One of the few stories that appears in all four gospel accounts is the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 on a hilltop. And it's a beautiful story, a story that I didn't fully understand until studying it here at inBible, and if you haven't listened to our episode on John 6, I'd recommend it.
But as I was reading through the chapter again this week, another part stood out to me. This week, my attention wasn't drawn to the miracle itself. It was drawn to the little boy.
One of the most significant signs of Jesus' ministry occurs because a young boy is willing to offer what he has been given. Andrew brings the boy to Jesus saying, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (Jn 6: 9). On their own, those five loaves and two fish are insignificant—almost laughable against the need of thousands of hungry people. Yet in the hands of Jesus, they become more than enough to accomplish one of the most significant signs of His ministry.
I've often wondered what would have happened if that boy had decided to keep his lunch. Or thought he wasn't worthy to offer it to this travelling preacher some were calling the Messiah.
Would Jesus have performed the miracle another way? Of course. Jesus didn't need the boy's bread. But He chose to involve him. He invited someone with little to become part of something great.
I think that's where this story meets us today.
I can't tell you how many people—including myself—have held back from serving because we believed what we had to offer wasn't enough. We're not smart enough. Not eloquent enough. Not knowledgeable enough. Not experienced enough. Not outgoing enough.
So we stay on the sidelines.
Sometimes we even call it humility.
But often it isn't humility at all. It's fear.
Jesus isn't asking for our lunch. He doesn't need our loaves and fishes. But He is asking us to trust in the Father that gives good gifts to His children. To trust Him enough to use them.
Paul tells us that we are all parts of this body, all equipped but with different gifts. We don't have to try and be like someone else, to measure ourselves by their gifts. But we do have to recognise the gifts God has given us and be willing to use them, the whole body suffers when we don't.
The miracle was never in the bread.
The miracle was in what Jesus did with what was willingly placed in His hands.
The same is true today.
Your encouragement may seem small. Your hospitality may seem ordinary. Your ability to teach, to listen, to serve behind the scenes, to give generously, to pray faithfully—none of it may feel particularly impressive. But God has never been limited by the size of the gift. He is looking for willing hands.
This week let's consider what small gift, talent, or opportunity we are reluctant to offer because it seems too little? Perhaps this is the week to place it in the hands of Jesus and trust Him to multiply it.
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