The Little Large Lunch

“’How many loaves do you have?’ he asked. ‘Go and see.’”  Mark 6:38

Bartholomew could barely believe his eyes, and neither could Peter, James, John, and the rest of the bunch.  Just a bit before they had been scrounging for lunch, and now they stood holding twelve baskets of leftovers.

Jesus wanted to feed the crowd, but all the disciples could find was five loaves of barley bread and two dried out fish.  Not much for so many, but Jesus had taken what they brought, looked up to heaven, gave thanks for what He held, and broken the loaves.  And somehow—amazingly, astoundingly, astonishingly, and shockingly somehow, the bits of broken bread He “gave to His disciples to set before the people” kept multiplying and multiplying and becoming more and more and more until the many hungry thousands who were sitting “on the green grass in groups hundreds and fifties” had eaten and “were satisfied”(Mk 6:39-42).  And when dinner was done, the disciples who had been assigned clean up duty “picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish”(Mk 6:43).

Twelve men had been assigned the task of feeding the five thousand.  “You give them something to eat,” Jesus had commanded(Mk 6:37), and He had met their practical protests about finances and feasibility with a simple question, “How many loaves to you have?” and a straightforward instruction, “Go and see”(Mk 6:38).

Their search turned up a tiny inventory, “Five—and two fish”(Mk 6:38), but they brought what they could round up and turned it over to the One who lifted it up.  And then they got busy passing it out.  It took a while to serve supper to such a crowd, but with every bit of bread and every piece of fish that multiplied in their hands their awe and amazement increased.  And as they stood and stared at the bunch of leftovers in their baskets, all they could do was shake their heads and bow their hearts. 

What has God commanded you to do?  And why do you think you can’t?  It’s ok to list realistic reasons as long you’re willing to listen to His instructions.  “How many loaves do you have?  Go and see.”  And when you’re through collecting, bring your little to the One who will make it large if you are willing to take what He hands you and pass it out to those around you.

Don’t let what you don’t have keep you from doing what God wants you to do.

He will provide.  All will be satisfied.  And you just might find yourself picking up the leftovers.