Here are some facts:

• The boy carried 5 barley loaves and 2 fish in a basket
• Barley bread was the cheapest bread you could get
• None of the disciples thought about getting (or recording) this boy’s age or name
• They were pretty far from civilization, thus Jesus posing the question “Where can we buy food for these people” (John 6:5). They were on the relatively deserted side of the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee & the majority of the population was on the western shores.Jesus took his disciples there for a little R&R from the exhaustive demands of their ministry
• A HUGE crowd decided to join them on their vacation. 5,000 men plus women, plus children. (In those days, they didn’t count women or children)

Facts about the “Gospels” (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John):

• They are 4 of the 5 largest books of the NT
• Contains 3,779 of the 7,956 verses of the NT which is 47%
• Here is what blows my mind—> the four writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John) all only wrote about two things: 1.) The Resurrection… pretty big deal right? and the other, 2.) 5 fish & 2 loaves. So why isn’t this story a lot bigger of deal than I know it to be.

Here is what is heavily debatable:

• The boys actual age
• Why the boy was even there in the first place. Was he bartering with goods and just following the crowd? Did he hear about this crowd talking about meeting Jesus so he wandered with them? Again, debated and debatable
• Did the boy offer his food or did the disciples strongarm him? Maybe he sold it? Again, debatable

Now here is my version based on facts, thoughts, and some stretches to fill in the story. Basically it’s my envision of what went down that day.

I peg the boy to be 9 or 10. I base that on the readings of all four of the books and how they just breezed right past him and the fact that he wasn’t able to carry much in the first place. Here is where I like to stretch this as a story teller or a writer. I think that the boy was at home and wanting to show his parents that he was responsible and wanted to make the grocery run for the week. So they gave him the list and money. He had enough money to go to the market, get 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. While he was leaving the market, there was a huge crowd that passed by talking about going to meet Jesus so as any curious young boy he fell in the crowd and followed. He then found himself way far away from home. Is all this biblical, no. I just like the story better this way because we don’t know all the details. So the boy finds himself in the middle of 5,000 men plus women and other kids. Depending on what theological guess you want to believe, there was 7,500 to 12,000 people there. Then Andrew, one of the disciples, tells Jesus there is a boy with some fish and bread. So here this boy who, I choose to think, is suppose to be back at home by now finds himself in a dilemma. Here are these guys that are asking for his family’s groceries. I think he looks at Jesus, gets caught up in the moment and reluctantly gives them up for Jesus to use. To sum up the miracle, Jesus feeds everyone. The disciples gather up the remainder of what is left which they had to use 12 baskets to carry it all in (read John 6:13). So here is the boy, now heading home with at least half of Jesus’ disciples with him carrying 12 baskets of food for his family. I also think they it wasn’t a wealthy family based on the bread of choice that he had purchased. It was barley. During those days, the cheapest grain that you could get was barley. It’s kind of like today that you buy Kroger Crispies instead of Kellog’s Rice Crispies because the budget is just to tight. I think that about this family. So the boy had to be a hero. He went to the store came back with over 12 baskets of groceries. His dad must have said, “Honey, we need to send him more often!” But remember when he was in the middle of the crowd? He had to be a little nervous about the decision he was going to make. He had to be reluctant on giving up his family’s groceries. If he knew what the payoff was, surely he wouldn’t have been nervous at all but there isn’t anyway he knew what was about to happen. Can you imagine that feeling; standing in that crowd surrounded by 12,000 people and all of them looking at you because you are the only little boy with food? I choose to think he decided to give up his food because he was partly scared to death and thought giving it to Jesus was his only way out. But partly that he just wanted to do the thing that would be great and let Jesus do something because he said he could with his grocery basket.

So here is where it gets real for me and I’ll propose some questions to you. Are you in the middle of a ginormous crowd and scared to death you don’t know really what to do? Are you thinking about giving Jesus a shot because he may just be your only way out? I have been there, trust me. Maybe you don’t know much about this Jesus stuff. You have only heard about him through friends, family, and other things but you are ready to give him a shot to use what he can of what you got. Or are you reluctant? Are you reluctant to let go of the thing that Jesus keeps saying that he is going to use if you will just hand it to him? No matter what side of the spectrum you are on, I can promise you this… the payoff is worth it! For over 10 years, I hid a secret about being victim of rape causing me to loose everything in my life but today I am free. I am free because of what I gave to Jesus and said use this for your glory. There are many things that we are very reluctant to give up but if you only knew of the payoff ahead. Many of you, maybe it’s about time. Maybe you are reluctant to give up 15 mins of your day to grow closer to Jesus but he is saying give me 15 minutes of your day and I will change your life. Maybe its an hour on Sundays, helping at your church. Whatever it is, again, I promise you that if you just give it to God, the payoff will be huge just as the boy who gave up 5 loaves and 2 fish went home with 12 baskets full. What are you holding on to?

Everyone remembers being on the playground when you picked teams for kickball. You didn’t want to get picked last but you definitely just wanted to get picked. Jesus Christ goes through Galilee with flocks of people behind him and hand selects eleven of the twleve men to be on His “team”. He hand selects eleven guys that don’t belong in church. In fact as we meet Matthew, Matthew was not allowed into synagogues or temples, which was their “church”.

Meet Matthew::
Finally, let me introduce you to Jesus’ hand picked riff-raff, Matthew. Matthew was a tax collector. Now when I say that, it’s hard for me make this tangible for our culture and our understanding. I mean we all complain about paying taxes but I don’t know if we can understand about tax collectors in this day and age, ever. There were two types of tax collectors, Gabbai and Mokhes. Gabbai basically collected property taxes, income taxes, and so forth. Gabbai collected assessed taxes so it wasn’t deemed as bad to be a Gabbai tax collector because these taxes were based on an “assessment” of value, much as our homes and personal income is today. But then, then there was the Mokhes. There were Great Mokhes and Little Mokhes. The Great Mokhes were basically “tax contractors” which would hire Little Mokhes to go to each person, face to face to collect tax. Here is where it gets sketchy. The Mokhes had bargained a deal out with the Romans that they would get the Roman tax but add a little bit for their own pockets making this one of the most lucrative industries in that culture. So it went like this: the Romans tax, plus the Great Mokhes tax, plus the Little Mokhes tax is what you had to pay. Guess what Matthew was? A Little Mokhes. He was the guy that dealt with each person face to face and “overcharged” them to make his pockets bigger. They often would forcefully take this money from everyone with the use of thugs, bullies, or hired hands. Before Matthew sought after this lucrative career as a tax collector, which he chose for simple materialism, personal gain, and wealth, he was born Jewish. His Jewish name was Levi. As you will see later on in Luke. Luke will refer to him as Matthew and as Levi. Matthew was completely cast away from his family, his people, and everything that he had ever known when he chose this new career as a tax collector. Being born Jewish and chasing after wealth, personal gain and being materialistic was really worse those days than being born a Gentile. Due to upbringing, many would say “Matthew knew better, he was raised by the right Jewish parents.” I believe that this upbringing (much as I believe with children today) would create that yearning for God when he lost his connection to his family, to his temple, and to his faith. This is also why I believe Matthew digs so deeply into the Old Testament throughout his life. In my imagination, I think of Matthew sitting in his tax collectors office taking in money when the door chimes and someone walks in. But when no body is looking he quietly sneeks out his Old Testament bible and reads. He reads and reads and he reads and reads. Longing for something that he thought he would find as he sought after wealth. So it was no surprise to me in Matthew 9:9, when Jesus said to him “Follow Me” that he did not hesitate for one second to drop everything and take off. I believe that Matthew was spiritually starving. When Jesus commanded Matthew to follow him, Matthew gave up everything. In fact, look at the very next verse, Matthew 9:10. Matthew threw a massive dinner party or banquet for Jesus. If you are confused by this verse, Luke will clarify it in Luke 5:29 saying: Levi [Matthew] gave Him [Jesus] a great feast in his own house. So Matthew, completely in awe that Christ, the Messiah, asked him to “Come, Follow Me” threw this huge party in Jesus’ honor but invited a bunch of hookers and other tax collectors. That has to make you laugh a little but that is the only people that Matthew knew. No one else, in his family, in his Jewish faith, in his life had anything to do with him any longer because of a choice that he made.

In conclusion, Matthew wrote the Book that bears his name with a Jewish audience in mind. Matthew quotes the Old Testament ninety-nine times, which will be more than all of Mark, Luke, and John combined. Matthew knew the Old Testament inside and out. He believed in God. He looked for the Messiah and dropped everything when he met Jesus. When he wasn’t able to attend church or go to the temples to worship, he sought after God in scripture. If you find yourself relating to Matthew, this is my advice to you. Seek after God in scripture and prayer. No one can can prevent you from doing that. Feed your yearning to get closer to God by His Word, find a church that you can get plugged into and begin to minister yourself through volunteering and so forth but most of all take a look at Matthew’s example that he has left for us all to take a long lesson from. Matthew’s life should be a distinct, vivid reminder to us that when we think that we are completely worthless and not needed for anything that we may very well be in perfect position to be used by an amazing God.

As always, I will invite you to be my guest this Sunday at www.onelifeknox.com. If you decline, I encourage you to dive into God’s Word and seek him for yourself. Last thought: Look up Matthew 6:33.