“8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 ‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?’” John 6:8-9
If the Lord is going to multiply disciplers of His grace and truth (Matthew 28:19-20; John 1:14), we must also ASSESS WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE (John 6:8-10). “8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 ‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?’” (John 6:8-9). Think about it, there were five thousand hungry men on that grassy meadow near the northeastern side of the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1, 10). But that is just the men. There were also women and children there (cf. Matthew 14:21). Let’s say there were also five thousand women and ten thousand children there, too. That is twenty thousand people! How much would it cost to feed twenty thousand people?
I checked with McDonalds near where we live and it is $3.49 per person for a Hamburger Happy Meal. To feed twenty thousand people this Happy Meal, it would cost a grand total of $69,800.
But not everyone likes McDonalds, so I checked with Mullets Restaurant near the river. I figured a Wild West Burger with a soda is $14.58 per person. So for twenty thousand people that would be a grand total of $291,600!
Come on now. This is Father’s Day! No burgers for Dad. Jesus is taking everyone to the Outback Steakhouse in the northern part of our city where people go to eat their delicious 8 ounce Victoria’s Filet Mignon Steak with Grilled Shrimp and a Bloomin’ Onion for $42.27 per person! The grand total is $845,400! Where were the disciples going to come up with $845,400!?!
They probably gathered around and pooled all the money they had. Peter had fifty cents, Andrew another seventy-five cents. They were near Phillip’s hometown so he had a cousin in the crowd. He borrowed five dollars from him. When they totaled it all up, they had $8.53, two sandals, and one cell phone. They knew they couldn’t feed twenty thousand people with $8.53, two sandals, and one cell phone.
While the disciples put all their money together to see what they could do, one little boy said, “Hey! I’ve got my lunch here!” While everyone else is thinking this situation is hopeless, this little boy was thinking, “Here, take this. See what Jesus can do with what I have.” Jesus wants to use every Christian in ministry, including you.
“Then Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.” (John 6:10). This may have been an interesting command to the disciples. “Sit down to eat? Eat what?” the disciples must have been thinking. “We are not going to get very far on this boy’s lunch.” But Jesus has the solution.
Do you realize that your church has every resource you need, to do what God wants you to do right now! Do you believe that? Those resources have already been divided up among each of you. He has given some of it to you… and to you… and to you… and to you. That is why we all need to step back, every now and then, and take an inventory of the resources God has given us and then step forward to do our part.
I don’t know all of you who read these articles, but I would guess some of you are leaders… speakers… handymen or women… organizers… counselors… encouragers… some of you are great at working with children… teenagers… young marrieds… mid-lifers… and seniors. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has gifted you to do your part in carrying on His work here on earth. As believers, we need each other to step up and do our part (cf. I Corinthians 12:1-31). So first, admit you have a need (John 6:1-7) and assess what you already have (John 6:8-10).
When Andrew and the other disciples assessed what they already had, including the boy’s lunch, they knew that their resources alone were not enough. This assessment prompted them to look to Jesus for the solution. Will we do the same when we realize that what we have is not enough to satisfy the needs of all the people around us? It does not matter how gifted and talented we are, we cannot meet the deepest needs of people. Only Jesus can do that. Will we step up and do our part by bringing their needs to Him in prayer?
Prayer: Precious Lord Jesus, every day I see or hear evidence of how broken and wounded people in the world are, including me and those closest to me. As much as I would like to fix all the anger, division, and pain that people are facing, I am not capable of such a task. Because at the root of all this chaos and confusion in the world is a deeper problem that only You can solve. Only You can transform and heal our wounded and wicked hearts. Human governments, activists, and healthcare workers cannot perform this kind of surgery on the human heart. But You my Lord and my God can and You will when we implement Your discipleship process in our lost and broken communities. Right now my Lord, I ask You to heal the brokenness in me that has wounded so many other people in the past. Please show me how I can be a channel of Your healing grace and mercy to others who are reeling in anger and pain. Lead me to those who are prepared to hear and believe Your gospel message, and then be taught to follow You as Your disciple. In Jesus’s name. Amen.