“There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” John 6:9
Jesus had just retreated into a “mountain,” followed by a multitude of folk, who had seen His miracles, and heard His teaching. The multitude consisted of over five thousand men, not counting women and children. It was a rather deserted place, and certainly did not afford the possibility of purchasing food. It was to His disciple Philip that Jesus addressed then the question: “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” (John 6:5) What a question!!! Philip and the other disciples were immediately confronted with a monumental impossibility, and yet it was Jesus who deliberately brought them before it, in essence for them to find a solution. So, the first thing that Philip does is to relate the physical, natural resources at hand, to meet it. He framed his thought with this question: “Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.” (v.7) Philip faced the issue honestly, and from a human standpoint, and concluded that the people would have to remain hungry. However, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, came forth with a small boy, who evidently offered his meager meal of five loaves of barley, and two fishes, so that all might eat. But then, even Andrew was forced to recognize the impossibility of the meeting the vast pressing need at hand, with such a small solution. However, it will be in the meagerness of the gift, for certainly the disciples had not stollen the boy’s lunch, that Jesus would receive it, take it, give thanks to the Father for it, and then distribute it to the disciples to be given to all in the crowd. They would do this with the bread and the fishes until, as the Scriptures would declare: “…they were filled.” The miracle of the moment was not only that there was food multiplied to be distributed to all assembled on that hilltop, but that, after all had eaten, they were ALL satisfied. How did this happen?
It is important to see that Jesus led the disciples into a situation where there was a very deliberate, precise need, one which was in that place at that time, with the resources at hand, impossible to be met. The impossible mountain to climb before all gathered together that day would have remained in place were it not for three things. The first was the will and purpose of God. Nothing is by chance in this situation, for God is the God of all circumstance, sovereign, the All-mighty. We see this by John’s words when he wrote: “and this He (Jesus0 said to prove him: for He Himself knew what he would do.” (6:6) The need was designed by God so that He could, and would meet it, in answer to faith and obedience.
Secondly, there was a little person who had a little gift. He was small as was the gift, certainly if one compares the multitude with the small boy, and the loaves and fishes. But we have here the genuine offering from a little heart, sincere and wholehearted. This offering Jesus would accept, taking it certainly with thanksgiving from the little boy, and then thanking the Father for it. As in the days of old when Elijah saw a small cloud of blessing on the horizon, so Jesus sees in this little gift a cloud of blessing about to be revealed on a mountain top. Jesus knows that THIS is the answer of the Father to the need of the moment, to be received with thanksgiving, and then be used to relieve the hunger of every man, woman, and child present.
The third reason that all of this occurred, was that God desired to reveal quietly His glory to all involved, that they would see that God does not need great things, or great people. He only needs a child whose heart is simply His, and faith in God to work through the small things.
Dear Father, Bless the small things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.