After this Jesus went across the Galilee Sea (that is, the Tiberias Sea). 2 A large crowd followed him, because they had seen the miraculous signs he had done among the sick. 3 Jesus went up a mountain and sat there with his disciples. 4 It was nearly time for Passover, the Jewish festival.
5 Jesus looked up and saw the large crowd coming toward him. He asked Philip, “Where will we buy food to feed these people?” 6 Jesus said this to test him, for he already knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip replied, “More than a half year’s salary[a] worth of food wouldn’t be enough for each person to have even a little bit.”
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, 9 “A youth here has five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that for a crowd like this?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there. They sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Then Jesus took the bread. When he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, each getting as much as they wanted. 12 When they had plenty to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves that had been left over by those who had eaten.
14 When the people saw that he had done a miraculous sign, they said, “This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world.”
Reflection
Imagine you are one of Jesus’ disciples and you see a large crowd of people headed your way, tired and hungry. Jesus says to you, “Where will you buy food to feed these people?” In response, most of us would think that feeding upwards to fifteen thousand men, women and children on the outskirts of a town would be an impossible task. Like Philip, our human thinking is often one of fear and scarcity: Where will we get the money and the vast food
supplies needed for just a small meal? How can we feed them right now! Even Andrew, who comes to Jesus with a small poor meal of five barley loaves and two fishes, doubts that Jesus can feed thousands from such a meager amount. But Jesus had already decided to invite the disciples and the multitude to be participants in a miracle of God’s loving grace.
Jesus doesn’t analyze or doubt because Jesus has faith in God’s abundant grace. Jesus has Kin-dom of God thinking, where unlimited possibilities await the opportunity to be tested. Jesus believes in God’s provision for our lives, where all are invited, redeemed, welcomed, loved, and nourished, spiritually and physically. Jesus invites the multitude to sit down to dinner on the grass. Jesus takes the young boy’s small meal, gives thanks to God, and begins breaking the loaves and fishes into pieces. The miraculous power of creator God provides more food than the multitude needs. There’s so much food that everyone eats until they’re full and Jesus has the disciples gather up twelve baskets of leftovers so nothing is wasted, but made ready to share with others. Jesus shows us how to trust God, step out in faith using our
gifts and resources, however small we may think they are, for God’s glory. Jesus shows us, how in sharing what we have with others, there will always be more than enough for everyone, and that when we gather the leftovers, nothing will go to waste, but provide more for the future.
Over and over in my own life I have witnessed God’s loving grace and provision. Through periods of illness and unemployment, tragedy, daily trials, and the loss of loved ones, God has been with me. God has comforted me, guided me and nourished my spirit, even when I didn’t think it was possible. God encourages me to grow to be a Kin-dom thinker, to believe in the power of God to create abundance from the smallest amount of my faith and resources. And when given to the church, God multiplies all our gifts to provide for others. I have seen God’s miraculous power at work in our church to have Kin-dom thinking to create abundance to fund missions and ministries that nurture, nourish, care for and invite all to come to God’s table where we can feast together at God’s heavenly banquet.
by Jeneene Reduker
For Pondering and Prayer
It’s easy to get trapped in a mentality of fear and scarcity. But Jesus is calling us to be Kin-dom thinkers focused on the unlimited abundance of God. How have you experienced God’s abundance at work in your life? How can you share your faith and resources at church so that God can multiply them to help others?
Prayer: Holy and loving God, you call us to experience the abundance of your grace and provision for our lives. Help us to grow into Kin-dom thinkers focused on serving you. Amen.
