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
I sometimes wonder what thoughts went through the little boy’s mind before he handed over his lunch.
The act itself wasn’t particularly remarkable. He simply offered his lunch to the disciples who were looking for food.
And yet that small act became the catalyst for one of the most well-known miracles in the life of Jesus—one of only a handful of stories repeated in all four gospels.
How many questions must have raced through his mind before he handed it over?
Isn’t there someone here with more than me?
What good are five loaves and two fish going to do anyway?
What am I going to eat if I give this away?
Didn’t my parents pack it specifically for me? Do they want me to give it away?
Isn’t there someone more prepared and more important in this entire crowd to solve this problem?
There are so many questions that arise when God calls us to do something for his glory and his kingdom. Many sound very similar:
How will I afford it?
How will God ever use me?
Isn’t there someone else more equipped to do this work?
These are often the questions that arise when God calls us to do something for Him.
And yet, God, over and over again, shows us example after example of people who were fully unprepared for the work He called them to.
In themselves: weak.
But through the power of God: fully equipped for every good work.
May we live with the same boldness and faith as that little boy on the mountainside. Willing to give it all when asked. Not because we have a lot to give, but because we serve a God who multiplies our gifts.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, give me a heart to hear when You are calling me into Your service. And when You do, give me the faith to offer what I have. Use me for Your glory. Amen.