“You feed them” Mark 6:30-44
Once again, the disciples come face to face with an impossible situation. There were 5,000 men plus women and children out here in the wilderness with them. They hadn’t invited them or advertised that Jesus would be there. The people had figured out where Jesus was headed and got there on their own.
Now it was getting late. They had purposely selected a “lonely place” to get away from the crowds and get some needed rest. Now they had a multitude on their hands and no means to provide for them. They had already calculated the amount of provisions needed to feed a crowd like this and five loaves and two fish just weren’t going to cut it. Better send them back to the towns and villages where they could at least get some food.
“You give them something to eat.” Why did it seem at times that Jesus was completely out of touch with reality? They didn’t have enough food and had just recommended that the people be sent to town to get some. Instead, Jesus has them sit in groups of hundreds and fifties. That made it worse. Now they knew for certain how many people were there. And not a morsel more to feed them with.
Jesus gave thanks and broke off a piece of bread and gave it to Peter. Then he broke off another piece and gave it to John. Peter passed it on to someone in the crowd and John did likewise. They returned to Jesus and had to wait in line while Jesus gave more bread to the other disciples. This could take all night! Soon they were carrying armloads of fish and bread and running out to the fringes of the crowd delivering food.
When did it dawn on them what was happening? Or were they too busy serving to realize Jesus had just performed a major miracle? Were they just settling down to eat their own portions when the call came to start cleaning up and pick up the leftovers?
One of the greatest disappointments of my early Christian life was discovering that there were people who could – and would – explain away the supernatural miracles of Jesus with rational and natural means. These things were to be seen as nothing more than the fortuitous coincidence of favorable circumstances. I naively thought that a miracle would be indisputable, that there could be no possible explanation for it other than that God had intervened in the lives of us here on earth with heavenly power.
But that is hardly ever the case. There always seems to be a gap, a missing piece in the otherwise incontestable evidence. A gap that allows for a rationalistic or scientific explanation, negating the need for faith or God. In reality, these gaps are meant for us to bridge them with faith.
Are we ready to embrace even the little miracles of God? Do we continue to see his hand at work in our lives and praise and thank him for his care?
Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley