“What can I do? I’m only one person.” Have you ever thought that when you and others were faced with some sort of a problem or need? You felt that you, a small and very insignificant person, couldn’t make any difference at all. This is a situation that was faced in our Gospel reading today, in this past week’s Lectionary from the Book of Common Prayer. Let’s take a look and see what the Lord Jesus can teach us.
As was frequently the case, large crowds of people had gathered to listen to the teachings of Jesus, and also bringing their sick to be healed. After having been with Him for many hours of the day, Jesus knew that they would be hungry. Jesus cares about all of our needs. He knew that it was important to be physically fed, in addition to being spiritually fed. Spiritual nourishment is most important, of course, but taking care of our physical body through proper nourishment is very important, too. Jesus did not want to send the crowds away hungry.
As we read in the opening verses of our passage, we see that Jesus asked an odd question to Philip, one of His twelve apostles (vs. 5-6). Jesus asked him where they could get food to feed the multitude. This wasn’t just a classroom sized group, or even a mid-sized church congregation size. As the Gospel record states, there were about 5,000 men in the group (vs. 10). With women and children, the number was undoubtedly much more. Thus, they would have needed a lot of food to feed them.
Philip answered Jesus with his doubts (vs. 7). To buy lunch for multiple thousands of people would cost an extraordinary amount of money. He looked at the huge group and saw the impossible, not realizing he was in the presence of One who can, and does, do the impossible. We can limit what God can do in and through us by assuming what is and is not possible. God sometimes sets a seemingly impossible task before us to test us and see whether we react in fear or faith. Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see and do, to what He is able to accomplish. God can do the miraculous. Trust Him to provide the resources.
As we continue reading, the Apostle Andrew brought a young boy up to Jesus with his lunch box (vs. 8-9). The boy might have been sitting up front and heard the disciples discussing the dilemma of lack of food among themselves. Perhaps he came up to Andrew, tapped him and offered the lunch his mother had packed him to the apostle, telling him to give what he had to Jesus. Andrew was skeptical, as we see with his comment, yet he had that mustard seed size faith, or else he would have told the boy to just keep his lunch and eat it himself. Andrew felt that just perhaps Jesus could do something, so he brought the boy and his lunch to Him.
Do we feel that there is nothing we can do, nothing that we can offer, that will make any difference, so we just shrug our shoulders and give up? Look at that impossible situation - over 5,000 hungry people. What can I do? Nothing. So nothing gets done. The boy gave what little he had, and it made all the difference. If we offer nothing to God, He will have nothing to use. God can take what little we have and turn it into something great.
When Andrew brought the young boy with his lunch box containing a couple of fish and some bread to Jesus, I’m thinking He smiled at the boy who had a big heart to give and a big faith to match. Jesus then had the disciples divide the people into groups, blessed the food, and then gave it to them to pass out to the people (vs. 10-13). God used that one lunch, given in faith, to feed the multitude. God takes what we offer, whether money, time, or resources, and multiplies it beyond our expectations.
Do we view our life’s struggles with limited viewpoint, as Philip did? Or do we view them based on what is possible when our Heavenly Father gets involved? Remember, God tells us to cast all of our care upon Him because He cares for us (I Peter 5:7). When things look impossible, let’s not wring our hands, fretting and saying “What am I going to do?” Instead, look to the Lord and say “Lord, what are You going to do?”, and then wait for Him to move.
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