Sometimes problems arise in our lives that seem insurmountable. It would be easy to move from hope to despair. But Jesus didn’t come to bring despair. He did not throw up his hands and say, “There is nothing that can be done,” or “There is no way out of this one.” Nor did he just fix it and walk away. He took opportunities as they came and taught those who would be taught more and more about the loving heart of God and his ability to supply all of our needs.
The crowds had been following Jesus listening to him teach and watching for miracles. Jesus sat down with his disciples and looking out over the crowd said, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” John 6:5 Just prior to this comment, John notes that, “The Jewish Passover Feast was near.” John 6:4 I wonder if they were thinking about food and where they would be eating the Passover. Any guests would be invited to participate in the Passover with their host family. Is it possible Jesus was jarring their thinking and even suggesting that these people in the crowd were their guests and they would be responsible to come up with food for them all? The first step to solving a problem is to recognize that you have a problem. Quite possibly, the first point of Jesus’ lesson with his disciples was that God’s heart is tender and notices when people are in need.
“Philip answered him, ‘Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’” John 6:7 Step two in this lesson plan seems to be that we need to evaluate the magnitude of the problem. We need to be sure we know what we are dealing with.
“Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’” John 6:8 Step three in this lesson plan appears to be to look at what we do have to put towards solving the problem. This is a hard place to be to see the magnitude of the problem and the lack of resources to solve it. It is where many people in ministry find themselves almost daily – so much need all around us and so few resources (time, talent, and money) to minister to the needs.
But this does not need to be the end of the story. Andrew’s bringing what he could find and giving it to Jesus was an act of trust. He didn’t say thanks to the kid and sit down and eat his lunch. He gave what there was to Jesus – every bit of it. Step four in this lesson plan might be to give everything we have and trust that God can use it, however little it is, to his honor and glory.
“Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” John 6:11-13 Step five in this lesson plan would appear to be that when we give what we have toward a problem of great magnitude, God will take it and use it to completely satisfy those who are in need.
I wonder sometimes how what little I have can solve the world’s problems. I’m overwhelmed just thinking about it. How can one little person make any impact on this huge problem? There are whole countries going hungry. But God doesn’t tell me to take what I have and feed them all. He tells me to take what I have and give it to him and he will feed them all. Research says that there is enough food in the world to feed everyone. No one needs to go hungry. The problem is that some are not even aware others are starving, some who are aware are ‘shut down’ by the recognition of the immensity of the problem and feel helpless, and many don’t recognize that God can multiply what little we have to bless many.
I wonder, do I trust God enough to give him what little I have? In this lesson plan, the end result is that the needs of everyone are satisfied. The little boy who shared his food, the disciples and the crowd were all fed. And there were more leftovers than the original food Jesus started out with. When we give what we have to God, we are not just satisfied. We are more than satisfied!
Lord, help me to share freely what you have blessed me with so that you can multiply it and everyone can be more than satisfied.
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