Empty Handed

“Take nothing for the journey…You give them something to eat.” Luke 9:13

While there are only 12 verses that separate these two commands from Jesus to His disciples, a great deal of living had happened. Each disciple had been empowered with authority over demons and the ability to heal. They had gone into many different cities, staying with strangers…healthy…sick… desperate most likely…demon-possessed…and the list went on and on. Upon their arrival back to each other, they must have all had amazing stories of healing and terrifying stories of demons cast out. They took nothing with them but the power of their anointing from Jesus. The emotional and exhausting roller-coaster of their experiences upon their return were met with the 2nd command of Jesus when they asked for some solitude and rest. Instead of Jesus sending away the multitude to go and find food in a nearby city He put it back on them… ‘you feed them.’ Jesus had to remind them that because of His power that He placed in them they had the same power to feed the people that they had to heal the sick in the cities. Jesus is always looking for partnerships with His people.

Sometimes God will also ask us to accomplish things on His behalf empty-handed. We live between the commands of ‘taking nothing’ and ‘giving away’ just like the disciples. God will sometimes set up circumstances that seem impossible…improbable…unreasonable but then we watch the details unfold. We partner with God in situations that require us to depend wholly on Him. And man does He deliver as we look down in our baskets of service and see His abundance…miraculous power and strength. Jesus was a problem-solver and He expects each of us to also serve in faith.

The expectation of Jesus is no different in today’s society. ‘You feed them.’ ‘When we have direct access to the power of God, we can’t afford the luxury of bypassing the needs of others. We must fix things, solve problems, and care for those in our path. As followers of Jesus, we are called to recognize and resource the unmet needs of others.’ Determined, Heather Dixon, p. 104.