his intent, we can speculate that he spoke gently in a matter-of-fact voice, perhaps even lifting his eyebrows as if his statement were a question, or a sly suggestion. The disciples' quick response seemed to indicate that they thought Jesus' idea was the most ridiculous thing they had ever heard! With a reply that sounds calm to our ears, Jesus told the men to bring what food they had to him. Could he have said this with a smile and a sigh? Again, we certainly do not know, but clearly Jesus did not reprimand them in any way. On other occasions, Jesus' words to his disciples sounded angry or disappointed or frustrated. This time, Jesus did not fuss at the disciples for lacking the wisdom to know what he would do or the faith to believe what he could do. Perhaps Jesus did not expect them to know how to handle this seemingly overwhelming task. This time, he taught the disciples by example, showing them how he could use what was available to satisfy the crowd.

The disciples' "mistake" was not a sinful act that deserved punishment. This episode was just another step, perhaps a stumble, along the road toward learning to be a disciple. Once Jesus told the disciples what to do next—"bring me what you have"—they did it. They did not argue with his instruction. Furthermore, they followed his directions to make the people sit down, to pass out the food, and later to gather the leftovers. As we focus on the disciples' mistakes, we do not want to minimize what they do that is right. In this case, although they probably continued to ponder questions and concerns about what Jesus told them to do, they were nevertheless obedient to him.

What application can this dramatic story have for our lives? Perhaps recognizing the disciples' mistake in assuming that the crowds had been with Jesus long enough can remind us of the benefit of sharing in smaller groups within our faith communities. Listening to a profound sermon may have a powerful impact at the moment, but by the time we get home from church we may be unable to recall the details. By the next day, all we can say for sure is that the sermon was "really good." While this may be enough to get us back to church the next Sunday, it may not help us be better disciples during the week. Sharing our reactions to and questions about what we have heard may be essential to our understanding of teaching and preaching. Often the disciples came to Jesus when they did not understand his teaching. Here, they made a mistake in not recognizing that the small-group experience that they needed in order to process what they heard would be needed by others listening to Jesus.

Consider now the primary mistake made by the disciples in assessing what was enough. Have we ever thought that a need was so great, given our limited resources, that we threw up our hands and did nothing? We may observe a growing number of homeless persons in our community needing food and shelter, or children in our schools needing health insurance to receive adequate medical care. A natural disaster may leave hundreds or even thousands of people without anything beyond the clothes on their backs. Outside our borders, civil war may leave tens of thousands in refugee camps without adequate food or clean water. The needs so overwhelm us that we may agree with the attitude we speculated the disciples having—giving all I have will not solve the problem and would only include me among the needy. What can we learn from the disciples' mistake?

The few loaves and fish were enough only after Jesus somehow multiplied the food. Although perhaps not in exactly the same way, multiplying available resources can happen in our own experience. For example, a church member describes the needs of a family whose home has burned down. He puts some money in a basket and starts passing it among the people. Others take out their wallets, and soon the basket is full of bills and coins and checks and pledges written on scraps of paper. Let's not make the mistake of assuming that because what we have is not enough to solve a problem that we need not do anything. Let's invite other persons to share what they have too. We can't ignore the need for resources to be blessed and multiplied in order to be adequate.

The disciples thought that the only way to feed the people was to buy food, and that was way too expensive. We, too, need to look beyond an obvious, but impractical, solution. For example, while buying health insurance is one way to get healthcare for children in a community, that solution is too expensive for almost all individuals and most churches. Instead of giving up, look for more creative possibilities. Working with healthcare professionals, hospitals, and churches in the area to establish a free medical clinic for children may be part of a solution. Lobbying government to extend health insurance at reduced rates to low-income families may help. Certainly options partnering private and public sectors are available.

Finally, what can we learn from observing Jesus' response and the disciples' actions? Perhaps we may feel called to address an overwhelming problem. Questioning that call is not wrong, and, in fact, is probably appropriate and necessary. But, if we continue to discern the validity of the call, we need to look for the first step and take it. What we learn from the disciples, on this occasion and many others, is that they kept showing up and doing what Jesus asked them to do. That was enough for Jesus this time. That is all God will ask of us as well.

The disciples made a mistake in believing that their resources were not enough for what needed to be done. Furthermore, they overlooked the need for the people to stay around a while and talk. Surely we can identify with both mistakes. We, too, may want to send people away at the end of an exhausting day. Looking at overwhelming need in our own community and around the world, we, too, think that what we have is not enough. Rather than dismissing the feeding stories as miracle events without practical application for our lives, we can search for their meaning today. During this season of Lent, we can focus not only on intentional personal sacrifice but also on intentional giving to others. We can hear Jesus' words to his disciples as a call to us: "You give them something to eat" (Matthew 14:16).

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

1. Read Matthew 15:32-39, an account of a second feeding of thousands. Compare and contrast this account with the first feeding story in Matthew 14:13-21. Did the disciples learn from their first mistake? Propose some explanations for their behavior in this second story.

2. Lent is a season for sacrifice. Have you or would you consider giving up something for Lent? How might our small sacrifices relate to and remind us of Jesus' concept of "enough"?

3. How does the culture around us determine or influence our view of what is "enough"? Reflect on or discuss some specific examples.

4. List a few specific questions that you have asked related to the issue of "enough." What guidelines or criteria do you use in assessing what is enough in your own life or that of your family?

5. Identify one local or global "overwhelming" need. Propose a first step that has the potential to be blessed and multiplied so as to make a significant contribution to alleviating the need.

Prayer

O God, quiet the noise around us and within us so that we can be attentive to your presence as we begin this Lenten journey.

Help us during the coming weeks to claim the discipline we need, but so often lack, to live out the desire of our heart and soul for a meaningful season of sacrifice and preparation.

We confess that we live as if we never have enough—not enough to satisfy our "needs," much less to satisfy our wants.

Forgive us for thinking that the emptiness we feel inside can be filled by acquiring more things on the outside.

Challenge us to look at what we have and see that it is enough, not only for our needs but also to share with others.

We acknowledge what we know but so often forget—

Only in receiving your grace and love, O God, can we be satisfied in the depth of our souls and say, "It is enough."

Amen.

Focus for the Week

Be attentive to bread this week. Let it remind you of having enough relative to the needs of a hungry world; and let it symbolize for you the Bread of Life, which is truly enough.

CHAPTER 2

Second Week in Lent

Status: Climbing the Ladder of Success?

Scripture: Read Mark 9:33-41; 10:35-45.

Among the first men whom Jesus called to be disciples were four fishermen—the brothers Simon (who was renamed Peter) and Andrew, and the brothers James and John, sons of Zebedee. Simon Peter owned a boat (see Luke 5:3), while the Zebedee brothers, who were in business with their father, hired other men to work with them (see Mark 1:20). Nevertheless, we can assume that both fishing businesses were quite modest. Neither family ran a major shipping enterprise. The evidence in the Gospels suggests that these were hardworking men with little status in the community.

Jesus also called the tax collector Levi (see Mark 2:14; note that Levi is called Matthew in Matthew 9:9). Members of this profession generally were despised for their dishonest practice of collecting more tax than was due and pocketing the excess. Even if he obtained considerable income this way, Levi was an outcast without respect or status.

The professions of the other disciples are not known. Probably they practiced trades that provided income for little more than basic necessities. None was an educated religious leader or wealthy landowner. When the disciples left all they had to follow Jesus, they were not sacrificing expectations of wealth or status in the community. Their prospects for success certainly would not be any brighter following a relatively unknown, small-town prophet! However, despite their modest backgrounds and their willingness to follow an even more uncertain path, the disciples (or at least some of them) soon revealed a desire for recognition and reward. On at least four occasions, the disciples looked and sounded like contemporary "climbers" up the "ladder of success." The disciples' mistakes on these occasions were particularly significant, because Jesus so clearly rejected, and even preached the reversal of, societal views on who should come first and last.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Watching the Disciples by Mary Jane Gorman. Copyright © 2008 Abingdon Press. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Ash Wednesday Introduction,
First Week in Lent Enough: Five Loaves and Two Fish Are Not Enough,
Second Week in Lent Status: Climbing the Ladder of Success?,
Third Week in Lent Agenda: Listen to Our Plan for You, Jesus,
Fourth Week in Lent Cost: We Will Follow You Wherever You Go,
Fifth Week in Lent Denial: I Do Not Know the Man,
Holy Week Betrayal: What Will You Give Me to Betray Him?,
Easter Little Faith: Fear in a Storm and Doubt at a Tomb,