The disciples said to Jesus, “Send the crowds away (5000 men + family members) so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.” But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “With what?” they asked… “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” They came back and reported, “We have 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish” … Jesus took their little, looked to heaven, gave thanks, broke the bread, and gave and kept giving … Everybody was fed, satisfied, and there were 12 twelve baskets of leftovers.” (Mark 6:36-38, 41-43)
Lord Jesus, the circumstances vary but many of us, like your novice disciples, are facing overwhelming needs with underwhelming resources. If I was good at math (and I’m not), I might tell their story in this equation:
5000 family units + 12 rookie caregivers + 5 loaves and 2 fish = Jesus better show up and be big in this story.
Hallelujah, you did “show up” and you continue to do so in our stories. Many of us are experiencing overwhelming scenarios in different sectors of life—in business, relationships, ministry, healthcare, etc. As with the disciples in the hungry-crowd story, we can respond in a number of ways.
- We can pretend to be omni-competent, and see the challenge as a chance to showcase our individual awesomeness, using other people as a means to get self-glory.
- Or, like the disciples, we can get a bit “testy,” and tell you what to do, Jesus—as though you’re clueless, not “dialed in,” and need our suggestions.
- We can humble ourselves, listen to you, and discover—yet again, that our weakness and inadequacy are good gifts, which drive us to the Gospel-Math of Jesus-dependence + Shared weakness + Mutual interdependence + Our “5 loaves and 2 fish” = Jesus is the only Hero, everybody contributes, and care is multiplied.
Jesus, thank you for writing us into your story, and for extending your compassion, care, and Kingdom to us and through us. We’ll leave being awesome to you. So Very Amen.