As evening approached, the disciples came to him to send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.
Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
Pretty matter of fact response. Problem? What problem? Just give them something to eat.The disciples only had five loaves of bread and two fish. In their minds, this would not come close to addressing their need for food, let alone for thousands!
Jesus didn’t flinch. He took that small amount, thanked God for it and sent the disciples out to distribute. When everyone was satisfied, the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of left overs.
Jesus sees problems and solutions from a higher plane and perspective than I do. There are needs to be met, and more than enough resources to do so when God is in the picture.
After all, God fed an entire nation in the desert out of thin air for forty years - five loaves and two fish are more than enough to feed five thousand! Elisha did a similar miracle multiplying the oil for the widow who had debts beyond her ability to pay, providing her with more than enough to repay. The Bible has many other accounts of miraculous provision.
Imagine being part of this, handing out food to hundreds and thousands from a basket that never gets empty.
Like the disciples, I see the obvious problem rather than the solution. In the next chapter, they faced a similar problem with a hungry crowd of 4,000, yet with seven loaves and a few small fish in hand, still didn’t see the solution. With this miraculous distribution fresh in their minds, they should have seen it, but didn't.
For the challenges and sometimes desperate situations I face, either for the “five thousand” around me or for my own needs, do I even think of moving forward with what I have? Or, am I overwhelmed and paralyzed by the situation, as the disciples were looking at the crowd?
What “little” do I have, do you have, that God can stretch to provide what is needed in our lives, or for those around us?
2 comments:
"For the challenges and sometimes desperate situations I face, either for the “five thousand” around me or for my own needs, do I even think of moving forward with what I have? Or, am I overwhelmed and paralyzed by the situation, as the disciples were looking at the crowd?" - I agree with this statement. Fear destroys our trust in God.
As Christians we can have peace and comfort knowing that God's grace furnishes what is lacking in our lives due to personal weakness. Knowing Christ fills our inadequacy is a great source of encouragement. We know that Christ is equal to any task we face. Knowing that God is not asking us to do anything that he is not willing to accomplish through us is our greatest source of encouragement.
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