Really Can't I Just Get a Break!

Mark 6 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.” 39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

The disciples had many reasons to not want to feed the multitude of people that had followed them to the quiet and solitary place Jesus had taken them to. Jesus had taken them there to get some rest, but there was no rest for the weary. Jesus had compassion on them so he began to teach them, but by the time he was done the people were hungry.  

Now not only were the disciples tired and hungry, but a whole multitude of hungry and tired people had joined them.  You can see why they said to Jesus, "Can't you just send them away?"  Jesus responds by saying, "You give them something to eat!"  Have you ever been there at the end of a long day and you are ready to put your feet up and relax and then suddenly someone needs you to do something.  You are like, "Really can't I get a break." 

The disciples do a quick calculation and figure they would need more than a half year's wages to get enough food to feed all these people.  Instead of sending them away, Jesus asks them how much they currently have on hand.  It doesn't look promising as they have only five loaves and two fish.  But Jesus does something remarkable.  He takes all the food they have, gives thanks to God for it, and gives it to the disciples to distribute to the groups of fifty spread out all over the place.  

The results, "They all ate and were satisfied."  Not only did they eat, but they were satisfied.  They got their fill and it tasted good.  My favorite part of the story is there were even "left overs".  Twelve baskets full.  When the final number of people who had eaten were tabulated it came to 5,000.  

So what can we learn from this well known story? 

1. Sometimes when we want to pass the buck to someone else to help those in need God might say to us, "You give something to eat."  As we live in alignment with Jesus' compassion, we will be more aware of those looking for something to eat.

2. When a need seems so overwhelming we don't think we can do anything about it, we should start with what we have.  We are not responsible for what other people have to give only what we can give.    

3. Though our resources might seem meager, when we offer them up to God in gratitude God can multiply it.  

How might this work? When all of God's people respond to a need with what they have, God can do miracles. There are many great needs in our society today.  We might want to say, "Lord can't you just send them away, we don't have the time, energy or money to help these people."  But God says, "Give me what you have.  Give thanks for it.  I can do great things with what you offer to me in faith!"  And maybe just maybe there will even be leftovers.