More Than Enough
In John 6 a large crowd follows Jesus after witnessing his healing power. Jesus climbs a mountain and sits down with his disciples. He then turns to Philip and says, “Where are we going to buy bread for these people to eat?” The scripture says Jesus does this to test him. In Matthew 14 Jesus says bluntly, “you give them something to eat.” Bottom line, Jesus expects his disciples to meet the needs of the people, to feed them, to nourish them, to help them. Friends, there is an expectation that the church can help people, that the church can meet their needs, that the church cares, because we are disciples of Jesus. As the story continues, Philip responds by noting the astronomical amount of money it would take to feed such a large group of people. Basically, he tells Jesus they simply cannot do what he asks. Isn’t that our typical response when we face difficult situations? We talk about what we cannot do, what we do not have, and the impossibility of the task before us. This is the response of fear. All too often, our initial reaction is fear, not faith. As the story continues Andrew calls attention to a young boy who offers 5 barley loaves of bread and 2 fish. Barley loaves were typically the food of poor people at that time. It was a touching gift. This boy didn’t have much to give in the face of such overwhelming need, but what he had he offered to Jesus. He was young, he was poor, and he was generous. What he freely gave, Jesus used to work a miracle. We open the door for blessings when we offer what we have to the Lord. Jesus takes what is offered, blesses it and uses it to feed the crowd, including the boy that gave up his lunch. Like the fish and loaves after he blessed them, Jesus takes what we give and does more than we can imagine, and that includes meeting our needs. Our challenge is to be generous and to trust. When we do this, we discover that what is placed in the Savior’s hands yields more than enough.