DAY 40 of #100daysofJesus
Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 disciples with only "five barley loaves and two small fishes."
Jesus wanted to make sure the hungry crowd who had gathered to hear Him teach was fed. He knew that it's hard to meet spiritual needs when physical needs are nagging.
Philip confirmed they did not have enough money to purchase bread for everyone.
Andrew found a lad with five barley loaves and a couple fish and brought him forward to Jesus. Likely seeing a satisfied look on Jesus' face, Andrew asked the elephant-in-the-room question, "what are they among so many?"
Jesus was not concerned by the apparent limitation. He "gave thanks" in prayer for what they had and distributed it to the apostles, asking them to distribute to the large crowd.
The apostles had learned to trust Jesus and did as he asked. As they distributed the bread and fish, their baskets grew heavier instead of lighter. By the time all of the people had been fed and "were filled", there remained a surplus of bread - 12 baskets full!
Jesus can turn scarcity into abundance.
We may sometimes feel there is not enough or that we are not enough, but with Jesus there is always plenty and we are more than sufficient.
We also learn that Jesus loves effort and faith and will expect us to start delivering the bread before he multiplies it.
He give us the opportunity to walk, like one of his apostles, towards a daunting, hungry multiple with a basket containing only half a loaf of barley bread. I suspect a prayer was either in their hearts or on their lips as they walked.
As we take steps of faith forward, miracles can occur. Our small and simple efforts can bring about great works when multiplied by the Lord.
(References: John 6:5-14)
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