Jesus

Jesus Feeds a Crowd of People…with little to nothing?

I’ve always been intrigued by the story in Luke 9:10-17. It depicts the story of Jesus feeding thousands of people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. (other places to read this incredible story: Matthew 15, Mark 6, John 6)

Jesus had been preaching to this crowd of people for several days and the disciples were getting impatient, hungry and tired. The disciples wanted Jesus to send the people away, because they had nothing to offer for these people to eat. Jesus knew there had to be something, so he asked the disciples if there was any food around. There was a little boy who carried 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, so the disciples told Jesus. You know they had to laughing inside, thinking that would not even fill the group of disciples, let alone the massive crowd. The boy gave up his food and Jesus blessed it. They began passing it around and more and more loaves and fish appeared. By the time everyone had eaten, there were baskets still left of bread and fish!

There are so many things we can learn from this story, but here are 3 main ideas that speak to me:

• Meeting a Need: Jesus did not want to turn away people without meeting their physical needs first. He had been feeding them spiritually and the time came for him to feed them in the literal sense. Serving others is the best way to communicate God’s love to them. Acting on the Gospel solidifies and enforces you speaking the Gospel.
• A Little Goes a Long Way: The disciples did not think that such a small amount of food could affect such a mass of people. God gives us gifts, and while we may thing our ability to serve or sing or speak is so small, He can still use it for a massive impact! Even one person that is affected with what God has blessed you with is a huge win in thinking about eternity! This kind of small effort creating a large impact is happening now. As the effects of the earthquake in Haiti have devastated people so much, it’s as simple as Americans sending a text to donate money. Millions of dollars have been donated to meet the needs of Haitians because of a small effort.
• Unexpected Avenues: Jesus uses those that you would not expect Him to use. Not all of the accounts say where the loaves and fish came from, but the passage in John says that the loaves and fish were from a boy. Many parents will say that having a child changed their entire perspective on life and that they feel as if they learn more from their children than the other way around. God can use the younger generation to impact the masses. He is in so many ways already. Spend some time with a child or a student and truly listen to their take on the world and what they believe they can offer, it will give you some perspective!