The fact that this is the only miracle of Jesus that is
recorded by all four gospel writers leads me to think it must be of special
significance. (Mathew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9; John 6) The lesson that struck me
when I last read it was how much Jesus could make of a little. All four
evangelists record that there were five loaves of bread and two fishes. This
would have been enough for a small family – perhaps just the boy and his
parents. I’m reminded of the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared. Apparently, this
young lad’s family was the only one to think they might get hungry. Maybe they
were so interested in what the popular rabbi had to say that they didn’t want
to miss anything while they went to dinner.
Someone
has asked an interesting question: what if the boy’s parents had refused to
give up their meager meal? They didn’t. They may have been among those who had
already put their faith in the man from Nazareth. It is conceivable that they
had witnessed His first miracle – water into wine – at the wedding
in Cana which was only a few miles down the road. For whatever reason, they
were willing to put their provisions in the Master’s hands. Just like the steward
and the wedding, they were amazed at what happened when Jesus took over.
It's like the song “Ordinary
People” says: “Little becomes much as you place it in the Master’s hand.”
The twelve Jesus called especially had given Him everything they had, although
it wasn’t much since most were just common laborers. Regardless of their net
worth, they gave Jesus their very lives to follow Him for the three short years
of His earthly ministry. When the Master called the fishermen, He promised to
make them fishers of men. I doubt they fully understood what that meant at the
time, but I am convinced that Jesus wasn’t choosing them for their talents as
fishermen or their entrepreneurial skills.
From our vantage point centuries down the trail, we know
they were chosen for who they were, not what they could bring to the table.
Just consider Peter, James, and John, Jesus’ inner circle. Peter denied knowing
Jesus on the night of His betrayal but came back strong as a leader in the
Jerusalem church. James was also a leader in Jerusalem, and he became the first
martyr for Christ. John outlived all his peers as far as we know and survived
being boiled in oil and exile to go on to write the Book of Revelation, one of
the most significant books of the New Testament.
It may sound trite, but I would say we are not chosen by
Christ because we are great, but we are great because we are chosen. I am
writing this in my seventy-third year of life, most of which was spent in some
kind of Christian ministry vocationally or otherwise. I will admit with a touch
of disappointment that I have not achieved the “greatness” I might have longed
for in my youth. Nothing I have done will put me in the “Who’s Who” of
Christians in my generation. I have come to terms with that. I’ll wager the
little guy who surrendered his lunch to Jesus had no idea he would be
remembered to the end of the age. He just did what little he could do at the
moment, and Jesus made the moment great.
I love the song Ray Boltz sang many years ago called “Thank
You.” The lyrics recall how he put money in a collection plate or taught
Sunday School with no idea how his actions affected others. Then, when Ray gets
to Heaven, a long line of people come up to him thanking him for what little he
gave. There it is. I may never know which of my dollars in the plate brought
someone to Christ. I may never know which of my hundreds of high school
students were encouraged by my witness. I may never know how many of the
thousands of readers of this blog have been inspired to make significant
contributions to the cause of Christ. Maybe I’ll be standing next to Ray one
day amazed at what has happened. But even if I don’t get that confirmation, I
will keep giving what little I have knowing that little becomes much when you
place it in the Master’s hand. I hope to meet the little guy who shared his
lunch too.
Related posts: Living
in the Light of Eternity; For God’s
Sake; What’s
the Deal With Ninev
eh?; Who Needs
God?
Love this one!
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