Mark
8:1-10
1 At about this same time he again found himself with a hungry crowd on his hands. He called his disciples together and said, 2 "This crowd is breaking my heart. They have stuck with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they'll faint along the way-- some of them have come a long distance." 4 His disciples responded, "What do you expect us to do about it? Buy food out here in the desert?" 5 He asked, "How much bread do you have?" "Seven loaves," they said. 6 So Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. After giving thanks, he took the seven bread loaves, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples so they could hand them out to the crowd. 7 They also had a few fish. He pronounced a blessing over the fish and told his disciples to hand them out as well. 8 The crowd ate its fill. Seven sacks of leftovers were collected. 9 There were well over four thousand at the meal. Then he sent them home. 10 He himself went straight to the boat with his disciples and set out for Dalmanoutha.
Food for thought!
Have you ever felt hungry while sitting at a dining table, or felt sick while in hospital, or felt dry while inside a church, or felt in need of love with your spouse around...? This is what the disciples did. They felt empty, insufficient, limited, while in the presence of Jesus. Jesus had said, "This crowd is breaking my heart. They have stuck with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they'll faint along the way-- some of them have come a long distance." His disciples responded, "What do you expect us to do about it? Buy food out here in the desert?"
The disciples are frustrated and don't know what to do; they're with Jesus and they're are confused; they've Jesus and don't know what to do. And Jesus knows what they think. So, in order to open their eyes, Jesus makes a question to the disciples: "How much bread do you have?" This question reminds us several things: that sometimes we need what we have, we cry for what we possess, we search for what we already have; we're poor with all our talents and God given gifts with us; we don't see opportunities while God gave us eyes to see; we suffer when we have the cure with us; we starve with food in our hands; we have questions whose answers we know; we're ignorant with our brains in our head; we don't know with all the knowledge around.
How much bread do you have? How much intelligence do you have? How many talents do you have? How many friends do have? How much luck and opportunities and money do you have? Not much? Do like Jesus did: "Giving thanks, he took the seven bread loaves, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples so they could hand them out to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He pronounced a blessing over the fish and told his disciples to hand them out as well. The crowd ate its fill. Seven sacks of leftovers were collected."
Jesus did the following: 1) gave thanks for the seven loaves of bread. In other words, Jesus did not complain but thanked God for what he had. Do you ever thank God for what and whatever you have? For what and whatever you are? 2) Jesus then broke them and shared them. Do you remember to share the little you have, or you think it is too little to share?
So there're two things Jesus did to make the miracle: thank God for what and whatever he had; share what and whatever he had. Try this and you will have the miracle done by you. Thank God and share.
1 At about this same time he again found himself with a hungry crowd on his hands. He called his disciples together and said, 2 "This crowd is breaking my heart. They have stuck with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they'll faint along the way-- some of them have come a long distance." 4 His disciples responded, "What do you expect us to do about it? Buy food out here in the desert?" 5 He asked, "How much bread do you have?" "Seven loaves," they said. 6 So Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. After giving thanks, he took the seven bread loaves, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples so they could hand them out to the crowd. 7 They also had a few fish. He pronounced a blessing over the fish and told his disciples to hand them out as well. 8 The crowd ate its fill. Seven sacks of leftovers were collected. 9 There were well over four thousand at the meal. Then he sent them home. 10 He himself went straight to the boat with his disciples and set out for Dalmanoutha.
Food for thought!
Have you ever felt hungry while sitting at a dining table, or felt sick while in hospital, or felt dry while inside a church, or felt in need of love with your spouse around...? This is what the disciples did. They felt empty, insufficient, limited, while in the presence of Jesus. Jesus had said, "This crowd is breaking my heart. They have stuck with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they'll faint along the way-- some of them have come a long distance." His disciples responded, "What do you expect us to do about it? Buy food out here in the desert?"
The disciples are frustrated and don't know what to do; they're with Jesus and they're are confused; they've Jesus and don't know what to do. And Jesus knows what they think. So, in order to open their eyes, Jesus makes a question to the disciples: "How much bread do you have?" This question reminds us several things: that sometimes we need what we have, we cry for what we possess, we search for what we already have; we're poor with all our talents and God given gifts with us; we don't see opportunities while God gave us eyes to see; we suffer when we have the cure with us; we starve with food in our hands; we have questions whose answers we know; we're ignorant with our brains in our head; we don't know with all the knowledge around.
How much bread do you have? How much intelligence do you have? How many talents do you have? How many friends do have? How much luck and opportunities and money do you have? Not much? Do like Jesus did: "Giving thanks, he took the seven bread loaves, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples so they could hand them out to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He pronounced a blessing over the fish and told his disciples to hand them out as well. The crowd ate its fill. Seven sacks of leftovers were collected."
Jesus did the following: 1) gave thanks for the seven loaves of bread. In other words, Jesus did not complain but thanked God for what he had. Do you ever thank God for what and whatever you have? For what and whatever you are? 2) Jesus then broke them and shared them. Do you remember to share the little you have, or you think it is too little to share?
So there're two things Jesus did to make the miracle: thank God for what and whatever he had; share what and whatever he had. Try this and you will have the miracle done by you. Thank God and share.
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