1987
Had You Been There
March 1987


“Had You Been There,” Tambuli, Mar. 1987, 4

Had You Been There

One Small Lunch

There were five thousand people on the hillside. Some were standing in the warm sun; some were sitting in groups. All had traveled far to hear the words of Jesus. And Jesus, feeling great compassion, taught them and healed their sick. They had been there from early morning, listening intently. Now the Savior stopped speaking. He realized that the people had had nothing to eat all day, and he asked his disciples if there was any food.

Nearby a young boy had a small lunch of bread and fish. Perhaps his mother had insisted that he bring it. The multitude was great; his lunch seemed very small. He hesitated. Surely his small bit would not help much to feed so many. He had no way of knowing that Jesus could break these few loaves into pieces enough to feed five thousand. Unselfishly, the boy gave his lunch to feed the great multitude. And it did feed them.

Had you been there, had you been that small boy in Jesus’ time, what would you have done?

“Thank you, Lord.”

Lepers were outside the city gate, banned from their homes and their loved ones. There were ten of them together. When Jesus came by they called out, “Master, have mercy on us.” And Jesus healed them—every one—saying, “Go shew yourselves unto the priests.” As they obeyed him, they became clean. Perhaps they were so astonished at seeing their flesh clean and whole and healed that they could not believe the miracle and ran to show someone. Perhaps they planned to come back and offer their thanks. But only one knelt before the Savior, saying, “Thank you, Lord.”

Had you been one of them, would you too have run away quickly to your loved ones, unthinking? Would you have waited, would you have knelt and said, “Thank you, Lord”? Had you been there, what would you have done?

In a Child’s Face

Many people gathered to hear the Master—older men and women, youthful boys and girls, mothers with young children. Some of the mothers brought their children nearer to Jesus to look into his kind face and probably touch his hands or feet. The Apostles, trying to take care of Jesus and protect him, asked the mothers to move back.

But Jesus said, “Suffer little children and forbid them not, to come unto me.”

Jesus laid his hands on the children and blessed them. Perhaps he picked up a young child and looked deeply into his eyes, for he said, “Of such is the kingdom of heaven.” He must have seen goodness in the child’s face, and kindness and unselfishness and love.

Think of how much you love Jesus. Had you been there, how would you have felt?

References:

One Small Lunch: Matt. 14:13–21; Mark 6:32–44; John 6:1–14.

“Thank you, Lord”: Luke 17:12–19

In a Child’s Face: Matt. 19:13–15

“Christ with Children,” painting by Minerva Teichert.

Photography by Grant Heaton.

Photography by O. Wallace Kasteler.