Not Enough

When life is busy, our minds are constantly full of things we have to do,
places we have to go, and people we have to see. It’s very easy to find
ourselves becoming a little self-centered. We never intended to live in our
own little worlds, but that’s what life seems to demand right now.

In the event of Jesus feeding the five thousand (which is recorded in all
four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we find Jesus and His
disciples trying to find a secluded place to rest after a busy series of
days (Mark 6:30-32). But the crowds are eager to hear more of this great
miracle worker’s teachings, and they follow the Master and His disciples.
When Jesus sees the crowd, He has compassion on them (verse 34). Knowing
these people are hungry, Jesus decides food is needed. He then turns to
Philip and asks, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” (John
6:5). When Jesus asks where, I imagine Philip doing a quick calculation in
his mind, figuring the impossibility of what Jesus wants to do. This
disciple responds by saying there’s not enough money to buy food for the
whole crowd. There are five thousand men—not even counting women and
children! That means there could be more than ten thousand hungry mouths to
feed. There’s no point asking where to buy food when there’s no money to
buy food.

Then, I imagine Andrew scanning the crowd searching for something or
someone to help solve this problem. He spots a boy with five loaves and two
fish. What is this disciple’s response to Jesus’s question? He tells Jesus
about the boy’s food then adds, “But what good is that with this huge
crowd?” (verse 9). The need is massive; what can five loaves and two fish
accomplish?

Jesus then quiets the people and gives thanks. As the crowd watches in
amazement, those scant five loaves and two fish are handed out. The food
keeps on coming until everyone has their fill—and there’s even some
leftover!

It’s so easy to underestimate what Jesus can do. When life gets busy, we
might feel like there aren’t enough resources to go around. But, as
followers of Jesus Christ, we’re called to be attentive to the needs of
those around us. Instead of living our Christian lives in our own little
worlds, Jesus enables us to be compassionate and reach out to help those
who need it, knowing He will provide. • Doug Velting

• Read John 6:1-13. What was Jesus’s disciples’ role in feeding the crowd?
What did Jesus do?

• Especially when life gets busy, why is it important to take time to rest?
(Mark 6:31)

Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the
people. John 6:11a (NLT)

Read Verses:

John 6:1-John 6:13