Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.
Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”
He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).
Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”
So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
John 6:1-14
In John 6, Jesus feeds over 5,000 people with a boy’s lunch: 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish, to be exact.
I recently had a conversation with a friend who told me she needed to keep her wealth and invest it well in the stock market so she would have much to give to God’s Kingdom.
I responded by saying, “I don’t think God’s economy works like that.”
I had John 6 in mind—one of the most well-known and beloved miracles in all the Bible.
We find the story in John 6:1-13. Over 5,000 people with nothing to eat had gathered to listen to Jesus—and the Lord needed only a small sack lunch to feed them all.
There are many life lessons we could learn from this story, but let me draw our attention to two:
1. Your financial gift, given to God, does not need to be large to make a world of difference. In God’s economy, He blesses your faithfulness and generosity and multiplies the impact. As we learn elsewhere in the New Testament (Mark 12:41-44), Jesus can do more with pennies given out of sacrifice than he can do with large sums of money given out of excess.
Your small gift, given to the Lord in faith, can accomplish as much as the largest giver. If you have little, remain faithful in your generosity and the Lord will bless you and His Kingdom through it in ways you cannot measure.
And if you are living with much, give more. There were no doubt some in the crowd that day with the financial means to feed 5,000, who walked away having no impact or mention in one of the greatest miracles ever performed.
It is not up to others to feed the poor, house the orphan, care for the widow, or provide lodging for the worker in the harvest field. It is up to all of us. And no matter how much we have, our gift, given in sacrifice, will be multiplied in the Kingdom.
But there is another lesson that we can learn here and someone needs to hear it:
2. God can use even the smallest act of faithfulness to meet your needs today.
There is, with no doubt in my mind, someone reading this today facing a great need in front of them. Unsure how to handle a diagnosis, a death, a trial, a temptation, a missing paycheck, or unsure of how food will get to your table this month.
If that is you, know that God sees you and can provide for you. Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
God fed over 5,000 people with the sack lunch of a small boy. And He holds all that He needs to provide for you as well—whatever it is that you need from Him today or tomorrow.
Give. Trust. And join in the Greatest Story Being Told.
Prayer
Jesus, help me today to trust and help me today to give. I trust You for my needs and I trust You in Your power to take whatever I can offer and multiply for use in Your Kingdom. Thank You for the privilege of living and serving in Your Kingdom. Amen.