Notes on “PlusOne: Service”

Each year, we consider the overarching stewardship–the ways we are spiritually inspired caretakers–of this church and this faith community. We are guided in this conversation over the month of October by the United Methodist membership vows: to support the ministries of the Church with our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness.

In this week’s texts we see a parallel between the prophet Elisha in 2 Kings and Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Both men healed the sick. Both men instructed their disciples to serve others. Both men sought to feed hungry followers under dire circumstances. Both men were given “leftovers” to feed their people. Elisha was given a leftover stew no one wanted to eat. Jesus was given leftover bread and fish. Elisha added flour to the stew to nourish his people. Jesus blessed the bread and fish to the nourishment of his people. 

Here is where they differ: Elisha was also given a portion of a first (best) harvest to give to the people. The prophets worried the harvest would not be enough, but it worked! They even had leftovers! We may call this a formal, “top down” approach to feeding the hungry. Elisha gathered the food and coordinated its distribution. 

Jesus was not given a portion of a first harvest. Instead, he blessed the leftovers and told his people to serve one another. I believe a miracle occurred that day – a miracle of generosity and service. One by one, the people in the crowd added their own leftovers to the blessed feast of Jesus. They ate what they needed and gave the rest away. We may call this an interdependent approach to feeding the hungry. Jesus gave away all he had and trusted his followers to do the same. In the end, they had more leftovers than when they began. 

God can use anything – even our leftovers – for God’s kingdom.

God can use our leftovers to create a culture of abundance. How much more could be done if we also give from our first harvest?

2 Kings 4:38-44 (CEB)

³⁸ When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. A group of prophets was sitting before him. He said to his servant, “Put on the big pot and cook some stew for the prophets.” ³⁹ So one of them went out to the field to gather plants; he found a wild vine and gathered wild gourds from it, filling his garment. He came and cut them up into the pot of stew, but no one knew what they were.

⁴⁰ The stew was served to the men, but as they started to eat it, they cried out and said, “There is death in that pot, man of God!” They couldn’t eat it.

⁴¹ Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Serve the people so they can eat.” At that point, there was nothing bad left in the pot.

⁴² A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God some bread from the early produce—twenty loaves of barley bread and fresh grain from his bag.Elisha said, “Give it to the people so they can eat.”

⁴³ His servant said, “How can I feed one hundred men with this?”

Elisha said, “Give it to the people so they can eat! This is what the Lord says: ‘Eat and there will be leftovers.’” ⁴⁴ So the servant gave the food to them. They ate and had leftovers, in agreement with the Lord’s word.

Matthew 14:13-21 (CEB)

¹³ When Jesus heard about John, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. When the crowds learned this, they followed him on foot from the cities. ¹⁴ When Jesus arrived and saw a large crowd, he had compassion for them and healed those who were sick. ¹⁵ That evening his disciples came and said to him, “This is an isolated place and it’s getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, “There’s no need to send them away. You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷ They replied, “We have nothing here except five loaves of bread and two fish.”

¹⁸ He said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹ He ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves of bread and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them and broke the loaves apart and gave them to his disciples. Then the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ Everyone ate until they were full, and they filled twelve baskets with the leftovers. ²¹ About five thousand men plus women and children had eaten.

Consider these questions:

1. When you think of leftovers, what comes to mind? Does this bring positive memories?
2. Most people think of food as leftovers. What do you do with leftover food? Save it? Compost it? Throw it away? Make something new from it?
3. What other “leftovers” do you see in your life? What do you do with them? Save them? Something else?
4. What do you think of the highlighted differences between the two stories?