Matthew 14:13-21
Charles Swindoll tells a funny story about a nine-years-old kid named Danny who came running out of Sunday school his eyes were looking in every direction as he tried to locate either mom or dad. Finally, after a quick search, he grabbed his Daddy by the leg and yelled, “Man, that story of Moses and all those people crossing the Red Sea was great!” His father looked down, smiled, and asked the boy to tell him about it.
“Well, the Israelites got out of Egypt, but Pharaoh and his army chased them. So, the Jews ran as fast as they could until they got to the Red Sea. The Egyptian Army was getting closer and closer. So, Moses got on his walkie-talkie and told the Israeli Air Force to bomb the Egyptians. While that was happening, the Israeli Navy built a pontoonbridge so the people could cross over. They made it! By now, old dad was shocked. “Is THAT the way they taught you the story?”
Well, no, not exactly,” Danny admitted, “but if I told you the way they told it to us, you would never believe it.” With childlike innocence, the little kid put his finger on the pulse of our sophisticated adult world where skepticism reigns. The doubting Thomas’ spirit has taken over our ways of seeing God’s miracles. If I cannot explain it I cannot believe it. Many people after reading the story of the feeding of the five thousand tend to ask the question, “Did it really happen?” There have been a number of attempts to “explain” the miracle. I will share two.
One explanation says that the people had food they just did not want to share. When they saw the little boy put his lunch in Jesus’ hands they were moved by the generosity of the little boy and started sharing what they had with those who did not. The miracle then is not the multiplication of bread and fish, but the transformation of the hearts from selfishness to unselfishness.
Another explanation says that the story is not really talking about physical hunger but spiritual hunger. When the small amount of food was passed around, everyone took a small symbolic fragment to satisfy the hunger of the soul not the stomach. So, five breads and two fishes were enough for everybody.
As I said before, I believe this kind of explanations say a lot about our modern mentality. If I cannot explain it, I will not believe it. Both explanations I shared with you lack biblical support.
The first explanation says that the little boy’s generosity moved people and they brought forth the food they had. This explanation does not take in consideration verse 26 “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had you fill.” They did not share, Jesus gave them loaves and had them fill. The sign they saw, the sign Jesus is talking about was the multiplication of bread and fish; they saw Jesus blessing the bread and fish; they saw Him passing them to the disciples and the disciples to the multitude. There is not room for doubt, they did not share what they had, Jesus gave them food.
The second explanation says that Jesus satisfied the spiritual hunger. People took just a little tiny piece of bread and fish, and with this, their spiritual needs were satisfied. According to this, Jesus did not multiply the breads and fishes. They just took a little peace. My question is where did the disciples get 12 baskets with leftovers?
You know, to me this is simple, if Jesus is Emmanuel: God among us -and I believe he is- then there is no question He has power to perform these miracles and many others, even when we cannot explain them. I cannot explain how out of nothing God created all we can see. However, it happened; I cannot explain how the wind from the east can hold the waters, so the Hebrews can walk as in dry land. However, it happened; I cannot explain how the Almighty God whose presence fills the universe dwelled in a human body, however it happened; I cannot explain the resurrection of Jesus and many other miracles. However, they happened; they were real.
The question we should be asking is not how all these miracles happened? But what all these miracles can tell us about Jesus? So, let us ask the question. What can the miracle of the multiplication of the bread and fishes can tell us about Jesus? I am sure it can tell us a lot. I will share only one thought today.
It tells us that Jesus loves to work together with us. In the story He took what a child offered and used it to accomplish one of the most spectacular miracles recorded in the Gospels. Jesus made this little unknown boy part of His miracle. No one expected much of a little boy, but this miracle proves that age is not a barrier to Christ. Therefore, never think about yourself as too young or too old for God to work with you and thru you.
Sometimes in life, we may feel insignificant and useless. Surrounded by people with greater talent than ours and we are tempted in our weak moments just to settle back and let someone more capable do the work. We feel that what we have to offer will not make much difference anyway. This miracle performed by our Lord where He took only five loaves of bread and two small fishes to feed a multitude implies to me that each of us has something important to offer in His service and even when we do not realized we can be part of a miracle. What we have to offer is important.
Sir Michael Costa was a great Italian conductor of the XIX century. An anecdote says that He was conducting a rehearsal in which a great chorus joined the orchestra. About halfway through the session with trumpets, drums and violins singing their rich melody, the piccolo player – piccolo is a small size flute- said to himself, “What good am I doing? I might just as well not be playing, too many instruments, too many voices, nobody will hear me anyway.” So, he kept the instrument to his mouth, but he made no sound. Within moments, -says the anecdote- the conductor cried; “Stop! Stop! Where is the piccolo? The most important person of the orchestra missed this little instrument.
It is much the same way with the use of our abilities for the Lord. Whether our talent is great or small, our performance as part of the church is not complete until we all do our best with what we have. In God’s eyes, it is a great thing to do a little thing for Him. With the little boy’s example Jesus is telling us today “You provide the bread and fish; let me take care of the miracle.”
Do not hesitate to bring what you have to the Lord, it might seem small or insignificant to you –but, what does not before the almighty God- just do not forget the hands you are placing it in. Those hands created heaven and earth out of nothing. Those hands can make you, all of us part of a miracle.