Have Faith, then Shovel Mountains

Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." John 6:12

Yu Gong Moves Mountain"[Yugong Yishan 愚公移山]

Yu Gong Moves the Mountain In ancient China, the 90-year-old Yu Gong was upset because a mountain blocked the pass to the Han River, so he had his sons help him start to move it, using nothing more than shovels and wheelbarrows. People ridiculed him, but he said, "The mountain will not grow in size, but my sons and their sons will carry on until it is moved"). Today, "Yu Gong moves mountain" is used as an encouragement to persist, and never give up.

Shovel or Faith? Yu Gong Moves Mountain reminds me of Jesus saying that if we had faith as small as a mustard seed we could move mountains, but Jesus' taught us by hiw own example that if our Father plants a mountain in our path, he'll probably expect us to move it not with faith but a shovel, because the Kingdom of Heaven is not a blank check but stewardship.

Waste Not Want Not. Jesus fed thousands of people on five loaves of bread and two small fish, but then had the leftovers gathered up to avoid waste! I can understand why Benjamin Franklin said, "Waste not want not. " Franklin had limited resources. But Jesus' supply was unlimited, so why was he so frugal?

Power for others, but not self. Jesus not only preached good stewardship but modeled it for us. His Father could have given him anything, but Jesus used miracles only sparingly--and Jesus never, ever, used his Father's power on himself.

Jesus was hungry after fasting 40 days in the wilderness, but the man who miraculously fed thousands refused to use make one loaf of bread for himself when the tempter said, "If you are the Son of God, turn this stone into bread." Jesus, the ultimate steward, refused to use his powers on himself, relying instead upon his Father to feed his child, and afterward "the angels came and attended to him," and probably fed him better fare than just bread.

The Figless Fig When Jesus hungered and found that a fig tree had no figs, he said, "May you never bear figs again!" The tree withered from its very roots. (Matt. 21:19) It seems rather unfair to the fig, given that this was not the right season for bearing figs (Mark11:14), but Jesus made two points here:

1. Jesus hungered, just as we do, but He did not use miracles to feed himself.
2. What is impossible for the world is possible for us. We should bear fruit year round, in and out of season (2 Tim. 4:2)

Jesus was the ultimate steward, and the ultimate servant. He was born not in a palace but a stable. He grew up as a common carpenter's son. He hungered, and thirsted like us, but he used his Father's power and resources for others, not himself. Even when on the cross, and thirsty, he did not cry to his Father for legions of angels to rescue him, or even for an angel to quench his thirst, but simply said to those watching, "I'm thirsty."

From the manger to the cross, the man with miraculous power to do anything did absolutely nothing miraculously for himself. He cared for others, trusting his own words, "Give and it shall be given unto you."

Today, it is tempting to read passages such as "If you have faith like a mustard seed you can move mountains Luke 17:6), and then hope for miracles--like Adrian Plass trying to move a paper clip by faith! (Click here for excerpts from his hilarious "diary").

Not Blank Check but Stewardship Miracles do happen, but if they happened daily, every time we wanted to move a mountain or a paper clip, they would cease to be miracles--and there would also no longer be a need for us to be good stewards. But the Kingdom of Heaven is not a blank check but stewardship. Jesus' example teaches us that, on a day to day basis, we are not to expect a blank check from heaven to do anything we want, when we want. We are to steward, daily, what is given us today, giving to others. Give and it shall be given. If we care for others, our Father will care for us even as he cares for the sparrows of the field.

And that, to me, is a miracle in itself.
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