I believe I've used this illustration before, but it definitely applies here. A friend whom I have always known to be fiercely independent has, it seems, been that way for life. The story goes that this friend's first ever fully spoken sentence was "Do It Self!" Those who've known this person do not find that the least bit surprising.
It is not always a bad thing to be independent, to be confident in one's ability to take charge and get thing done. I have been surrounded my whole life by "women-who-get-things-done". My mother has always been one; my wife is one; and I don't think most churches could survive without a number of them, and we certainly are thusly blessed at McKnight. But there are any number of times when "Do It Self!" is the least productive way to do it. And this story tells of one of those times.
Jesus has been teaching (about the Kingdom of God)to a massive crowd. In all of my years of public speaking, I have never been in front of a crowd of 5000--and although Luke's version of the story doesn't address this, both Matthew and John say "5000 men, plus women and children"--so there were likely many more than 5000. Once he's determined that they need to be fed, is he going to do that by himself? There are very few ways that one person can get food to 5000-plus people. He needs other people to help.
Fortunately, it's not just him. His disciples are with him, and they help make this happen: Luke 9:16 says, "And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd."
So with us in the church. There are too many pastors who too often do "lone wolf" ministry. Sometimes it feels like it's easier to just do something, rather than pulling together others to help do it--there is the time to figure out who the right people are to ask to help, the time to ask people, the time to determine when the best time or times would be to do training, the time to do training, the time to make adjustments when some people who had agreed to help suddenly cannot, for whatever reasons, legitimate or otherwise--there often are unexpected circumstances that happen, as all of our lives are multifaceted. Sometimes, with all of this "process" involved, it sometimes just seems more efficient to "Do It Self!" But most of the time, and particularly for the long term, it really isn't, and some things simply need more than one person--they are impossible for one person to do.
A part of our stewardship is to realize that we need each other's help, and that we bring about important things by working together. Once again, Jesus has been insisting on this in his teaching about the Kingdom of God and models it here as he, with the "people resources" of the Disciples, work together to feed 5000-plus people.
What can we do for Jesus if we pitch in and work together? What can we do as a church if we practice this kind of stewardship?
GOSPEL Luke 9:10-17
10 On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured.
12 The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.’ 13 But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’ 14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ 15 They did so and made them all sit down. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.