Age Doesn't Matter
La Edad No Se Importa
by
Mary Hunt Webb
Posted Wednesday, September 29, 2021
The lessons taught in Sunday School can remain with children for a lifetime. [Photographer: Emma Simpson. Photo courtesy of StockSnap.com.]
Sitting in the church basement with our child-sized wooden chairs arranged in a circle across the bare concrete floor, I was one of at least eight children listening intently as our Sunday School teacher told us about a little boy that was helpful to Jesus, as described in John 6:1-13. As Jesus and his disciples were discussing how to feed the crowd of people that had gathered around Jesus, Andrew – the brother of Simon Peter – brought forward a little boy, as we see in John 6:9. He told Jesus, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" (NIV)
At six years old, I could imagine the boy's mother packing his lunch and telling him to be careful with it because that food would have to last him all day. In my mind's eye, I could picture her sending him off because she had a younger child with whom she had to remain at home. I was fascinated when our teacher told us that the little boy willingly gave up his lunch so that Jesus could use it. Jesus did, indeed, use it to feed thousands of people that day.
"You see?" our teacher said. "Jesus can use even young children in his ministry! And he can use you, too, if you're only willing!"
Jesus can use anyone of any age and size to help others. [Photographer: Rene Rauschenberger. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
Many years later I learned that the story of the feeding of thousands of people with only five loaves and two fish also appeared in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. However, only John's version made mention of the little boy that surrendered his lunch, and that's the version that our teacher described.
Although I have heard many Sunday School lessons in the decades since then, that one remains one of the most memorable for me and is probably the earliest one I recall. The thought that Jesus could use even me, despite my age, stuck with me through the years and has motivated me to participate in various ministries as a child, a teenager, a young adult, a mother, and now, as a grandmother. Jesus doesn't look at my birth certificate because He already knows my age. Nor does He look at my physical abilities because He knows those, too. He only looks at my heart to see if I am willing because age doesn't matter in ministry.
Even small hands can reach out to help in ministry. [Photographer: Public Domain Pictures. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
BIBLE VERSE USED IN THIS POSTING
John 6:9 — "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" (NIV)
Juan 6:9 — "Aquí está un muchacho, que tiene cinco panes de cebada y dos pececillos,; mas, ¿qué es esto para tantos?" (Reina-Valera 1960)
When children are encouraged to participate in ministry, they learn to continue doing so throughout life. [Photographer: Willian. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
