What Motivates You?

Today we’re going to discuss a passage in Matthew 14:13-21, but a little differently.  We’re going to look through the eyes of a fictionalized disciple:

My name is Phillip and I live in Galilee.  Several months ago, I started to travel around with a group of people following Jesus.  He is unlike anyone I have ever known.  He teaches about God, but not in the same way that our church leaders do.  He has changed how I see God and I how I see the people around me.  From Jesus, I am learning what it means to love the people around me.  He has taught us about so many things: about loving everyone, about forgiving those who hurt us, and about praying for our enemies.  He talks about the same God we have been taught about in the synagogue, except that his God is much more personal.  He is much less concerned about following a set of rules, and more concerned about my motives and my inner thoughts.  Our teachers only talk about rules and regulations, about duty and diligence.  Jesus goes beyond the laws and talks about our every-day lives.

Today we were all devastated when we heard that John the Baptist was killed by Herod.  I was a follower of John before I met Jesus.  But when Jesus came to the river to be baptized, John encouraged us to follow Jesus instead.  He said that Jesus was the one he was preparing us for all along.  Jesus went out on the boat to spend some time alone.  He does that sometimes when he needs to get away and think.  We tried to keep his departure quiet but the people were so eager to see him that they walked to the dock where he was landing and waited for him.  Thousands of them had come, all on their own.  Some were curious, some were sick, and some were just following the crowd.    Even though we knew he wanted to be by himself, he came out to be with them anyway.  He made many people who were sick well.  It was a thrilling sight to see.

As the day wore on, we became concerned about the people that had gathered.  There was nowhere to get food.  Thinking he was tired and didn’t realize the time of day, we reminded Jesus that it was getting late and we should call it a night.  We encouraged him to send the people away to get something to eat.  Jesus told us that we didn’t need to send them away, and that we should give them something to eat.

We really didn’t understand what he meant.  We searched around and found only five loaves of bread and two fish.  We discussed it among ourselves but didn’t know what to do.  We were concerned for the people, but also wanted to do what he said.  Finally, we told him that we barely had enough food for one meal and that there was no way we could feed all of the hungry people.

Jesus asked for the food from us and gave thanks for it.  We each took some of the bread and fish.  We did what he said, even though it didn’t make any sense.  The most amazing thing happened.   As I gave away each piece of bread, another one appeared in its place.  I didn’t see it appear and I can’t explain it, but I kept passing out bread and fish until everyone had some.

So many times when I have heard this story presented in church, the focus was on the lack of faith of the disciples.  Verse 17 where the disciples say “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish” is cited as evidence that Jesus’ followers really didn’t believe in his ability to do miracles.  I think when we take that condescending view of Jesus’ disciples, we miss a lot of the message for us as Jesus’ followers today.
One important observation is that although many people came out to be healed, the disciples didn’t expect to feed 5,000 people that day.   They were trying to learn to be obedient, and to be where Jesus was.  His closest followers weren’t there to see a miracle.  They wanted to know him and learn from him.

So often, we get this equation backwards.  We want to see miracles, so we ask Jesus for them.  Seeing the miracle becomes our aim, instead of the seeing miracle-worker.  We must first desire to be with Jesus, to walk where he walks, and to do what he does.  Miracles occur when we walk closely.  They happen when He has a greater purpose in mind, not because we want to see something great.

This is not to say that we should not ask God to move in mighty ways.   We rightly expect Jesus to do great things.   He always has and he always will.  We continue to pray that God will reveal himself to the world around us in undeniable ways.  I am only suggesting that we check our motives.  As a church, we will do well to heed the wise words of James when he said the following in James 4:2-3:

You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

This can be true even when we are asking for a miraculous display of God’s power.  Often our motives are more about our desires and our glory, even in asking for the miraculous.
With all of this in mind, what are we to do?  The answers come straight from God’s word:

1. Check your motives.  Just as James 4:3 says, we often ask with wrong motives.  When we ask God for something, why are we asking?  What do we want from God?  Is it for our renown or for His?
2. Ask God to give you the right motives.  As David prayed in Psalm 51:10, ask God for a clean and pure heart.  Ask him to give you His desires instead of your own.
3. Seek to be involved in God’s work without expecting personal praise or acclaim.  Read Matthew 6:1-4.

Thought questions:

1. Can you think of a time when you asked God for something with the wrong motive?  What was the result?
2. Can you think of a time when you asked with the right motive?  How was that answer from God different than your answer to question 1?
3. What can you do daily to ensure you keep pure motives before God?

Related posts:

1. Church is Broken